diff --git a/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/app.js b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/app.js
index 2494c8e8..13d18076 100644
--- a/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/app.js
+++ b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/app.js
@@ -789,10 +789,9 @@ async function handleSocket(socket) {
 
 function integrateConfig(main, user) {
     Object.keys(user).forEach(function (k) {
-        if (typeof (user[k]) == 'object') {
+        if (typeof (user[k]) == 'object' && user[k] != null) {
             // new entry
             if (!main[k]) main[k] = new Array();
-
             // go down the rabbit hole
             main[k] = integrateConfig(main[k], user[k]);
         } else {
@@ -819,33 +818,36 @@ function returnAbsolsutePath(path) {
 
 var z_title = "zefie's wtv minisrv v" + require('./package.json').version;
 console.log("**** Welcome to " + z_title + " ****");
-var read_config = false;
-
-if (fs.existsSync(__dirname + "/user_config.json")) {
-    try {
-        var minisrv_config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(__dirname + "/user_config.json"));
-        console.log(" *** Reading user configuration...");
-        read_config = true;
-    }
-    catch (e) {
-        console.log("Error reading user_config.json, failling back to global config", e);
-    }
+console.log(" *** Reading global configuration...");
+try {
+    var minisrv_config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(__dirname + "/config.json"));
+} catch (e) {
+    throw ("ERROR: Could not read config.json", e);
 }
-
-if (fs.existsSync(__dirname + "/config.json") && !read_config) {
-    try {
-        console.log(" *** Reading global configuration...");
-        var minisrv_config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(__dirname + "/config.json"));
-        read_config = true;
-    } catch (e) {
-        console.log ("ERROR: Could not read config.json", e);
-    }
-}
-
 var service_vaults = new Array();
 
+try {
+    if (fs.lstatSync(__dirname + "/user_config.json")) {
+        console.log(" *** Reading user configuration...");
+        try {
+            var minisrv_user_config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(__dirname + "/user_config.json")); 
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.log("ERROR: Could not read user_config.json", e);
+            var throw_me = true;
+        }
+        // file exists and we read and parsed it, but the variable is undefined
+        // Likely a syntax parser error that did not trip the exception check above
+        try {
+            minisrv_config = integrateConfig(minisrv_config, minisrv_user_config)
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.log("ERROR: Could not read user_config.json", e);
+        }
+    }
+} catch (e) {
+    if (zdebug) console.log(" * Notice: Could not find user configuration (user_config.json). Using default configuration.");
+}
 
-if (!read_config) {
+if (throw_me) {
     throw ("An error has occured while reading the configuration files.");
 }
 
diff --git a/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/config.json b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/config.json
index dad23fbd..5f175b8f 100644
--- a/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/config.json
+++ b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/config.json
@@ -55,16 +55,16 @@
     "http": {
       "port": 1650,
       "connections": 3,
-      "use_external_proxy": true,
-      "external_proxy_is_socks": true,
+      "use_external_proxy": false,
+      "external_proxy_is_socks": false,
       "external_proxy_host": "127.0.0.1",
       "external_proxy_port": 1080
     },
     "https": {
       "port": 1650,
       "connections": 3,
-      "use_external_proxy": true,
-      "external_proxy_is_socks": true,
+      "use_external_proxy": false,
+      "external_proxy_is_socks": false,
       "external_proxy_host": "127.0.0.1",
       "external_proxy_port": 1080
     }
diff --git a/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/user_config.example.json b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/user_config.example.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6e9f49a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zefie_wtvp_minisrv/user_config.example.json
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{
+	"config": {
+		"service_ip": "192.168.11.8",
+		"service_name": "MyWebTV",
+		"send_tellyscripts": true,
+		"hide_ssid_in_logs": true,
+		"verbosity": 0
+	},
+	"services": {
+		"wtv-log": {
+			"write_logs_to_disk": true
+		},
+		"wtv-some-custom-service": {
+			"port": 1609,
+			"connections": 1
+		},
+		"wtv-tricks": {
+			"service_ip": "192.168.11.8",
+			"port": 1702,
+			"nobind": true
+		},
+		"wtv-music": {
+			"disabled": true
+		}
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file