diff --git a/lacre.py b/lacre.py
index d17a23f..31b4b66 100755
--- a/lacre.py
+++ b/lacre.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ LOG = logging.getLogger('lacre.py')
 
 def main():
     with time_logger('Message delivery', LOG):
-        missing_params = conf.validate_config(additional=conf.SCRIPT_REQUIRED)
+        missing_params = conf.validate_config()
         config_file = conf.config_source()
 
         if missing_params:
diff --git a/lacre/admin.py b/lacre/admin.py
index 2850b71..8485a17 100644
--- a/lacre/admin.py
+++ b/lacre/admin.py
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ lacre.init_logging(conf.get_item('logging', 'config'))
 import lacre.repositories as repo
 import lacre.dbschema as db
 
-LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    LOG = logging.getLogger('lacre.admin')
+else:
+    LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 def _no_database():
@@ -86,7 +89,10 @@ def sub_import(args):
 
 
 def main():
-    conf.validate_config(additional=conf.SCRIPT_REQUIRED)
+    missing = conf.validate_config()
+    if missing:
+        LOG.error('Missing configuration parameters: %s', missing)
+        sys.exit(lacre.EX_CONFIG)
 
     general_conf = conf.config_source()
     log_conf = conf.get_item('logging', 'config')
diff --git a/lacre/config.py b/lacre/config.py
index f78cbf6..f31b6e2 100644
--- a/lacre/config.py
+++ b/lacre/config.py
@@ -21,16 +21,12 @@ MANDATORY_CONFIG_ITEMS = [("relay", "host"),
                           ("relay", "port"),
                           ("daemon", "host"),
                           ("daemon", "port"),
-                          ("gpg", "keyhome")]
+                          ("gpg", "keyhome"),
+                          ('database', 'enabled'),
+                          ('database', 'url'),
+                          ('database', 'pooling_mode')]
 
-SCRIPT_REQUIRED = [('database', 'enabled'),
-                   ('database', 'url'),
-                   ('database', 'pooling_mode')]
-
-CRON_REQUIRED = [('database', 'enabled'),
-                 ('database', 'url'),
-                 ('database', 'pooling_mode'),
-                 ('cron', 'mail_templates')]
+CRON_REQUIRED = [('cron', 'mail_templates')]
 
 # Global dict to keep configuration parameters.  It's hidden behind several
 # utility functions to make it easy to replace it with ConfigParser object in