diff --git a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.App.swift b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.App.swift
index 854427342..5ec42158f 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.App.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.App.swift
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
         init(configPath: String? = nil) {
             self.configPath = configPath
             // Initialize the global configuration.
-            self.config = configPath.flatMap({ Self.readConfig(at: $0, finalize: true) }) ?? Config()
+            self.config = Config(at: configPath)
             if self.config.config == nil {
                 readiness = .error
                 return
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
             }
 
             // Hard or full updates have to reload the full configuration
-            let newConfig = configPath.flatMap({ Self.readConfig(at: $0, finalize: true) }) ?? Config()
+            let newConfig = Config(at: configPath)
             guard newConfig.loaded else {
                 Ghostty.logger.warning("failed to reload configuration")
                 return
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
             // Hard or full updates have to reload the full configuration.
             // NOTE: We never set this on self.config because this is a surface-only
             // config. We free it after the call.
-            let newConfig = configPath.flatMap({ Self.readConfig(at: $0, finalize: true) }) ?? Config()
+            let newConfig = Config(at: configPath)
             guard newConfig.loaded else {
                 Ghostty.logger.warning("failed to reload configuration")
                 return
@@ -2077,29 +2077,3 @@ extension Ghostty {
         #endif
     }
 }
-
-extension Ghostty.App {
-    static func readConfig(at path: String, finalize: Bool = true) -> Ghostty.Config? {
-        guard
-            let cfg = ghostty_config_new()
-        else {
-            return nil
-        }
-        if FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: path) {
-            ghostty_config_load_file(cfg, path)
-        }
-#if os(macOS)
-        if !isRunningInXcode() {
-            ghostty_config_load_cli_args(cfg)
-        }
-#endif
-        ghostty_config_load_recursive_files(cfg)
-        if finalize {
-            // Finalize will make our defaults available,
-            // and also will combine all the keys into one file,
-            // we might not need this in the future
-            ghostty_config_finalize(cfg)
-        }
-        return Ghostty.Config(config: cfg)
-    }
-}
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.Config.swift b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.Config.swift
index fb435c014..86b0ecdb9 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.Config.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.Config.swift
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ extension Ghostty {
             self.config = config
         }
 
-        convenience init() {
-            self.init(config: Self.loadConfig())
+        convenience init(at path: String? = nil, finalize: Bool = true) {
+            self.init(config: Self.loadConfig(at: path, finalize: finalize))
         }
 
         convenience init(clone config: ghostty_config_t) {
@@ -50,7 +50,10 @@ extension Ghostty {
         }
 
         /// Initializes a new configuration and loads all the values.
-        static private func loadConfig() -> ghostty_config_t? {
+        /// - Parameters:
+        ///   - path: An optional preferred config file path. Pass `nil` to load the default configuration files.
+        ///   - finalize: Whether to finalize the configuration to populate default values.
+        static private func loadConfig(at path: String?, finalize: Bool) -> ghostty_config_t? {
             // Initialize the global configuration.
             guard let cfg = ghostty_config_new() else {
                 logger.critical("ghostty_config_new failed")
@@ -61,7 +64,11 @@ extension Ghostty {
             // We only do this on macOS because other Apple platforms do not have the
             // same filesystem concept.
 #if os(macOS)
-            ghostty_config_load_default_files(cfg);
+            if let path, FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: path) {
+                ghostty_config_load_file(cfg, path)
+            } else {
+                ghostty_config_load_default_files(cfg)
+            }
 
             // We only load CLI args when not running in Xcode because in Xcode we
             // pass some special parameters to control the debugger.
@@ -76,9 +83,10 @@ extension Ghostty {
             // have to do this synchronously. When we support config updating we can do
             // this async and update later.
 
-            // Finalize will make our defaults available.
-            ghostty_config_finalize(cfg)
-
+            if finalize {
+                // Finalize will make our defaults available.
+                ghostty_config_finalize(cfg)
+            }
             // Log any configuration errors. These will be automatically shown in a
             // pop-up window too.
             let diagsCount = ghostty_config_diagnostics_count(cfg)