diff --git a/internal/config/colorscheme.go b/internal/config/colorscheme.go
index 5376c845..1058ab52 100644
--- a/internal/config/colorscheme.go
+++ b/internal/config/colorscheme.go
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ func InitColorscheme() error {
 	c, err := LoadDefaultColorscheme()
 	if err == nil {
 		Colorscheme = c
+	} else {
+		// The colorscheme setting seems broken (maybe because we have not validated
+		// it earlier, see comment in verifySetting()). So reset it to the default
+		// colorscheme and try again.
+		GlobalSettings["colorscheme"] = DefaultGlobalOnlySettings["colorscheme"]
+		if c, err2 := LoadDefaultColorscheme(); err2 == nil {
+			Colorscheme = c
+		}
 	}
 
 	return err
diff --git a/internal/config/settings.go b/internal/config/settings.go
index 14e5f18b..895d9db5 100644
--- a/internal/config/settings.go
+++ b/internal/config/settings.go
@@ -270,6 +270,12 @@ func verifySetting(option string, value interface{}, def interface{}) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Error: setting '%s' has incorrect type (%s), using default value: %v (%s)", option, valType, def, defType)
 	}
 
+	if option == "colorscheme" {
+		// Plugins are not initialized yet, so do not verify if the colorscheme
+		// exists yet, since the colorscheme may be added by a plugin later.
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	if err := OptionIsValid(option, value); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}