diff --git a/src/btop.cpp b/src/btop.cpp
index e03a353..6a57240 100644
--- a/src/btop.cpp
+++ b/src/btop.cpp
@@ -832,29 +832,23 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	//? Call argument parser if launched with arguments
 	if (argc > 1) argumentParser(argc, argv);
 
-	//? Setup paths for config, log and user themes
-	for (const auto& env : {"XDG_CONFIG_HOME", "HOME"}) {
-		if (std::getenv(env) != nullptr and access(std::getenv(env), W_OK) != -1) {
-			Config::conf_dir = fs::path(std::getenv(env)) / (((string)env == "HOME") ? ".config/btop" : "btop");
-			break;
-		}
-	}
-	if (Config::conf_dir.empty()) {
-		fmt::println("WARNING: Could not get path user HOME folder.\n"
-				"Make sure $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or $HOME environment variables is correctly set to fix this.");
-	}
-	else {
-		if (std::error_code ec; not fs::is_directory(Config::conf_dir) and not fs::create_directories(Config::conf_dir, ec)) {
-			fmt::println("WARNING: Could not create or access btop config directory. Logging and config saving disabled.\n"
-					"Make sure $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or $HOME environment variables is correctly set to fix this.");
-		}
-		else {
+	{
+		const auto config_dir = Config::get_config_dir();
+		if (config_dir.has_value()) {
+			Config::conf_dir = config_dir.value();
 			Config::conf_file = Config::conf_dir / "btop.conf";
 			Logger::logfile = Config::conf_dir / "btop.log";
 			Theme::user_theme_dir = Config::conf_dir / "themes";
-			if (not fs::exists(Theme::user_theme_dir) and not fs::create_directory(Theme::user_theme_dir, ec)) Theme::user_theme_dir.clear();
+
+			// If necessary create the user theme directory
+			std::error_code error;
+			if (not fs::exists(Theme::user_theme_dir, error) and not fs::create_directories(Theme::user_theme_dir, error)) {
+				Theme::user_theme_dir.clear();
+				Logger::warning("Failed to create user theme directory: " + error.message());
+			}
 		}
 	}
+
 	//? Try to find global btop theme path relative to binary path
 #ifdef __linux__
 	{ 	std::error_code ec;
diff --git a/src/btop_config.cpp b/src/btop_config.cpp
index 6ddfd43..535d8c8 100644
--- a/src/btop_config.cpp
+++ b/src/btop_config.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ tab-size = 4
 #include <utility>
 
 #include <fmt/core.h>
+#include <sys/statvfs.h>
 
 #include "btop_config.hpp"
 #include "btop_shared.hpp"
@@ -320,6 +321,65 @@ namespace Config {
 	};
 	std::unordered_map<std::string_view, int> intsTmp;
 
+	// Returns a valid config dir or an empty optional
+	// The config dir might be read only, a warning is printed, but a path is returned anyway
+	[[nodiscard]] std::optional<fs::path> get_config_dir() noexcept {
+		fs::path config_dir;
+		{
+			std::error_code error;
+			if (const auto xdg_config_home = std::getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"); xdg_config_home != nullptr) {
+				if (fs::exists(xdg_config_home, error)) {
+					config_dir = fs::path(xdg_config_home) / "btop";
+				}
+			} else if (const auto home = std::getenv("HOME"); home != nullptr) {
+				error.clear();
+				if (fs::exists(home, error)) {
+					config_dir = fs::path(home) / ".config" / "btop";
+				}
+				if (error) {
+					fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0m{} could not be accessed: {}\n", config_dir.string(), error.message());
+					config_dir = "";
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		// FIXME: This warnings can be noisy if the user deliberately has a non-writable config dir
+		//  offer an alternative | disable messages by default | disable messages if config dir is not writable | disable messages with a flag
+		// FIXME: Make happy path not branch
+		if (not config_dir.empty()) {
+			std::error_code error;
+			if (fs::exists(config_dir, error)) {
+				if (fs::is_directory(config_dir, error)) {
+					struct statvfs stats {};
+					if ((fs::status(config_dir, error).permissions() & fs::perms::owner_write) == fs::perms::owner_write and
+						statvfs(config_dir.c_str(), &stats) == 0 and (stats.f_flag & ST_RDONLY) == 0) {
+						return config_dir;
+					} else {
+						fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0m`{}` is not writable\n", fs::absolute(config_dir).string());
+						// If the config is readable we can still use the provided config, but changes will not be persistent
+						if ((fs::status(config_dir, error).permissions() & fs::perms::owner_read) == fs::perms::owner_read) {
+							fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0mLogging is disabled, config changes are not persistent\n");
+							return config_dir;
+						}
+					}
+				} else {
+					fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0m`{}` is not a directory\n", fs::absolute(config_dir).string());
+				}
+			} else {
+				// Doesn't exist
+				if (fs::create_directories(config_dir, error)) {
+					return config_dir;
+				} else {
+					fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0m`{}` could not be created: {}\n", fs::absolute(config_dir).string(), error.message());
+				}
+			}
+		} else {
+			fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0mCould not determine config path: Make sure `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` or `$HOME` is set\n");
+		}
+		fmt::print(stderr, "\033[0;31mWarning: \033[0mLogging is disabled, config changes are not persistent\n");
+		return {};
+	}
+
 	bool _locked(const std::string_view name) {
 		atomic_wait(writelock, true);
 		if (not write_new and rng::find_if(descriptions, [&name](const auto& a) { return a.at(0) == name; }) != descriptions.end())
@@ -594,12 +654,17 @@ namespace Config {
 	}
 
 	void load(const fs::path& conf_file, vector<string>& load_warnings) {
+		std::error_code error;
 		if (conf_file.empty())
 			return;
-		else if (not fs::exists(conf_file)) {
+		else if (not fs::exists(conf_file, error)) {
 			write_new = true;
 			return;
 		}
+		if (error) {
+			return;
+		}
+
 		std::ifstream cread(conf_file);
 		if (cread.good()) {
 			vector<string> valid_names;
diff --git a/src/btop_config.hpp b/src/btop_config.hpp
index 2b586af..b93509f 100644
--- a/src/btop_config.hpp
+++ b/src/btop_config.hpp
@@ -18,9 +18,10 @@ tab-size = 4
 
 #pragma once
 
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <optional>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
-#include <filesystem>
 
 #include <unordered_map>
 
@@ -57,6 +58,8 @@ namespace Config {
 	extern vector<string> available_batteries;
 	extern int current_preset;
 
+	[[nodiscard]] std::optional<std::filesystem::path> get_config_dir() noexcept;
+
 	//* Check if string only contains space separated valid names for boxes
 	bool check_boxes(const string& boxes);
 
diff --git a/src/btop_tools.cpp b/src/btop_tools.cpp
index 62d0e2d..47c53bc 100644
--- a/src/btop_tools.cpp
+++ b/src/btop_tools.cpp
@@ -670,6 +670,7 @@ namespace Logger {
 		lose_priv neutered{};
 		std::error_code ec;
 		try {
+			// NOTE: `exist()` could throw but since we return with an empty logfile we don't care
 			if (fs::exists(logfile) and fs::file_size(logfile, ec) > 1024 << 10 and not ec) {
 				auto old_log = logfile;
 				old_log += ".1";