diff --git a/stechuhr_server/config.py b/stechuhr_server/config.py
index 904cb12c4f22dff6900b6c3b8bc522915361b87c..fe68ba110e35bd0f939f499a3bf429877d2ee7e2 100644
--- a/stechuhr_server/config.py
+++ b/stechuhr_server/config.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python 
 #-*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
-import os
+import os, getpass
 import toml
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -42,12 +42,12 @@ def get_dirs(application_name):
     dirs["config"] = this_or_else(os.environ.get("XDG_CONFIG_HOME"), default_config_home)
 
     # Override this directory from Environment variable
-    key = "{}_DATA_DIR".format(application_name.upper())
+    key = "{}_DATA_DIR".format(application_name.upper()).replace("_", "-")
     if os.getenv(key) is not None:
         dirs["data"] = os.getenv(key)
 
     # Override this directory from Environment variable
-    key = "{}_CONFIG_DIR".format(application_name.upper())
+    key = "{}_CONFIG_DIR".format(application_name.upper()).replace("_", "-")
     if os.getenv(key) is not None:
         dirs["config"] = os.getenv(key)
 
@@ -75,14 +75,29 @@ def initialize_config(application_name: str, default_config: str, app) -> dict:
 
     # Create the config_dir if it doesn't exist
     if not Path.is_dir(Path(config_dir)):
-        Path(config_dir).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        app.logger.info("Config directory didn't exist, created directory: {}".format(config_dir))
+        try:
+            app.logger.warning(os.environ.get(config_path_environment_variable))
+            Path(config_dir).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            app.logger.info("Config directory didn't exist, created directory: {}".format(config_dir))
+        except PermissionError as e:
+            app.logger.error("Error: Not sufficient permissions to create config directory at {} (Running {} as user {})".format(config_dir, application_name, getpass.getuser()))
+            app.logger.error("Consider creating {} manually with write permissions for {}. After initial write of default config.toml on the first run {} won't write that file ever again".format(config_dir, getpass.getuser(), application_name), file=sys.stderr)
+            exit(1)
+        except Error as e:
+            app.logger.error(e)
+
 
     # Create a default config if it does exist
     if not Path.is_file(Path(config_path)):
-        write_config(config_path, default_config)
-        app.logger.info("Created new default config.toml at:\n{}".format(config_path))
-        config = default_config
+        try:
+            app.logger.debug("Attempting to write default config to {}".format(config_path))
+            write_config(config_path, default_strconfig)
+            app.logger.info("Created new default config.toml at:\n{}".format(config_path))
+            config = default_config
+        except PermissionError as e:
+            logging.error("Error: Not sufficient permissions to write default config.toml into directory {} (as user {})".format(config_dir, getpass.getuser()))
+            logging.error("Consider changing permissions on {} manually so writing is allowed for user {}. After initial write of default config.toml on the first run {} won't write that file ever again. so you can make it read only for {} after that".format(config_dir, getpass.getuser(), application_name, getpass.getuser()))
+            exit(1)
     else:
         config = read_config(config_path)
         if config_has_missing_keys(config, default_config, default_strconfig, app):
@@ -124,9 +139,16 @@ def config_has_missing_keys(config, default_config, default_strconfig, app) -> b
 def write_config(config_path: str, config: dict):
     """
     Write a dict as toml to a given path
+    If config is of type dict use toml.dump
+    If config is of type str use f.write
     """
-    with open(config_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-        toml.dump(config, f)
+    if type(config) == dict:
+        with open(config_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            toml.dump(config, f)
+    elif type(config) == str:
+        with open(config_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            f.write(config)
+
 
 
 def read_config(config_path: str) -> dict: