diff --git a/app/src/core/index.ts b/app/src/core/index.ts
index f47a2d5c..e83c40e1 100644
--- a/app/src/core/index.ts
+++ b/app/src/core/index.ts
@@ -81,16 +81,18 @@ export class ChatManager extends EventEmitter {
         });
         this.search = new Search(this);
 
+        this.options = new OptionsManager(this.doc, pluginMetadata);
+        this.options.on('update', (...args) => this.emit('plugin-options-update', ...args));
+
         // connect new doc to persistance, scoped to the current username
         this.provider = new IndexeddbPersistence('chats:' + username, this.doc.root);
         this.provider.whenSynced.then(() => {
             this.doc.getChatIDs().map(id => this.emit(id));
             this.emit('update');
+            this.doc.emit('ready');
+            this.options.reloadOptions();
         });
 
-        this.options = new OptionsManager(this.doc, pluginMetadata);
-        this.options.on('update', (...args) => this.emit('plugin-options-update', ...args));
-
         pluginRunner(
             'init',
             pluginID => createBasicPluginContext(pluginID, this.options),
diff --git a/app/src/core/options/index.ts b/app/src/core/options/index.ts
index b2755615..5aaf5e0a 100644
--- a/app/src/core/options/index.ts
+++ b/app/src/core/options/index.ts
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@ export class OptionsManager extends EventEmitter {
         this.optionGroups = [...globalOptions, ...this.pluginMetadata];
 
         // Load options from localStorage and YChats
-        this.loadOptions();
+        this.reloadOptions();
 
         // Listen for update events on the broadcast channel
         broadcastChannel.onmessage = (event: MessageEvent) => {
-            this.loadOptions();
+            this.reloadOptions();
 
             if (event.data?.groupID) {
                 this.emit('update', event.data.groupID);
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ export class OptionsManager extends EventEmitter {
             this.optionsCache.set(key, value);
         } else if (option.scope === "user") {
             const key = cacheKey(groupID, option.id);
+            console.log(`loading option ${groupID}.${option.id} from YDoc into cache (${key})`);
             const value = this.yDoc.getOption(groupID, option.id) || option.defaultValue;
             this.optionsCache.set(key, value);
         } else {
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ export class OptionsManager extends EventEmitter {
         }
     }
 
-    private loadOptions() {
+    public reloadOptions() {
         // Load browser and user-scoped options
         this.optionGroups.forEach(group => {
             group.options.forEach(option => {