diff --git a/core/rs/bundle/Cargo.lock b/core/rs/bundle/Cargo.lock
index e1f4bdb01..8b964eb60 100644
--- a/core/rs/bundle/Cargo.lock
+++ b/core/rs/bundle/Cargo.lock
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@ checksum = "830d08ce1d1d941e6b30645f1a0eb5643013d835ce3779a5fc208261dbe10f55"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libc"
-version = "0.2.139"
+version = "0.2.151"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "201de327520df007757c1f0adce6e827fe8562fbc28bfd9c15571c66ca1f5f79"
+checksum = "302d7ab3130588088d277783b1e2d2e10c9e9e4a16dd9050e6ec93fb3e7048f4"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libloading"
diff --git a/core/rs/core/Cargo.lock b/core/rs/core/Cargo.lock
index 244a76aa7..d2006ae23 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/Cargo.lock
+++ b/core/rs/core/Cargo.lock
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ checksum = "830d08ce1d1d941e6b30645f1a0eb5643013d835ce3779a5fc208261dbe10f55"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libc"
-version = "0.2.140"
+version = "0.2.151"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "99227334921fae1a979cf0bfdfcc6b3e5ce376ef57e16fb6fb3ea2ed6095f80c"
+checksum = "302d7ab3130588088d277783b1e2d2e10c9e9e4a16dd9050e6ec93fb3e7048f4"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libloading"
diff --git a/core/rs/core/src/c.rs b/core/rs/core/src/c.rs
index b93686035..a053b8882 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/src/c.rs
+++ b/core/rs/core/src/c.rs
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ pub struct crsql_ExtData {
     pub pSetSiteIdOrdinalStmt: *mut sqlite::stmt,
     pub pSelectSiteIdOrdinalStmt: *mut sqlite::stmt,
     pub pSelectClockTablesStmt: *mut sqlite::stmt,
-    pub tieBreakSameColValue: ::core::ffi::c_int,
+    pub mergeEqualValues: ::core::ffi::c_int,
 }
 
 #[repr(C)]
@@ -454,13 +454,13 @@ fn bindgen_test_layout_crsql_ExtData() {
         )
     );
     assert_eq!(
-        unsafe { ::std::ptr::addr_of!((*ptr).tieBreakSameColValue) as usize - ptr as usize },
+        unsafe { ::std::ptr::addr_of!((*ptr).mergeEqualValues) as usize - ptr as usize },
         128usize,
         concat!(
             "Offset of field: ",
             stringify!(crsql_ExtData),
             "::",
-            stringify!(tieBreakSameColValue)
+            stringify!(mergeEqualValues)
         )
     );
 }
diff --git a/core/rs/core/src/changes_vtab_write.rs b/core/rs/core/src/changes_vtab_write.rs
index e4fca3d52..3f26b07ab 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/src/changes_vtab_write.rs
+++ b/core/rs/core/src/changes_vtab_write.rs
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ fn did_cid_win(
             let local_value = col_val_stmt.column_value(0)?;
             let mut ret = crsql_compare_sqlite_values(insert_val, local_value);
             reset_cached_stmt(col_val_stmt.stmt)?;
-            if ret == 0 && unsafe { (*ext_data).tieBreakSameColValue == 1 } {
+            if ret == 0 && unsafe { (*ext_data).mergeEqualValues == 1 } {
                 // values are the same (ret == 0) and the option to tie break on site_id is true
                 ret = unsafe {
                     let my_site_id = core::slice::from_raw_parts((*ext_data).siteId, 16);
diff --git a/core/rs/core/src/config.rs b/core/rs/core/src/config.rs
index 81961a863..e53fc3336 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/src/config.rs
+++ b/core/rs/core/src/config.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn crsql_config_set(
         MERGE_EQUAL_VALUES => {
             let value = args[1];
             let ext_data = ctx.user_data() as *mut crsql_ExtData;
-            unsafe { (*ext_data).tieBreakSameColValue = value.int() };
+            unsafe { (*ext_data).mergeEqualValues = value.int() };
             value
         }
         _ => {
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn crsql_config_get(
     match name {
         MERGE_EQUAL_VALUES => {
             let ext_data = ctx.user_data() as *mut crsql_ExtData;
-            ctx.result_int(unsafe { (*ext_data).tieBreakSameColValue });
+            ctx.result_int(unsafe { (*ext_data).mergeEqualValues });
         }
         _ => {
             ctx.result_error("Unknown setting name");
diff --git a/core/rs/core/src/lib.rs b/core/rs/core/src/lib.rs
index 57f38b6c5..0aafa90fb 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/core/rs/core/src/lib.rs
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn sqlite3_crsqlcore_init(
 
     let ext_data = unsafe { crsql_newExtData(db, site_id_buffer as *mut c_char) };
     if ext_data.is_null() {
-        sqlite::free(site_id_buffer as *mut c_void);
+        // no need to free the site id buffer here, this is cleaned up already.
         return null_mut();
     }
 
