diff --git a/src/conference.php b/src/conference.php
index 0d5c68d014..42e4545036 100644
--- a/src/conference.php
+++ b/src/conference.php
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ function __load_settings() {
 
     function load_settings() {
         $this->__load_settings();
-        if ($this->sversion < 290) {
+        if ($this->sversion < 291) {
             $old_nerrors = Dbl::$nerrors;
             while ((new UpdateSchema($this))->run()) {
                 usleep(50000);
@@ -374,13 +374,20 @@ function load_settings() {
             unset($this->settings["frombackup"]);
         }
 
+        $this->refresh_settings();
+        $this->refresh_options();
+
         // GC old capabilities
         if (($this->settings["__capability_gc"] ?? 0) < Conf::$now - 86400) {
             $this->clean_tokens();
         }
 
-        $this->refresh_settings();
-        $this->refresh_options();
+        // might need to redo automatic tags
+        if ($this->settings["__recompute_automatic_tags"] ?? 0) {
+            $this->qe("delete from Settings where name='__recompute_automatic_tags' and value=?", $this->settings["__recompute_automatic_tags"]);
+            unset($this->settings["__recompute_automatic_tags"], $this->settingTexts["__recompute_automatic_tags"]);
+            $this->update_automatic_tags();
+        }
     }
 
     /** @suppress PhanAccessReadOnlyProperty */
diff --git a/src/options/o_checkboxes.php b/src/options/o_checkboxes.php
index 94b0e0692e..d5e79fbf21 100644
--- a/src/options/o_checkboxes.php
+++ b/src/options/o_checkboxes.php
@@ -37,14 +37,7 @@ function export_setting() {
 
     /** @return TopicSet */
     function topic_set() {
-        if ($this->topics === null) {
-            $this->topics = new TopicSet($this->conf);
-            foreach ($this->values() as $i => $s) {
-                if ($s !== null)
-                    $this->topics->__add($i, $s);
-            }
-        }
-        return $this->topics;
+        return $this->values_topic_set();
     }
 
 
diff --git a/src/schema.sql b/src/schema.sql
index 360736a4da..027bb03c34 100644
--- a/src/schema.sql
+++ b/src/schema.sql
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ CREATE TABLE `TopicInterest` (
 -- Initial settings
 -- (each setting must be on its own line for createdb.sh)
 insert into Settings (name, value, data) values
-  ('allowPaperOption', 290, null),   -- schema version
+  ('allowPaperOption', 291, null),   -- schema version
   ('setupPhase', 1, null),           -- initial user is chair
   ('no_papersub', 1, null),          -- no submissions yet
   ('sub_pcconf', 1, null),           -- collect PC conflicts, not collaborators
diff --git a/src/updateschema.php b/src/updateschema.php
index bd4db29afa..72770a5555 100644
--- a/src/updateschema.php
+++ b/src/updateschema.php
@@ -1156,6 +1156,19 @@ private function v283_ensure_rev_roundtag() {
         }
     }
 
+    private function v291_unfuck_checkboxes($options_data) {
+        $any = false;
+        foreach ($options_data as $v) {
+            if (is_object($v) && $v->type === "checkboxes") {
+                $this->conf->qe("update PaperOption set value=value+1 where optionId=? order by paperId asc, value desc", $v->id);
+                $any = true;
+            }
+        }
+        if ($any) {
+            $this->conf->save_setting("__recompute_automatic_tags", mt_rand(1, 2000000000));
+        }
+    }
+
     /** @return bool */
     function run() {
         $conf = $this->conf;
@@ -1185,16 +1198,28 @@ function run() {
         if (is_object($options_data)) {
             $options_data = $this->v1_options_setting($options_data);
         }
-        if (is_array($options_data) && $conf->sversion <= 247) {
+        if ($conf->sversion <= 247
+            && is_array($options_data)) {
             $options_data = $this->v248_options_setting($options_data);
         }
-        if (is_array($options_data) && $conf->sversion <= 277) {
+        if ($conf->sversion <= 277
+            && is_array($options_data)) {
             $options_data = $this->v278_options_setting($options_data);
         }
-        if (is_array($options_data) && $conf->sversion <= 278) {
+        if ($conf->sversion <= 278
+            && is_array($options_data)) {
             $options_data = $this->v279_options_setting($options_data);
         }
 
+        // unfuck checkboxes options
+        if ($conf->sversion <= 290
+            && !$conf->setting("__unfucked_checkboxes_v291")) {
+            $conf->save_setting("__unfucked_checkboxes_v291", 1);
+            if (is_array($options_data)) {
+                $this->v291_unfuck_checkboxes($options_data);
+            }
+        }
+
         // update `review_form`
         if ($conf->sversion <= 257
             && !$conf->setting("__review_form_v258")
@@ -2960,6 +2985,10 @@ function run() {
             && $conf->ql_ok("alter table PaperReview change `reviewAuthorSeen` `reviewAuthorSeen` bigint(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0")) {
             $conf->update_schema_version(290);
         }
+        If ($conf->sversion === 290) {
+            $conf->ql_ok("delete from Settings where name='__unfucked_checkboxes_v291'");
+            $conf->update_schema_version(291);
+        }
 
         $conf->ql_ok("delete from Settings where name='__schema_lock'");
         Conf::$main = $old_conf_g;