diff --git a/config/harpoon.nim b/config/harpoon.nim
index d223c85d..fc56e570 100644
--- a/config/harpoon.nim
+++ b/config/harpoon.nim
@@ -172,7 +172,10 @@ proc defaultEncode(item: HarpoonItem): string =
   return $item.toJson
 
 proc defaultDecode(value: string): HarpoonItem =
-  return value.parseJson.jsonTo(HarpoonItem)
+  try:
+    return value.parseJson.jsonTo(HarpoonItem)
+  except:
+    return HarpoonItem()
 
 proc defaultCreateListItem(config: HarpoonPartialConfigItem, name: Option[string]): HarpoonItem =
   let activeEditor = if getActiveEditor().isTextEditor(ed):
@@ -226,7 +229,11 @@ proc encode(list: HarpoonList): Option[seq[string]] =
   for item in list.items:
     var encoded = ""
     if encodeCallback != "":
-      encodeCallback.invoke(encoded, item)
+      try:
+        encodeCallback.invoke(encoded, item)
+      except:
+        infof"Failed to encode item {item}"
+        continue
     else:
       encoded = defaultEncode(item)
 
@@ -253,7 +260,7 @@ proc getList(self: Harpoon, name: Option[string] = string.none): var HarpoonList
   else:
     key = ""
 
-  let lists = self.lists.mgetOrPut(key).addr
+  let lists = self.lists.mgetOrPut(key, initTable[string, HarpoonList]()).addr
 
   if lists[].contains(name):
     return self.lists[key][name]
diff --git a/config/wasm/harpoon.wasm b/config/wasm/harpoon.wasm
index b0dbd7f1..dacdc621 100644
Binary files a/config/wasm/harpoon.wasm and b/config/wasm/harpoon.wasm differ
diff --git a/config/wasm/keybindings_plugin.wasm b/config/wasm/keybindings_plugin.wasm
index ca914319..e21380d0 100644
Binary files a/config/wasm/keybindings_plugin.wasm and b/config/wasm/keybindings_plugin.wasm differ
diff --git a/config/wasm/vscode_config_plugin.wasm b/config/wasm/vscode_config_plugin.wasm
index 9cf92cc3..0e629537 100644
Binary files a/config/wasm/vscode_config_plugin.wasm and b/config/wasm/vscode_config_plugin.wasm differ
diff --git a/scripting/absytree_runtime.nim b/scripting/absytree_runtime.nim
index e48bf419..65a1a9b8 100644
--- a/scripting/absytree_runtime.nim
+++ b/scripting/absytree_runtime.nim
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ type AnyDocumentEditor = TextDocumentEditor | ModelDocumentEditor
 var voidCallbacks = initTable[int, proc(args: JsonNode): void]()
 var boolCallbacks = initTable[int, proc(args: JsonNode): bool]()
 var anyCallbacks = initTable[int, proc(args: JsonNode): JsonNode]()
-var onEditorModeChanged*: Event[tuple[editor: EditorId, oldMode: string, newMode: string]]
+var onEditorModeChanged* = initEvent[tuple[editor: EditorId, oldMode: string, newMode: string]]()
 var callbackId = 0
 
 when defined(wasm):
diff --git a/scripting/absytree_runtime_impl.nim b/scripting/absytree_runtime_impl.nim
index abebddca..6dbfe052 100644
--- a/scripting/absytree_runtime_impl.nim
+++ b/scripting/absytree_runtime_impl.nim
@@ -6,8 +6,12 @@ proc handleAnyCallback*(id: int, args: JsonNode): JsonNode = handleAnyCallbackIm
 proc handleScriptAction*(name: string, args: JsonNode): JsonNode = handleScriptActionImpl(name, args)
 
 proc handleEditorModeChanged*(editor: EditorId, oldMode: string, newMode: string) =
-  # infof"handleEditorModeChanged {editor} {oldMode} {newMode}"
-  onEditorModeChanged.invoke (editor, oldMode, newMode)
+  try:
+    # todo: in nimscript this crashes?
+    when not defined(nimscript):
+      onEditorModeChanged.invoke (editor, oldMode, newMode)
+  except:
+    info &"handleEditorModeChanged failed: {getCurrentExceptionMsg()}\n{getCurrentException().getStackTrace()}"
 
 when defined(wasm):
   proc postInitializeWasm(): bool {.wasmexport.} =
diff --git a/src/app.nim b/src/app.nim
index 438ef3e3..76935632 100644
--- a/src/app.nim
+++ b/src/app.nim
@@ -739,10 +739,15 @@ proc initScripting(self: App, options: AppOptions) {.async.} =
 
         if self.homeDir != "":
           let scriptPath = self.homeDir / ".absytree/custom.nims"
-          if createScriptContext(scriptPath, searchPaths).await.getSome(scriptContext):
-            self.nimsScriptContext = scriptContext
+          if fileExists(scriptPath):
+            log lvlInfo, &"Found '{scriptPath}'"
+            if createScriptContext(scriptPath, searchPaths).await.getSome(scriptContext):
+              self.nimsScriptContext = scriptContext
+            else:
+              log lvlError, "Failed to create nim script context"
+
           else:
-            log lvlError, "Failed to create nim script context"
+            log lvlInfo, &"No custom.nims found in home ~/.absytree"
 
           withScriptContext self, self.nimsScriptContext:
             log(lvlInfo, fmt"init nim script config")
diff --git a/src/misc/event.nim b/src/misc/event.nim
index 33bdfd9b..8b5dca04 100644
--- a/src/misc/event.nim
+++ b/src/misc/event.nim
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ import id, util
 type Event*[T] = object
   handlers: seq[tuple[id: Id, callback: (T) -> void]]
 
+proc initEvent*[T](): Event[T] =
+  result = Event[T](handlers: @[])
+
 proc subscribe*[T: void](event: var Event[T], callback: () -> void): Id =
   assert callback != nil
   result = newId()