diff --git a/IkiWiki/Plugin/websetup.pm b/IkiWiki/Plugin/websetup.pm
index 2d978c5b4..95d044c08 100644
--- a/IkiWiki/Plugin/websetup.pm
+++ b/IkiWiki/Plugin/websetup.pm
@@ -138,9 +138,8 @@ sub showfields ($$$@) {
 
 		my $value=$config{$key};
 
-		if ($info{safe} && defined $value &&
-		    (ref $value eq 'ARRAY' || ref $info{example} eq 'ARRAY')) {
-			$value=[@{$value}, "", ""]; # blank items for expansion
+		if ($info{safe} && (ref $value eq 'ARRAY' || ref $info{example} eq 'ARRAY')) {
+			$value=[(ref $value eq 'ARRAY' ? @{$value} : ""), "", ""]; # blank items for expansion
 		}
 
 		if ($info{type} eq "string") {
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 13ceb875f..51c9617f7 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ ikiwiki (3.00) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * htmlbalance: Demand-load HTML::TreeBuilder to avoid failing test suite
     if it is not present.
   * French translation update from Philippe Batailler. Closes: #510216
+  * websetup: Avoid a crash when a new array setup item has been added in 
+    a new ikiwiki release, and is thus not present in the setup file yet.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:49:36 -0500