diff --git a/pkg/db/db.go b/pkg/db/db.go
index 558d8eb81..41ebb0fe9 100644
--- a/pkg/db/db.go
+++ b/pkg/db/db.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package db
 
 import (
+	"code.vikunja.io/api/pkg/config"
 	"code.vikunja.io/api/pkg/log"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/go-xorm/core"
@@ -29,6 +30,11 @@ import (
 
 // CreateDBEngine initializes a db engine from the config
 func CreateDBEngine() (engine *xorm.Engine, err error) {
+	// If the database type is not set, this likely means we need to initialize the config first
+	if viper.GetString("database.type") == "" {
+		config.InitConfig()
+	}
+
 	// Use Mysql if set
 	if viper.GetString("database.type") == "mysql" {
 		connStr := fmt.Sprintf(