diff --git a/htroot/yacysearch.java b/htroot/yacysearch.java
index a9c5d5384..445cb7137 100644
--- a/htroot/yacysearch.java
+++ b/htroot/yacysearch.java
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public class yacysearch {
         prop.put("topmenu", sb.getConfigBool("publicTopmenu", true) ? 1 : 0);
 
         // produce vocabulary navigation sidebars
-        Collection<Tagging> vocabularies = LibraryProvider.autotagging == null ? new ArrayList<Tagging>(0) : LibraryProvider.autotagging.getVocabularies();
+        Collection<Tagging> vocabularies = LibraryProvider.autotagging.getVocabularies();
         int j = 0;
         for (Tagging v: vocabularies) {
             prop.put("sidebarVocabulary_" + j + "_vocabulary", v.getName());
diff --git a/source/net/yacy/document/LibraryProvider.java b/source/net/yacy/document/LibraryProvider.java
index 0fa434a82..a7b687378 100644
--- a/source/net/yacy/document/LibraryProvider.java
+++ b/source/net/yacy/document/LibraryProvider.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class LibraryProvider {
     public static final String disabledExtension = ".disabled";
 
     public static WordCache dymLib = new WordCache(null);
-    public static AutotaggingLibrary autotagging = null;
+    public static AutotaggingLibrary autotagging = new AutotaggingLibrary(null); // initialize empty to prevent NPE during initialization
     public static URLRewriterLibrary urlRewriter = null;
     public static OverarchingLocation geoLoc = new OverarchingLocation();
     private static File dictSource = null;