diff --git a/boot.php b/boot.php
index 5b82c8b8f2..899a6bd119 100644
--- a/boot.php
+++ b/boot.php
@@ -510,6 +510,11 @@ function startup() {
  */
 function get_app() {
 	global $a;
+
+	if (empty($a)) {
+		$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+	}
+
 	return $a;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/auth_ejabberd.php b/include/auth_ejabberd.php
index 3918a45e15..14f5dcfe0c 100755
--- a/include/auth_ejabberd.php
+++ b/include/auth_ejabberd.php
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ require_once("boot.php");
 
 global $a;
 
-if (is_null($a)) {
+if (empty($a)) {
 	$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
 }
 
diff --git a/include/cli_startup.php b/include/cli_startup.php
index 41d7c18954..645e5eddd8 100644
--- a/include/cli_startup.php
+++ b/include/cli_startup.php
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ require_once('boot.php');
 function cli_startup() {
 	global $a;
 
-	if (is_null($a)) {
+	if (empty($a)) {
 		$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
 	}
 
diff --git a/include/dbstructure.php b/include/dbstructure.php
index 8ab96b700c..b8cf8e57ac 100644
--- a/include/dbstructure.php
+++ b/include/dbstructure.php
@@ -1760,7 +1760,7 @@ function db_definition() {
 function dbstructure_run(&$argv, &$argc) {
 	global $a;
 
-	if (is_null($a)) {
+	if (empty($a)) {
 		$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
 	}
 
diff --git a/include/poller.php b/include/poller.php
index 9868120ec8..b8f0d7189f 100644
--- a/include/poller.php
+++ b/include/poller.php
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@ function poller_run($argv, $argc){
 
 	$poller_up_start = microtime(true);
 
-	$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+	if (empty($a)) {
+		$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+	}
 
 	require_once ".htconfig.php";
 	require_once "include/dba.php";
diff --git a/include/shadowupdate.php b/include/shadowupdate.php
index a2b44b3512..c41b231221 100644
--- a/include/shadowupdate.php
+++ b/include/shadowupdate.php
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ require_once("include/threads.php");
 function shadowupdate_run(&$argv, &$argc){
 	global $a;
 
-	if (is_null($a)) {
+	if (empty($a)) {
 		$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
 	}
 
diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index 90045868e7..c94675a59a 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ use Friendica\Core\Config;
 require_once 'boot.php';
 require_once 'object/BaseObject.php';
 
-$a = new App(__DIR__);
+if (empty($a)) {
+	$a = new App(__DIR__);
+}
 BaseObject::set_app($a);
 
 // We assume that the index.php is called by a frontend process
diff --git a/util/db_update.php b/util/db_update.php
index 885a156caa..d9bb0abf2e 100644
--- a/util/db_update.php
+++ b/util/db_update.php
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ use Friendica\App;
  */
 require_once("boot.php");
 
-$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+if (empty($a)) {
+	$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+}
 @include(".htconfig.php");
 
 $lang = get_browser_language();
diff --git a/util/maintenance.php b/util/maintenance.php
index 50540ecc28..39c2acb0e1 100644
--- a/util/maintenance.php
+++ b/util/maintenance.php
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@ use Friendica\Core\Config;
 
 require_once("boot.php");
 
-$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+if (empty($a)) {
+	$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+}
+
 @include(".htconfig.php");
 
 $lang = get_browser_language();
diff --git a/util/typo.php b/util/typo.php
index d837bcefc9..313033f3e5 100755
--- a/util/typo.php
+++ b/util/typo.php
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ ini_set('log_errors', '0');
 
 include 'boot.php';
 
-$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+if (empty($a)) {
+	$a = new App(dirname(__DIR__));
+}
 
 if (x($a->config, 'php_path')) {
 	$phpath = $a->config['php_path'];