diff --git a/src/core/chat-protocols.c b/src/core/chat-protocols.c
index c53b01b3..83d7ee88 100644
--- a/src/core/chat-protocols.c
+++ b/src/core/chat-protocols.c
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ int chat_protocol_lookup(const char *name)
 	g_return_val_if_fail(name != NULL, -1);
 
 	rec = chat_protocol_find(name);
-	return rec == NULL ? -1 : rec->id;
+	return rec == NULL ? -1 : rec->not_initialized ? CHAT_PROTOCOL_NOT_INITIALIZED : rec->id;
 }
 
 CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_find(const char *name)
@@ -99,6 +99,22 @@ CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_find_net(GHashTable *optlist)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+static void chat_protocol_destroy(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
+{
+	g_return_if_fail(rec != NULL);
+
+	chat_protocols = g_slist_remove(chat_protocols, rec);
+
+	if (default_proto == rec) {
+		chat_protocol_set_default(chat_protocols == NULL ? NULL : chat_protocols->data);
+	}
+
+	signal_emit("chat protocol destroyed", 1, rec);
+
+	g_free(rec->name);
+	g_free(rec);
+}
+
 /* Register new chat protocol. */
 CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_register(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
 {
@@ -108,7 +124,11 @@ CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_register(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
 	g_return_val_if_fail(rec != NULL, NULL);
 
 	newrec = chat_protocol_find(rec->name);
-        created = newrec == NULL;
+	if (newrec != NULL && newrec->not_initialized) {
+		chat_protocol_destroy(newrec);
+		newrec = NULL;
+	}
+	created = newrec == NULL;
 	if (newrec == NULL) {
 		newrec = g_new0(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC, 1);
 		chat_protocols = g_slist_append(chat_protocols, newrec);
@@ -131,23 +151,6 @@ CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_register(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
         return newrec;
 }
 
-static void chat_protocol_destroy(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
-{
-	g_return_if_fail(rec != NULL);
-
-	chat_protocols = g_slist_remove(chat_protocols, rec);
-
-	if (default_proto == rec) {
-		chat_protocol_set_default(chat_protocols == NULL ? NULL :
-					  chat_protocols->data);
-	}
-
-	signal_emit("chat protocol destroyed", 1, rec);
-
-	g_free(rec->name);
-	g_free(rec);
-}
-
 /* Unregister chat protocol. */
 void chat_protocol_unregister(const char *name)
 {
@@ -218,8 +221,10 @@ CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_get_unknown(const char *name)
 	rec->create_chatnet = create_chatnet;
         rec->create_server_setup = create_server_setup;
         rec->create_channel_setup = create_channel_setup;
+	/*
 	rec->create_server_connect = create_server_connect;
 	rec->destroy_server_connect = destroy_server_connect;
+	*/
 
 	newrec = chat_protocol_register(rec);
 	g_free(rec);
diff --git a/src/core/chat-protocols.h b/src/core/chat-protocols.h
index ab7327bd..2a51c8c4 100644
--- a/src/core/chat-protocols.h
+++ b/src/core/chat-protocols.h
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ void *chat_protocol_check_cast(void *object, int type_pos, const char *id);
 	((object) == NULL ? chat_protocol_get_default() : \
 	chat_protocol_find_id((object)->chat_type))
 
+#define CHAT_PROTOCOL_NOT_INITIALIZED -2
+
 /* Register new chat protocol. */
 CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *chat_protocol_register(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec);
 
diff --git a/src/core/chatnets.c b/src/core/chatnets.c
index 2d49a6df..4e880a10 100644
--- a/src/core/chatnets.c
+++ b/src/core/chatnets.c
@@ -24,12 +24,13 @@
 #include <irssi/src/core/special-vars.h>
 #include <irssi/src/lib-config/iconfig.h>
 #include <irssi/src/core/settings.h>
+#include <irssi/src/core/misc.h>
 
 #include <irssi/src/core/chat-protocols.h>
 #include <irssi/src/core/chatnets.h>
 #include <irssi/src/core/servers.h>
 
-GSList *chatnets; /* list of available chat networks */
+GSList *chatnets, *chatnets_unavailable; /* list of available chat networks */
 
 static void chatnet_config_save(CHATNET_REC *chatnet)
 {
@@ -60,8 +61,9 @@ static void chatnet_config_remove(CHATNET_REC *chatnet)
 void chatnet_create(CHATNET_REC *chatnet)
 {
 	g_return_if_fail(chatnet != NULL);
+	g_return_if_fail(!CHAT_PROTOCOL(chatnet)->not_initialized);
 
-        chatnet->type = module_get_uniq_id("CHATNET", 0);
+	chatnet->type = module_get_uniq_id("CHATNET", 0);
 	if (g_slist_find(chatnets, chatnet) == NULL)
 		chatnets = g_slist_append(chatnets, chatnet);
 
