diff --git a/cmd/connet/main.go b/cmd/connet/main.go
index f3f4f89..2dc9e26 100644
--- a/cmd/connet/main.go
+++ b/cmd/connet/main.go
@@ -663,11 +663,11 @@ func relayRun(ctx context.Context, cfg RelayConfig, logger *slog.Logger) error {
 
 	if cfg.StoreDir == "" {
 		relayCfg.Stores, err = relay.NewTmpFileStores()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	} else {
-		relayCfg.Stores, err = relay.NewFileStores(cfg.StoreDir)
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		relayCfg.Stores = relay.NewFileStores(cfg.StoreDir)
 	}
 
 	srv, err := relay.NewServer(relayCfg)
diff --git a/relay/control.go b/relay/control.go
index 39e5632..aa2a8c8 100644
--- a/relay/control.go
+++ b/relay/control.go
@@ -48,16 +48,12 @@ type controlClient struct {
 	logger *slog.Logger
 }
 
-func newControlClient(cfg Config) (*controlClient, error) {
+func newControlClient(cfg Config, configStore logc.KV[ConfigKey, ConfigValue]) (*controlClient, error) {
 	root, err := certc.NewRoot()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	config, err := cfg.Stores.Config()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
 	clients, err := cfg.Stores.Clients()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -81,12 +77,12 @@ func newControlClient(cfg Config) (*controlClient, error) {
 		serverByName[srv.name] = srv
 	}
 
-	clientsStreamOffset, err := config.GetOrDefault(configClientsStreamOffset, ConfigValue{Int64: logc.OffsetOldest})
+	clientsStreamOffset, err := configStore.GetOrDefault(configClientsStreamOffset, ConfigValue{Int64: logc.OffsetOldest})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	clientsLogOffset, err := config.GetOrDefault(configClientsLogOffset, ConfigValue{Int64: logc.OffsetOldest})
+	clientsLogOffset, err := configStore.GetOrDefault(configClientsLogOffset, ConfigValue{Int64: logc.OffsetOldest})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -103,7 +99,7 @@ func newControlClient(cfg Config) (*controlClient, error) {
 			NextProtos: []string{"connet-relays"},
 		},
 
-		config:  config,
+		config:  configStore,
 		clients: clients,
 		servers: servers,
 
diff --git a/relay/server.go b/relay/server.go
index c20ddc4..97c8587 100644
--- a/relay/server.go
+++ b/relay/server.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func NewServer(cfg Config) (*Server, error) {
 	var statelessResetKey quic.StatelessResetKey
 	copy(statelessResetKey[:], statelessResetVal.Bytes)
 
-	control, err := newControlClient(cfg)
+	control, err := newControlClient(cfg, config)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/relay/store.go b/relay/store.go
index 03f8ffd..c6a9b22 100644
--- a/relay/store.go
+++ b/relay/store.go
@@ -17,21 +17,8 @@ type Stores interface {
 	Servers() (logc.KV[ServerKey, ServerValue], error)
 }
 
-func NewFileStores(dir string) (Stores, error) {
-	config, err := logc.NewKV[ConfigKey, ConfigValue](filepath.Join(dir, "config"))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	clients, err := logc.NewKV[ClientKey, ClientValue](filepath.Join(dir, "clients"))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	servers, err := logc.NewKV[ServerKey, ServerValue](filepath.Join(dir, "servers"))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return &fileStores{config, clients, servers}, nil
+func NewFileStores(dir string) Stores {
+	return &fileStores{dir}
 }
 
 func NewTmpFileStores() (Stores, error) {
@@ -39,25 +26,23 @@ func NewTmpFileStores() (Stores, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return NewFileStores(dir)
+	return NewFileStores(dir), nil
 }
 
 type fileStores struct {
-	config  logc.KV[ConfigKey, ConfigValue]
-	clients logc.KV[ClientKey, ClientValue]
-	servers logc.KV[ServerKey, ServerValue]
+	dir string
 }
 
 func (f *fileStores) Config() (logc.KV[ConfigKey, ConfigValue], error) {
-	return f.config, nil
+	return logc.NewKV[ConfigKey, ConfigValue](filepath.Join(f.dir, "config"))
 }
 
 func (f *fileStores) Clients() (logc.KV[ClientKey, ClientValue], error) {
-	return f.clients, nil
+	return logc.NewKV[ClientKey, ClientValue](filepath.Join(f.dir, "clients"))
 }
 
 func (f *fileStores) Servers() (logc.KV[ServerKey, ServerValue], error) {
-	return f.servers, nil
+	return logc.NewKV[ServerKey, ServerValue](filepath.Join(f.dir, "servers"))
 }
 
 type ConfigKey string
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index b22f67a..9fb9878 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -79,18 +79,13 @@ func NewServer(opts ...ServerOption) (*Server, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	relayStores, err := relay.NewFileStores(filepath.Join(cfg.dir, "relay"))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
 	controlCAs := x509.NewCertPool()
 	controlCAs.AddCert(cfg.controlCert.Leaf)
 	relay, err := relay.NewServer(relay.Config{
 		Addr:     cfg.relayAddr,
 		Hostport: model.HostPort{Host: cfg.relayHostname, Port: cfg.relayAddr.AddrPort().Port()},
 		Logger:   cfg.logger,
-		Stores:   relayStores,
+		Stores:   relay.NewFileStores(filepath.Join(cfg.dir, "relay")),
 
 		ControlAddr:  cfg.controlAddr,
 		ControlHost:  "localhost",