diff --git a/TGServerService/InstanceConfig.cs b/TGServerService/InstanceConfig.cs
index 54996683fd..ffbc0e2221 100644
--- a/TGServerService/InstanceConfig.cs
+++ b/TGServerService/InstanceConfig.cs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ namespace TGServerService
 		public string CommitterName { get; set; } = "tgstation-server";
 		public string CommitterEmail { get; set; } = "tgstation-server@tgstation13.org";
 
-		public string ChatProviderData { get; set; } = "NEEDS INITIALIZING";
+		public string ChatProviderData { get; set; } = ServerInstance.UninitializedString;
 		public string ChatProviderEntropy { get; set; }
 
 		public bool ReattachRequired { get; set; } = false;
diff --git a/TGServerService/ServerInstance/Chat.cs b/TGServerService/ServerInstance/Chat.cs
index 9c3bddc47e..f81c97c036 100644
--- a/TGServerService/ServerInstance/Chat.cs
+++ b/TGServerService/ServerInstance/Chat.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ namespace TGServerService
 {
 	sealed partial class ServerInstance : ITGChat
 	{
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Used for indicating unintialized encrypted data
+		/// </summary>
+		public const string UninitializedString = "NEEDS INITIALIZING";
+
 		/// <summary>
 		/// List of <see cref="IChatProvider"/>s for the <see cref="ServerInstance"/>
 		/// </summary>
@@ -130,8 +135,8 @@ namespace TGServerService
 			lock (ChatLock)
 			{
 				var rawdata = Config.ChatProviderData;
-				if (rawdata == "NEEDS INITIALIZING")
-					return new List<ChatSetupInfo>() { new IRCSetupInfo(), new DiscordSetupInfo() };
+				if (rawdata == UninitializedString)
+					return new List<ChatSetupInfo>() { new IRCSetupInfo() { Nickname = Config.Name }, new DiscordSetupInfo() };
 
 				string plaintext;
 				try
@@ -159,7 +164,7 @@ namespace TGServerService
 				}
 				catch
 				{
-					Config.ChatProviderData = "NEEDS INITIALIZING";
+					Config.ChatProviderData = UninitializedString;
 				}
 			}
 			//if we get here we want to retry