diff --git a/rc/detection/editorconfig.kak b/rc/detection/editorconfig.kak
index e836c3e97..940c197fa 100644
--- a/rc/detection/editorconfig.kak
+++ b/rc/detection/editorconfig.kak
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ define-command editorconfig-load -params ..1 -docstring "editorconfig-load [file
                         if (max_line_length && max_line_length != "off") {
                             print "set window autowrap_column " max_line_length
                             print "autowrap-enable"
-                            print "add-highlighter window/ column %sh{ echo $((" max_line_length "+1)) } default,bright-black"
                         }
                     }
                 ' ;;
diff --git a/rc/tools/autowrap.kak b/rc/tools/autowrap.kak
index d742f6ee7..2e98d3d9c 100644
--- a/rc/tools/autowrap.kak
+++ b/rc/tools/autowrap.kak
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 declare-option -docstring "maximum amount of characters per line, after which a newline character will be inserted" \
-    int autowrap_column 80
+    int autowrap_column 0
 
 declare-option -docstring %{
     when enabled, paragraph formatting will reformat the whole paragraph in which characters are being inserted
@@ -48,3 +48,13 @@ define-command autowrap-enable -docstring "Automatically wrap the lines in which
 define-command autowrap-disable -docstring "Disable automatic line wrapping" %{
     remove-hooks window autowrap
 }
+
+hook global WinSetOption autowrap_column=0 %{
+    try %{
+        remove-highlighter window/autowrap_column
+    }
+}
+
+hook global WinSetOption autowrap_column=(?!0).* %{
+    add-highlighter -override window/autowrap_column column %sh{ echo $((kak_opt_autowrap_column+1)) } default,bright-black
+}