diff --git a/.vitepress/config.js b/.vitepress/config.js
index 89ea56ba9..6228ebeb2 100644
--- a/.vitepress/config.js
+++ b/.vitepress/config.js
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
 	},
 
 	markdown: {
-		config: async (md) => await dovecotMdExtend(md),
+		config: (md) => dovecotMdExtend(md),
 		image: {
 			lazyLoading: true,
 		},
diff --git a/lib/data/doveadm.data.js b/lib/data/doveadm.data.js
index 1c54c7e47..c60fe6ab3 100644
--- a/lib/data/doveadm.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/doveadm.data.js
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ async function normalizeDoveadm(doveadm) {
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
 		return await normalizeDoveadm(
-			structuredClone((await loadData('doveadm')).doveadm)
+			structuredClone(loadData('doveadm').doveadm)
 		)
 	}
 })
diff --git a/lib/data/event_categories.data.js b/lib/data/event_categories.data.js
index 37edcb12a..7a72fdbb3 100644
--- a/lib/data/event_categories.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/event_categories.data.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ async function normalizeEventCategories(categories) {
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
 		return await normalizeEventCategories(
-			structuredClone((await loadData('event_categories')).categories)
+			structuredClone(loadData('event_categories').categories)
 		)
 	}
 })
diff --git a/lib/data/event_reasons.data.js b/lib/data/event_reasons.data.js
index 5f3cdb11f..15f8f2abf 100644
--- a/lib/data/event_reasons.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/event_reasons.data.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ async function normalizeEventReasons(reasons) {
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
 		return await normalizeEventReasons(
-			structuredClone((await loadData('event_reasons')).reasons)
+			structuredClone(loadData('event_reasons').reasons)
 		)
 	}
 })
diff --git a/lib/data/events.data.js b/lib/data/events.data.js
index e3446f255..f9c4df88b 100644
--- a/lib/data/events.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/events.data.js
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ async function normalizeEvents(events, global_inherits, inherits) {
 
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
-		const data = await loadData('events')
+		const data = loadData('events')
 		return await normalizeEvents(
 			structuredClone(data.events),
 			structuredClone(data.global_inherits),
diff --git a/lib/data/lua.data.js b/lib/data/lua.data.js
index 363982f5f..1caf96cb2 100644
--- a/lib/data/lua.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/lua.data.js
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ async function normalizeLuaVariables(lua) {
 
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
-		const data = await(loadData('lua'))
+		const data = loadData('lua')
 
 		return {
 			constants: await normalizeLuaConstants(data.lua_constants),
diff --git a/lib/data/settings.data.js b/lib/data/settings.data.js
index 7df26c155..24f7213b9 100644
--- a/lib/data/settings.data.js
+++ b/lib/data/settings.data.js
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ async function normalizeSettings(settings) {
 export default addWatchPaths({
 	async load() {
 		return await normalizeSettings(
-			structuredClone((await loadData('settings')).settings)
+			structuredClone(loadData('settings').settings)
 		)
 	}
 })
diff --git a/lib/markdown.js b/lib/markdown.js
index 43c26d879..810ff7710 100644
--- a/lib/markdown.js
+++ b/lib/markdown.js
@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@ import path from 'path'
 import { createMarkdownRenderer } from 'vitepress'
 import { dovecotSetting, frontmatterIter, loadData } from './utility.js'
 
-let md_conf = null
-export async function dovecotMdExtend(md) {
+export function dovecotMdExtend(md) {
 	md.use(containerPlugin, 'todo', {
 		render: function(tokens, idx) {
 			if (tokens[idx].nesting === 1) {
@@ -17,18 +16,7 @@ export async function dovecotMdExtend(md) {
 		}
 	})
 	md.use(deflistPlugin)
-
-	if (md_conf === null) {
-		md_conf = {
-			base: globalThis.VITEPRESS_CONFIG.site.base,
-			doveadm: (await loadData('doveadm')).doveadm,
-			events: (await loadData('events')).events,
-			linkoverrides: (await loadData('links_overrides')).links_overrides,
-			settings: (await loadData('settings')).settings,
-			updates: (await loadData('updates')).updates
-		}
-	}
-	md.use(dovecot_markdown, md_conf)
+	md.use(dovecot_markdown)
 
 	return md
 }
@@ -38,7 +26,7 @@ export async function getVitepressMd() {
 	if (vitepress_md === null) {
 		const config = globalThis.VITEPRESS_CONFIG
 
-		vitepress_md = await dovecotMdExtend(await createMarkdownRenderer(
+		vitepress_md = dovecotMdExtend(await createMarkdownRenderer(
 			config.srcDir,
 			config.markdown,
 			config.site.base,
@@ -52,7 +40,7 @@ export async function getVitepressMd() {
 /* This is a dovecot markdown extension to support the "[[...]]" syntax.
  * Much of this is copied from existing markdown-it plugins. See, e.g.,
  * https://github.com/markdown-it/markdown-it-sub/blob/master/index.mjs */
-function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
+function dovecot_markdown(md) {
 	function process_brackets(state, silent) {
 		const max = state.posMax
 		const start = state.pos
@@ -142,6 +130,8 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 			let page = mode
 			switch (mode) {
 			case 'doveadm':
+				initDoveadm()
+
 				if (!opts.doveadm[env.inner]) {
 					if (!Object.values(opts.doveadm).find((x) => (x.man == 'doveadm-' + env.inner))) {
 						handle_error('doveadm link missing: ' + env.inner)
@@ -151,6 +141,8 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 				break
 
