diff --git a/src/db/account.ts b/src/db/account.ts
index b1bb32d..b4b8a2d 100644
--- a/src/db/account.ts
+++ b/src/db/account.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 import { getFamily, put } from './lib';
 import getUri from '../lib/ids';
 
+export const initialAccount = {
+  id: 'initial',
+  name: '???',
+  localDb: 'dyomedea',
+};
+
 export const getAccounts = async () => {
   return await getFamily('account', {}, true);
 };
 
-export const putAccount = async (name: string, account: any) => {
-  const uri = getUri('account', name);
+export const putAccount = async (id: string, account: any) => {
+  const uri = getUri('account', { account: id });
   return await put(uri, 'account', (_: any) => account, {}, true);
 };
diff --git a/src/db/index.ts b/src/db/index.ts
index dea544c..677af6a 100644
--- a/src/db/index.ts
+++ b/src/db/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import PouchDB from 'pouchdb';
 import uri from '../lib/ids';
+import { getAccounts, initialAccount, putAccount } from './account';
 import changeHandler from './change-handler';
 
 const dbDefinitionId = uri('dbdef', {});
@@ -27,6 +28,14 @@ export const initDb = async (params: any) => {
     });
   }
 
+  const accounts = (await getAccounts()).rows;
+  console.log({ caller: 'initDb', accounts });
+
+  if (accounts.length === 0) {
+    accounts[0] = initialAccount;
+    await putAccount(initialAccount.id, initialAccount);
+  }
+
   if (globalThis.db === undefined) {
     globalThis.db = new PouchDB('dyomedea', {
       auto_compaction: false,
@@ -56,8 +65,7 @@ export const initDb = async (params: any) => {
   }
   //await await db.compact();
 
-  globalThis.dbReady = true;
-
+  
   const sync = PouchDB.sync(
     'dyomedea',
     'http://admin:password@localhost:5984/dyomedea',
@@ -106,4 +114,7 @@ export const initDb = async (params: any) => {
   // console.log({ caller: 'initDb / back from db.changes', changes });
 
   //  changes.cancel();
+
+  globalThis.dbReady = true;
+
 };
diff --git a/src/db/settings.ts b/src/db/settings.ts
index 8ff1b6f..c64a700 100644
--- a/src/db/settings.ts
+++ b/src/db/settings.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 import { get, put } from './lib';
 
+const emptySettings = {};
+
 export const getSettings = async () => {
   try {
     return await get('settings', true);
   } catch (err) {
     console.error({ caller: 'getSettings', err });
-    return undefined;
+    return emptySettings;
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/src/lib/async-wait.ts b/src/lib/async-wait.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1880057
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/async-wait.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22125865/how-to-wait-until-a-predicate-condition-becomes-true-in-javascript
+
+export const sleep = (ms: number) => {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+};
+
+export const until = async (fn: any, ms: number = 0) => {
+  while (!fn()) {
+    await sleep(ms);
+  }
+};
diff --git a/src/workers/dispatcher-worker.ts b/src/workers/dispatcher-worker.ts
index 5baac38..8f6498d 100644
--- a/src/workers/dispatcher-worker.ts
+++ b/src/workers/dispatcher-worker.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,18 @@ import { getState, setState } from '../db/state';
 import { getTrk, putNewTrk } from '../db/trk';
 import { getTrkseg, appendTrkpt } from '../db/trkseg';
 import { getWpt, putWpt } from '../db/wpt';
+import { until } from '../lib/async-wait';
 
 //const self = globalThis as unknown as WorkerGlobalScope;
 
 console.log({ caller: 'dispatcher-worker' });
 
+declare global {
+  var dbReady: boolean;
+}
+
+globalThis.dbReady = false;
+
 onmessage = async function (e) {
   const actions = {
     initDb,
@@ -57,14 +64,37 @@ onmessage = async function (e) {
   const { id, payload } = e.data;
   var returnValue: any = 'unknownAction';
   if (payload.action in actions) {
-    console.log({ caller: 'dispatcher-worker / awaiting', id, payload });
+    console.log({
+      caller: 'dispatcher-worker / awaiting',
+      id,
+      payload,
+      dbReady: globalThis.dbReady,
+    });
+    if (payload.action !== 'initDb' && !globalThis.dbReady) {
+      console.log({
+        caller: 'dispatcher-worker / waiting for dbReady',
+        id,
+        dbReady: globalThis.dbReady,
+      });
+      await until(() => globalThis.dbReady, 10);
+      console.log({
+        caller: 'dispatcher-worker / dbReady',
+        id,
+        dbReady: globalThis.dbReady,
+      });
+    }
     returnValue = await actions[<keyof typeof actions>payload.action]({
       ...payload.params,
       _dispatchId: id,
     });
   }
   postMessage({ id: id, payload: returnValue });
-  console.log({ caller: 'dispatcher-worker / response sent', id, returnValue });
+  console.log({
+    caller: 'dispatcher-worker / response sent',
+    id,
+    returnValue,
+    dbReady: globalThis.dbReady,
+  });
 };
 
 export const returnAgain = (id: number, returnValue: any) => {