diff --git a/config/src/config.rs b/config/src/config.rs
index eb14e9573..42b8f10d4 100644
--- a/config/src/config.rs
+++ b/config/src/config.rs
@@ -731,17 +731,7 @@ impl Config {
         std::env::remove_var("WEZTERM_CONFIG_FILE");
         std::env::remove_var("WEZTERM_CONFIG_DIR");
 
-        fn try_default() -> anyhow::Result<LoadedConfig> {
-            let config = default_config_with_overrides_applied()?.compute_extra_defaults(None);
-
-            Ok(LoadedConfig {
-                config: Ok(config),
-                file_name: None,
-                lua: Some(make_lua_context(Path::new(""))?),
-            })
-        }
-
-        match try_default() {
+        match Self::try_default() {
             Err(err) => LoadedConfig {
                 config: Err(err),
                 file_name: None,
@@ -751,6 +741,16 @@ impl Config {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn try_default() -> anyhow::Result<LoadedConfig> {
+        let config = default_config_with_overrides_applied()?.compute_extra_defaults(None);
+
+        Ok(LoadedConfig {
+            config: Ok(config),
+            file_name: None,
+            lua: Some(make_lua_context(Path::new(""))?),
+        })
+    }
+
     fn try_load(
         path_item: &PathPossibility,
         overrides: &wezterm_dynamic::Value,
diff --git a/wezterm-gui/src/overlay/debug.rs b/wezterm-gui/src/overlay/debug.rs
index d220a0aac..ab77fdc52 100644
--- a/wezterm-gui/src/overlay/debug.rs
+++ b/wezterm-gui/src/overlay/debug.rs
@@ -130,13 +130,17 @@ impl LineEditorHost for LuaReplHost {
 pub fn show_debug_overlay(mut term: TermWizTerminal, gui_win: GuiWin) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     term.no_grab_mouse_in_raw_mode();
 
-    let config::LoadedConfig {
-        lua,
-        config,
-        file_name: _,
-    } = config::Config::load();
-    config?;
-    let lua = lua.ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("failed to setup lua context"))?;
+    let config::LoadedConfig { lua, .. } = config::Config::load();
+    // Try hard to fall back to some kind of working lua context even
+    // if the user's config file is temporarily out of whack
+    let lua = match lua {
+        Some(lua) => lua,
+        None => match config::Config::try_default() {
+            Ok(config::LoadedConfig { lua: Some(lua), .. }) => lua,
+            _ => config::lua::make_lua_context(std::path::Path::new(""))?,
+        },
+    };
+
     lua.load("wezterm = require 'wezterm'").exec()?;
     lua.globals().set("window", gui_win)?;