diff --git a/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.preparerelease.sh b/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.preparerelease.sh
index 9c3c22dd0..5cfde5af0 100755
--- a/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.preparerelease.sh
+++ b/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.preparerelease.sh
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ echo "deleting local DNS confs ..."
 sudo rm /etc/resolv.conf
 echo "OK"
 
+echo
+echo "deleting old API conf ..."
+sudo rm /home/blitzapi/blitz_api/.env 2>/dev/null
+echo "OK"
+
 # https://github.com/rootzoll/raspiblitz/issues/1371
 echo
 echo "deleting local WIFI conf ..."
diff --git a/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.web.api.sh b/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.web.api.sh
index afd16ad65..578e33ceb 100755
--- a/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.web.api.sh
+++ b/home.admin/config.scripts/blitz.web.api.sh
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ if [ "$1" = "update-config" ]; then
 
   # prepare config update
   cd /home/blitzapi/blitz_api
+  secret=$(cat ./.env 2>/dev/null | grep "secret=" | cut -d "=" -f2)
   cp ./.env_sample ./.env
   dateStr=$(date)
   echo "# Update Web API CONFIG (${dateStr})"
@@ -159,14 +160,14 @@ if [ "$1" = "update-config" ]; then
   sed -i "s/^platform=.*/platform=raspiblitz/g" ./.env
 
   # configure access token secret
-  secretNeedsInit=$(cat ./.env | grep -c "=please_please_update_me_please")
-  if [ ${secretNeedsInit} > 0 ]; then
+  secretNeedsInit=$(cat ./.env 2>/dev/null| grep -c "=please_please_update_me_please")
+  if [ "${secret}" == "" ] || [ "${secret}" == "please_please_update_me_please" ]; then
     echo "# init secret ..."
     secret=$(dd if=/dev/urandom bs=256 count=1 2> /dev/null | shasum -a256 | cut -d " " -f1)
-    sed -i "s/^secret=.*/secret=${secret}/g" ./.env
   else
-    echo "# secret already initialized"
+    echo "# use existing secret"
   fi
+  sed -i "s/^secret=.*/secret=${secret}/g" ./.env
 
   source /home/admin/raspiblitz.info 2>/dev/null
   if [ "${setupPhase}" == "done" ]; then