@@ -112,6 +114,21 @@ CHATNET_REC *chatnet_find(const char *name)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+gboolean chatnet_find_unavailable(const char *name)
+{
+	CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *proto;
+
+	if (i_slist_find_icase_string(chatnets_unavailable, name) != NULL)
+		return TRUE;
+
+	proto = CHAT_PROTOCOL(chatnet_find(name));
+
+	if (proto == NULL || proto->not_initialized)
+		return TRUE;
+
+	return FALSE;
+}
+
 static void sig_connected(SERVER_REC *server)
 {
 	CHATNET_REC *rec;
@@ -136,14 +153,22 @@ static void chatnet_read(CONFIG_NODE *node)
 		return;
 
 	type = config_node_get_str(node, "type", NULL);
-	proto = type == NULL ? NULL : chat_protocol_find(type);
-	if (proto == NULL) {
-		proto = type == NULL ? chat_protocol_get_default() :
-			chat_protocol_get_unknown(type);
+	if (type == NULL) {
+		proto = chat_protocol_get_default();
+	} else {
+		proto = chat_protocol_find(type);
 	}
 
-	if (type == NULL)
+	if (proto == NULL) {
+		/* protocol not loaded */
+		if (i_slist_find_icase_string(chatnets_unavailable, node->key) == NULL)
+			chatnets_unavailable =
+			    g_slist_append(chatnets_unavailable, g_strdup(node->key));
+
+		return;
+	} else if (type == NULL) {
 		iconfig_node_set_str(node, "type", proto->name);
+	}
 
 	rec = proto->create_chatnet();
 	rec->type = module_get_uniq_id("CHATNET", 0);
@@ -167,6 +192,12 @@ static void read_chatnets(void)
 	while (chatnets != NULL)
                 chatnet_destroy(chatnets->data);
 
+	while (chatnets_unavailable != NULL) {
+		char *name = chatnets_unavailable->data;
+		chatnets_unavailable = g_slist_remove(chatnets_unavailable, name);
+		g_free(name);
+	}
+
 	node = iconfig_node_traverse("chatnets", FALSE);
 	if (node != NULL) {
 		tmp = config_node_first(node->value);
diff --git a/src/core/chatnets.h b/src/core/chatnets.h
index 6f36fe33..accdd0ad 100644
--- a/src/core/chatnets.h
+++ b/src/core/chatnets.h
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ void chatnet_destroy(CHATNET_REC *chatnet);
 
 /* Find the chat network by name */
 CHATNET_REC *chatnet_find(const char *name);
+/* Check if this chatnet is unavailable because the protocol is not loaded */
+gboolean chatnet_find_unavailable(const char *name);
 
 void chatnets_init(void);
 void chatnets_deinit(void);
diff --git a/src/core/servers-setup.c b/src/core/servers-setup.c
index 82e5f6be..440f5593 100644
--- a/src/core/servers-setup.c
+++ b/src/core/servers-setup.c
@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@ static SERVER_CONNECT_REC *create_addr_conn(int chat_type, const char *address,
 	proto = chat_type >= 0 ? chat_protocol_find_id(chat_type) :
                 chat_protocol_get_default();
 
+	g_return_val_if_fail(proto != NULL, NULL);
+
 	conn = proto->create_server_connect();
 	server_connect_ref(conn);
 
@@ -469,6 +471,10 @@ static SERVER_SETUP_REC *server_setup_read(CONFIG_NODE *node)
 	chatnetrec = chatnet == NULL ? NULL : chatnet_find(chatnet);
 	if (chatnetrec == NULL && chatnet != NULL) {
                 /* chat network not found, create it. */
+		if (chatnet_find_unavailable(chatnet)) {
+			/* no protocols loaded, skip loading servers */
+			return NULL;
+		}
 		chatnetrec = chat_protocol_get_default()->create_chatnet();
 		chatnetrec->chat_type = chat_protocol_get_default()->id;
 		chatnetrec->name = g_strdup(chatnet);
diff --git a/src/perl/perl-common.c b/src/perl/perl-common.c
index 7eaab8eb..d9d00035 100644
--- a/src/perl/perl-common.c
+++ b/src/perl/perl-common.c
@@ -583,6 +583,10 @@ static void perl_register_protocol(CHAT_PROTOCOL_REC *rec)
         SV *sv;
 
 	chat_type = chat_protocol_lookup(rec->name);
+	if (chat_type == CHAT_PROTOCOL_NOT_INITIALIZED) {
+		return;
+	}
+
 	g_return_if_fail(chat_type >= 0);
 
 	name = g_ascii_strdown(rec->name,-1);