@@ -486,6 +486,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn sqlite3_crsqlcore_init(
         )
         .unwrap_or(sqlite::ResultCode::ERROR);
     if rc != ResultCode::OK {
+        unsafe { crsql_freeExtData(ext_data) };
         return null_mut();
     }
 
@@ -502,6 +503,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn sqlite3_crsqlcore_init(
         )
         .unwrap_or(sqlite::ResultCode::ERROR);
     if rc != ResultCode::OK {
+        unsafe { crsql_freeExtData(ext_data) };
         return null_mut();
     }
 
diff --git a/core/rs/core/src/sha.rs b/core/rs/core/src/sha.rs
index df78688cf..496cb4ccf 100644
--- a/core/rs/core/src/sha.rs
+++ b/core/rs/core/src/sha.rs
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 // The sha of the commit that this version of crsqlite was built from.
-pub const SHA: &'static str = "";
+pub const SHA: &'static str = "3a01980562615001d765eec61e3ed58147a93f93";
diff --git a/core/src/ext-data.c b/core/src/ext-data.c
index db82feba0..f8715f4f9 100644
--- a/core/src/ext-data.c
+++ b/core/src/ext-data.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "ext-data.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 #include "consts.h"
 
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@ void crsql_drop_table_info_vec(crsql_ExtData *pExtData);
 crsql_ExtData *crsql_newExtData(sqlite3 *db, unsigned char *siteIdBuffer) {
   crsql_ExtData *pExtData = sqlite3_malloc(sizeof *pExtData);
 
+  pExtData->siteId = siteIdBuffer;
+
   pExtData->pPragmaSchemaVersionStmt = 0;
   int rc = sqlite3_prepare_v3(db, "PRAGMA schema_version", -1,
                               SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT,
@@ -47,7 +50,6 @@ crsql_ExtData *crsql_newExtData(sqlite3 *db, unsigned char *siteIdBuffer) {
   pExtData->pragmaSchemaVersion = -1;
   pExtData->pragmaDataVersion = -1;
   pExtData->pragmaSchemaVersionForTableInfos = -1;
-  pExtData->siteId = siteIdBuffer;
   pExtData->pDbVersionStmt = 0;
   pExtData->tableInfos = 0;
   pExtData->rowsImpacted = 0;
@@ -67,14 +69,16 @@ crsql_ExtData *crsql_newExtData(sqlite3 *db, unsigned char *siteIdBuffer) {
   }
 
   // set defaults!
-  pExtData->tieBreakSameColValue = 0;
+  pExtData->mergeEqualValues = 0;
 
   while (sqlite3_step(pStmt) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-    const unsigned char *name = sqlite3_column_text(pStmt, 1);
-    if (sqlite3_stricmp(name, "merge-equal-values")) {
-      if (sqlite3_column_type(pStmt, 2) == SQLITE_INTEGER) {
-        const int value = sqlite3_column_int(pStmt, 2);
-        pExtData->tieBreakSameColValue = value;
+    const unsigned char *name = sqlite3_column_text(pStmt, 0);
+    int colType = sqlite3_column_type(pStmt, 1);
+
+    if (strcmp("merge-equal-values", (char *)name) == 0) {
+      if (colType == SQLITE_INTEGER) {
+        const int value = sqlite3_column_int(pStmt, 1);
+        pExtData->mergeEqualValues = value;
       } else {
         // broken setting...
         crsql_freeExtData(pExtData);
diff --git a/core/src/ext-data.h b/core/src/ext-data.h
index c7379de47..c4ff801d0 100644
--- a/core/src/ext-data.h
+++ b/core/src/ext-data.h
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ struct crsql_ExtData {
   sqlite3_stmt *pSelectSiteIdOrdinalStmt;
   sqlite3_stmt *pSelectClockTablesStmt;
 
-  int tieBreakSameColValue;
+  int mergeEqualValues;
 };
 
 crsql_ExtData *crsql_newExtData(sqlite3 *db, unsigned char *siteIdBuffer);
diff --git a/py/correctness/tests/test_config.py b/py/correctness/tests/test_config.py
index 012680816..3291000d2 100644
--- a/py/correctness/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/py/correctness/tests/test_config.py
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-from crsql_correctness import connect, close, get_site_id
-import pprint
+from crsql_correctness import connect, close
+import pathlib
 
 def test_config_merge_equal_values():
-    db = connect(":memory:")
+    dbfile = "./config.db"
+    pathlib.Path(dbfile).unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    db = connect(dbfile)
     value = db.execute("SELECT crsql_config_set('merge-equal-values', 1);").fetchone()
     assert (value == (1,))
     db.commit()
@@ -11,4 +13,13 @@ def test_config_merge_equal_values():
     assert (value == (1,))
 
     value = db.execute("SELECT crsql_config_get('merge-equal-values');").fetchone()
-    assert (value == (1,))
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert (value == (1,))
+
+    close(db)
+    db = connect(dbfile)
+
+    value = db.execute("SELECT value FROM crsql_master WHERE key = 'config.merge-equal-values'").fetchone()
+    assert (value == (1,))
+
+    value = db.execute("SELECT crsql_config_get('merge-equal-values')").fetchone()
+    assert (value == (1,))