diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
index 3965b6087..1306f26ea 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
@@ -133,14 +133,12 @@ createChatDatabase filePrefix key yesToMigrations = do
 
 newChatController :: ChatDatabase -> Maybe User -> ChatConfig -> ChatOpts -> Maybe (Notification -> IO ()) -> IO ChatController
 newChatController ChatDatabase {chatStore, agentStore} user cfg@ChatConfig {agentConfig = aCfg, tbqSize, defaultServers} ChatOpts {smpServers, networkConfig, logConnections, logServerHosts} sendToast = do
-  servers <- resolveServers defaultServers
-  let servers' = servers {netCfg = networkConfig}
-      config = cfg {subscriptionEvents = logConnections, hostEvents = logServerHosts, defaultServers = servers'}
+  let config = cfg {subscriptionEvents = logConnections, hostEvents = logServerHosts, defaultServers = configServers}
       sendNotification = fromMaybe (const $ pure ()) sendToast
       firstTime = dbNew chatStore
   activeTo <- newTVarIO ActiveNone
   currentUser <- newTVarIO user
-  smpAgent <- getSMPAgentClient aCfg {database = AgentDB agentStore} servers'
+  smpAgent <- getSMPAgentClient aCfg {database = AgentDB agentStore} =<< agentServers config
   agentAsync <- newTVarIO Nothing
   idsDrg <- newTVarIO =<< drgNew
   inputQ <- newTBQueueIO tbqSize
@@ -157,18 +155,20 @@ newChatController ChatDatabase {chatStore, agentStore} user cfg@ChatConfig {agen
   expireCIs <- newTVarIO False
   pure ChatController {activeTo, firstTime, currentUser, smpAgent, agentAsync, chatStore, chatStoreChanged, idsDrg, inputQ, outputQ, notifyQ, chatLock, sndFiles, rcvFiles, currentCalls, config, sendNotification, incognitoMode, filesFolder, expireCIsAsync, expireCIs}
   where
-    resolveServers :: InitialAgentServers -> IO InitialAgentServers
-    resolveServers ss = case nonEmpty smpServers of
-      Just smpServers' -> pure ss {smp = L.map (\ServerCfg {server} -> server) smpServers'}
-      _ -> case user of
-        Just user' -> do
-          userSmpServers <- withTransaction chatStore (`getSMPServers` user')
-          pure ss {smp = activeAgentServers cfg userSmpServers}
-        _ -> pure ss
+    configServers :: InitialAgentServers
+    configServers =
+      let smp' = fromMaybe (smp defaultServers) (nonEmpty smpServers)
+       in defaultServers {smp = smp', netCfg = networkConfig}
+    agentServers :: ChatConfig -> IO InitialAgentServers
+    agentServers config@ChatConfig {defaultServers = ss@InitialAgentServers {smp}} = do
+      smp' <- maybe (pure smp) userServers user
+      pure ss {smp = smp'}
+      where
+        userServers user' = activeAgentServers config <$> withTransaction chatStore (`getSMPServers` user')
 
 activeAgentServers :: ChatConfig -> [ServerCfg] -> NonEmpty SMPServerWithAuth
-activeAgentServers ChatConfig {defaultServers = InitialAgentServers {smp = defaultSMPServers}} =
-  fromMaybe defaultSMPServers
+activeAgentServers ChatConfig {defaultServers = InitialAgentServers {smp}} =
+  fromMaybe smp
     . nonEmpty
     . map (\ServerCfg {server} -> server)
     . filter (\ServerCfg {enabled} -> enabled)
@@ -3219,12 +3219,12 @@ chatCommandP =
       "/_members #" *> (APIListMembers <$> A.decimal),
       -- /smp_servers is deprecated, use /smp and /_smp
       "/smp_servers default" $> SetUserSMPServers (SMPServersConfig []),
-      "/smp_servers " *> (SetUserSMPServers . SMPServersConfig <$> smpServersP),
+      "/smp_servers " *> (SetUserSMPServers . SMPServersConfig . map toServerCfg <$> smpServersP),
       "/smp_servers" $> GetUserSMPServers,
       "/smp default" $> SetUserSMPServers (SMPServersConfig []),
       "/smp test " *> (TestSMPServer <$> strP),
       "/_smp " *> (SetUserSMPServers <$> jsonP),
-      "/smp " *> (SetUserSMPServers . SMPServersConfig <$> smpServersP),
+      "/smp " *> (SetUserSMPServers . SMPServersConfig . map toServerCfg <$> smpServersP),
       "/smp" $> GetUserSMPServers,
       "/_ttl " *> (APISetChatItemTTL <$> ciTTLDecimal),
       "/ttl " *> (APISetChatItemTTL <$> ciTTL),
@@ -3373,6 +3373,7 @@ chatCommandP =
         onOffP
         (Just <$> (AutoAccept <$> (" incognito=" *> onOffP <|> pure False) <*> optional (A.space *> msgContentP)))
         (pure Nothing)
+    toServerCfg server = ServerCfg {server, preset = False, tested = Nothing, enabled = True}
 