 			case 'event':
+				initEvents()
+
 				if (!opts.events[env.inner]) {
 					handle_error('event link missing: ' + env.inner)
 					return '<code><a>'
@@ -160,6 +152,8 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 
 			case 'setting':
 			case 'setting_text':
+				initSettings()
+
 				/* Settings names can have brackets, so we need to unescape
 				 * input for purposes of searching settings keys. */
 				const search_str = env.inner.replaceAll('&gt;', '>')
@@ -293,6 +287,8 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 		case 'changed':
 		case 'deprecated':
 		case 'removed':
+			initUpdates()
+
 			if (!opts.updates[env.args]) {
 				handle_error('Missing updates entry for: ' + env.args)
 				return env.args
@@ -373,6 +369,12 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 		console.error(msg)
 	}
 
+	function initDoveadm() {
+		if (!opts.doveadm) {
+			opts.doveadm = loadData('doveadm').doveadm
+		}
+	}
+
 	function initDovecotLinks() {
 		if (opts.dovecotlinks) {
 			return
@@ -406,7 +408,15 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 			}
 		})
 
-		opts.dovecotlinks = { ...links, ...opts.linkoverrides }
+		opts.dovecotlinks = {
+			...links, ...(loadData('links_overrides').links_overrides)
+		}
+	}
+
+	function initEvents() {
+		if (!opts.events) {
+			opts.events = loadData('events').events
+		}
 	}
 
 	function initManFiles() {
@@ -434,6 +444,18 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	function initSettings() {
+		if (!opts.settings) {
+			opts.settings = loadData('settings').settings
+		}
+	}
+
+	function initUpdates() {
+		if (!opts.updates) {
+			opts.updates = loadData('updates').updates
+		}
+	}
+
 	function resolveURL(url) {
 		if (!('url_rewrite' in opts)) {
 			opts.url_rewrite = dovecotSetting('url_rewrite')
@@ -445,6 +467,10 @@ function dovecot_markdown(md, opts) {
 		return (opts.url_rewrite) ? opts.url_rewrite(new_url) : new_url
 	}
 
+	const opts = {
+		base: globalThis.VITEPRESS_CONFIG.site.base
+	}
+
 	md.inline.ruler.after('emphasis', 'dovecot_brackets', process_brackets)
 	md.renderer.rules.dovecot_open = dovecot_open
 	md.renderer.rules.dovecot_body = dovecot_body
diff --git a/lib/utility.js b/lib/utility.js
index 185f5385d..07352df8f 100644
--- a/lib/utility.js
+++ b/lib/utility.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import fg from 'fast-glob'
 import fs from 'fs'
 import matter from 'gray-matter'
+import importSync from 'import-sync'
 import { dirname } from 'path'
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'
 
@@ -26,12 +27,12 @@ export function normalizeArrayData(data, keys) {
 	return data
 }
 
-export async function loadData(id) {
+export function loadData(id) {
 	const path = globalThis.VITEPRESS_CONFIG.userConfig.themeConfig.dovecot?.data_paths?.[id]
 		?? ('../data/' + id + '.js')
 
 	try {
-		return await import(__dirname + '/' + path)
+		return importSync(__dirname + '/' + path)
 	} catch (e) {
 		throw new Error('Unable to import module (' + __dirname + '/' +
 			path + '):' + e)
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index d1f9ddd21..26511a0d6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
         "dayjs": "^1.11.13",
         "fast-glob": "^3.3.2",
         "git-commit-info": "^2.0.2",
+        "import-sync": "^2.2.2",
         "markdown-it-container": "^4.0.0",
         "markdown-it-deflist": "^3.0.0",
         "markdown-it-mathjax3": "^4.3.2",
@@ -799,6 +800,15 @@
         "node": ">=12"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/@httptoolkit/esm": {
+      "version": "3.3.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@httptoolkit/esm/-/esm-3.3.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-gS+TH14750cveYP5p2q/oLyjVV5+qRFZMOpsPzK1KrgacqKc6RLDmt3ioGaMjsn1aianQbROkl4QXDJmO5swPA==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=6"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/@isaacs/cliui": {
       "version": "8.0.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@isaacs/cliui/-/cliui-8.0.2.tgz",
@@ -2888,6 +2898,15 @@
         "node": ">=8.12.0"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/import-sync": {
+      "version": "2.2.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/import-sync/-/import-sync-2.2.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-MQ+8aB1LZu0dHqTmpkOJ5DLCqQNVNqbMrH/S9nvHChUSMsAlX6R3ydQhX3R5/YfCU6+qU3cbASiX59hJisMKgg==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@httptoolkit/esm": "^3.3.0"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/inherits": {
       "version": "2.0.4",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/inherits/-/inherits-2.0.4.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d7f5e6838..40f510de4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
     "dayjs": "^1.11.13",
     "fast-glob": "^3.3.2",
     "git-commit-info": "^2.0.2",
+    "import-sync": "^2.2.2",
     "markdown-it-container": "^4.0.0",
     "markdown-it-deflist": "^3.0.0",
     "markdown-it-mathjax3": "^4.3.2",