diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 7113c05d0..31390ce9c 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 //! # Key-value configuration management.
 
+use std::sync::atomic;
+
 use anyhow::{ensure, Context as _, Result};
 
 use strum::{EnumProperty, IntoEnumIterator};
@@ -334,6 +336,8 @@ impl Context {
                     {
                         message::delete_msgs(self, &[MsgId::new(webxdc_message_id)]).await?;
                     }
+                    self.sql.set_raw_config(key, value).await?;
+                    self.debug_logging.store(0, atomic::Ordering::Release);
                 } else {
                     let data: &[u8] = include_bytes!("../assets/webxdc_logging.xdc");
 
@@ -347,6 +351,8 @@ impl Context {
                     self.sql
                         .set_raw_config(key, Some(&msg_id.to_u32().to_string()))
                         .await?;
+                    self.debug_logging
+                        .store(msg_id.to_u32(), atomic::Ordering::Release);
                 }
             }
             _ => {
diff --git a/src/context.rs b/src/context.rs
index b16381731..af21ab2c8 100644
--- a/src/context.rs
+++ b/src/context.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use std::ops::Deref;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant, SystemTime};
+use std::sync::atomic::{self, AtomicU32};
 
 use anyhow::{ensure, Result};
 use async_channel::{self as channel, Receiver, Sender};
@@ -231,7 +232,9 @@ pub struct InnerContext {
     /// The text of the last error logged and emitted as an event.
     /// If the ui wants to display an error after a failure,
     /// `last_error` should be used to avoid races with the event thread.
-    pub(crate) last_error: std::sync::RwLock<String>,
+    pub(crate) last_error: RwLock<String>,
+
+    pub(crate) debug_logging: AtomicU32,
 }
 
 /// The state of ongoing process.
@@ -361,7 +364,8 @@ impl Context {
             server_id: RwLock::new(None),
             creation_time: std::time::SystemTime::now(),
             last_full_folder_scan: Mutex::new(None),
-            last_error: std::sync::RwLock::new("".to_string()),
+            last_error: RwLock::new("".to_string()),
+            debug_logging: AtomicU32::default(),
         };
 
         let ctx = Context {
@@ -437,47 +441,44 @@ impl Context {
             id: self.id,
             typ: event.clone(),
         });
+
         let context = self.clone();
-        async_std::task::spawn(async move {
-            // TODO synchronously is prob. better
-            match context.get_config_int(Config::DebugLogging).await {
-                Err(_) => {} // Probably the database is simply closed (i.e. encrypted and no passphrase available yet)
-                Ok(0) => {}
-                Ok(debug_logging_webxdc) => {
-                    let time = SystemTime::now()
-                        .duration_since(SystemTime::UNIX_EPOCH)
-                        .unwrap_or_default()
-                        .as_millis() as i64;
+        let debug_logging = context.debug_logging.load(atomic::Ordering::Acquire);
+        if debug_logging > 0 {
+            let time = SystemTime::now()
+                .duration_since(SystemTime::UNIX_EPOCH)
+                .unwrap_or_default()
+                .as_millis() as i64;
 
-                    let webxdc_instance_id = MsgId::new(debug_logging_webxdc as u32);
+            async_std::task::block_on(async move {
+                let webxdc_instance_id = MsgId::new(debug_logging as u32);
 
-                    match context
-                        .internal_write_status_update(
-                            &webxdc_instance_id,
-                            StatusUpdateItem {
-                                payload: event.to_json(Some(time)),
-                                info: None,
-                                summary: None,
+                match context
+                    .internal_write_status_update(
+                        &webxdc_instance_id,
+                        StatusUpdateItem {
+                            payload: event.to_json(Some(time)),
+                            info: None,
+                            summary: None,
+                        },
+                    )
+                    .await
+                {
+                    Err(err) => {
+                        eprintln!("Can't log event to webxdc status update: {:#}", err);
+                    }
+                    Ok(serial) => {
+                        context.events.emit(Event {
+                            id: context.id,
+                            typ: EventType::WebxdcStatusUpdate {
+                                msg_id: webxdc_instance_id,
+                                status_update_serial: serial,
                             },
-                        )
-                        .await
-                    {
-                        Err(err) => {
-                            eprintln!("Can't log event to webxdc status update: {:#}", err);
-                        }
-                        Ok(serial) => {
-                            context.events.emit(Event {
-                                id: context.id,
-                                typ: EventType::WebxdcStatusUpdate {
-                                    msg_id: webxdc_instance_id,
-                                    status_update_serial: serial,
-                                },
-                            });
-                        }
+                        });
                     }
                 }
-            }
-        });
+            });
+        }
     }
 
     /// Emits a generic MsgsChanged event (without chat or message id)
diff --git a/src/message.rs b/src/message.rs
index e02201e85..004eb32d6 100644
--- a/src/message.rs
+++ b/src/message.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 use std::collections::BTreeSet;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::atomic;
 
 use anyhow::{ensure, format_err, Context as _, Result};
 use deltachat_derive::{FromSql, ToSql};
@@ -1287,6 +1288,7 @@ pub async fn delete_msgs(context: &Context, msg_ids: &[MsgId]) -> Result<()> {
                 .sql
                 .set_raw_config(Config::DebugLogging, Some("0"))
                 .await?;
+            context.debug_logging.store(0, atomic::Ordering::Release);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/sql.rs b/src/sql.rs
index d9e4ce9e7..6809d2efd 100644
--- a/src/sql.rs
+++ b/src/sql.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
 use std::convert::TryFrom;
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::atomic;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 use anyhow::{bail, Context as _, Result};
@@ -341,6 +342,12 @@ impl Sql {
         } else {
             info!(context, "Opened database {:?}.", self.dbfile);
             *self.is_encrypted.write().await = Some(passphrase_nonempty);
+
+            let debug_logging = self.get_raw_config_u32(Config::DebugLogging).await?;
+            context
+                .debug_logging
+                .store(debug_logging.unwrap_or(0), atomic::Ordering::Release);
+
             Ok(())
         }
     }