 adminContactReq :: ConnReqContact
 adminContactReq =
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Options.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Options.hs
index 36119ebf6..e933ac2a3 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Options.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Options.hs
@@ -16,17 +16,17 @@ import qualified Data.Attoparsec.ByteString.Char8 as A
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B
 import Options.Applicative
 import Simplex.Chat.Controller (updateStr, versionStr)
-import Simplex.Chat.Types (ServerCfg (..))
 import Simplex.Messaging.Client (NetworkConfig (..), defaultNetworkConfig)
 import Simplex.Messaging.Encoding.String
 import Simplex.Messaging.Parsers (parseAll)
+import Simplex.Messaging.Protocol (SMPServerWithAuth)
 import Simplex.Messaging.Transport.Client (SocksProxy, defaultSocksProxy)
 import System.FilePath (combine)
 
 data ChatOpts = ChatOpts
   { dbFilePrefix :: String,
     dbKey :: String,
-    smpServers :: [ServerCfg],
+    smpServers :: [SMPServerWithAuth],
     networkConfig :: NetworkConfig,
     logConnections :: Bool,
     logServerHosts :: Bool,
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ fullNetworkConfig socksProxy tcpTimeout =
   let tcpConnectTimeout = (tcpTimeout * 3) `div` 2
    in defaultNetworkConfig {socksProxy, tcpTimeout, tcpConnectTimeout}
 
-parseSMPServers :: ReadM [ServerCfg]
+parseSMPServers :: ReadM [SMPServerWithAuth]
 parseSMPServers = eitherReader $ parseAll smpServersP . B.pack
 
 parseSocksProxy :: ReadM (Maybe SocksProxy)
@@ -167,10 +167,8 @@ parseServerPort = eitherReader $ parseAll serverPortP . B.pack
 serverPortP :: A.Parser (Maybe String)
 serverPortP = Just . B.unpack <$> A.takeWhile A.isDigit
 
-smpServersP :: A.Parser [ServerCfg]
-smpServersP = (toServerCfg <$> strP) `A.sepBy1` A.char ';'
-  where
-    toServerCfg server = ServerCfg {server, preset = False, tested = Nothing, enabled = True}
+smpServersP :: A.Parser [SMPServerWithAuth]
+smpServersP = strP `A.sepBy1` A.char ';'
 
 getChatOpts :: FilePath -> FilePath -> IO ChatOpts
 getChatOpts appDir defaultDbFileName =
diff --git a/tests/ChatClient.hs b/tests/ChatClient.hs
index 57b80a109..11ab2771d 100644
--- a/tests/ChatClient.hs
+++ b/tests/ChatClient.hs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import Simplex.Chat.Options
 import Simplex.Chat.Store
 import Simplex.Chat.Terminal
 import Simplex.Chat.Terminal.Output (newChatTerminal)
-import Simplex.Chat.Types (Profile, ServerCfg (..), User (..))
+import Simplex.Chat.Types (Profile, User (..))
 import Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Env.SQLite
 import Simplex.Messaging.Agent.RetryInterval
 import Simplex.Messaging.Client (ProtocolClientConfig (..), defaultNetworkConfig)
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ testOpts =
     { dbFilePrefix = undefined,
       dbKey = "",
       -- dbKey = "this is a pass-phrase to encrypt the database",
-      smpServers = [ServerCfg "smp://LcJUMfVhwD8yxjAiSaDzzGF3-kLG4Uh0Fl_ZIjrRwjI=:server_password@localhost:5001" False Nothing True],
+      smpServers = ["smp://LcJUMfVhwD8yxjAiSaDzzGF3-kLG4Uh0Fl_ZIjrRwjI=:server_password@localhost:5001"],
       networkConfig = defaultNetworkConfig,
       logConnections = False,
       logServerHosts = False,