diff --git a/src/LyXFunc.cpp b/src/LyXFunc.cpp
index 7e2f25f5df..a290de8d95 100644
--- a/src/LyXFunc.cpp
+++ b/src/LyXFunc.cpp
@@ -105,10 +105,11 @@ namespace {
 
 // This function runs "configure" and then rereads lyx.defaults to
 // reconfigure the automatic settings.
-void reconfigure(LyXView & lv, string const & option)
+void reconfigure(LyXView * lv, string const & option)
 {
 	// emit message signal.
-	lv.message(_("Running configure..."));
+	if (lv)
+		lv->message(_("Running configure..."));
 
 	// Run configure in user lyx directory
 	PathChanger p(package().user_support());
@@ -118,7 +119,8 @@ void reconfigure(LyXView & lv, string const & option)
 	int ret = one.startscript(Systemcall::Wait, configure_command);
 	p.pop();
 	// emit message signal.
-	lv.message(_("Reloading configuration..."));
+	if (lv)
+		lv->message(_("Reloading configuration..."));
 	lyxrc.read(libFileSearch(string(), "lyxrc.defaults"));
 	// Re-read packages.lst
 	LaTeXFeatures::getAvailable();
@@ -293,7 +295,8 @@ void LyXFunc::processKeySym(KeySymbol const & keysym, KeyModifier state)
 
 	if (keysym.isModifier()) {
 		LYXERR(Debug::KEY, "isModifier true");
-		lyx_view_->restartCursor();
+		if (lyx_view_)
+			lyx_view_->restartCursor();
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -384,7 +387,7 @@ FuncStatus LyXFunc::getStatus(FuncRequest const & cmd) const
 	//lyxerr << "LyXFunc::getStatus: cmd: " << cmd << endl;
 	FuncStatus flag;
 
-	Buffer * buf = lyx_view_? lyx_view_->buffer() : 0;
+	Buffer * buf = lyx_view_ ? lyx_view_->buffer() : 0;
 
 	if (cmd.action == LFUN_NOACTION) {
 		flag.message(from_utf8(N_("Nothing to do")));
@@ -1039,9 +1042,8 @@ void LyXFunc::dispatch(FuncRequest const & cmd)
 			break;
 
 		case LFUN_RECONFIGURE:
-			BOOST_ASSERT(lyx_view_);
 			// argument is any additional parameter to the configure.py command
-			reconfigure(*lyx_view_, argument);
+			reconfigure(lyx_view_, argument);
 			break;
 
 		case LFUN_HELP_OPEN: {
@@ -1659,8 +1661,11 @@ void LyXFunc::dispatch(FuncRequest const & cmd)
 				// Nothing more to do.
 				return;
 
+			// Everything below is only for active lyx_view_
+			if (lyx_view_ == 0)
+				break;
+
 			// Let the current LyXView dispatch its own actions.
-			BOOST_ASSERT(lyx_view_);
 			if (lyx_view_->dispatch(cmd)) {
 				if (lyx_view_->view())
 					updateFlags = lyx_view_->view()->cursor().result().update();
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/Action.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/Action.cpp
index 006cf3a9fa..724d9daf8b 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/Action.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/Action.cpp
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ namespace lyx {
 namespace frontend {
 
 
-Action::Action(GuiView & lyxView, QIcon const & icon,
+Action::Action(GuiView * lyxView, QIcon const & icon,
 	  QString const & text, FuncRequest const & func,
-	  QString const & tooltip)
-	: QAction(&lyxView), func_(func), lyxView_(lyxView)
+	  QString const & tooltip, QObject * parent)
+	: QAction(parent), func_(func), lyxView_(lyxView)
 {
 	// only Qt/Mac handles that
 	setMenuRole(NoRole);
@@ -62,7 +62,10 @@ void Action::update()
 void Action::action()
 {
 	//LYXERR(Debug::ACTION, "calling LyXFunc::dispatch: func_: ");
-	theLyXFunc().setLyXView(&lyxView_);
+
+	if (lyxView_)
+		theLyXFunc().setLyXView(lyxView_);
+
 	lyx::dispatch(func_);
 	triggered(this);
 }
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/Action.h b/src/frontends/qt4/Action.h
index 7376a433d2..11a862b788 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/Action.h
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/Action.h
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ class Action : public QAction
 	Q_OBJECT
 
 public:
-	Action(GuiView & lyxView, QIcon const & icon, QString const & text,
-		FuncRequest const & func, QString const & tooltip);
+	Action(GuiView * lyxView, QIcon const & icon, QString const & text,
+		FuncRequest const & func, QString const & tooltip, QObject * parent);
 
 	void update();
 
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ private Q_SLOTS:
 
 private:
 	FuncRequest const & func_ ;
-	GuiView & lyxView_;
+	GuiView * lyxView_;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiToolbar.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiToolbar.cpp
index f5563faa00..577d109433 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiToolbar.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiToolbar.cpp
@@ -839,9 +839,8 @@ GuiToolbar::GuiToolbar(ToolbarInfo const & tbinfo, GuiView & owner)
 
 Action * GuiToolbar::addItem(ToolbarItem const & item)
 {
-	Action * act = new Action(owner_,
-		getIcon(item.func_, false),
-	  toqstr(item.label_), item.func_, toqstr(item.label_));
+	Action * act = new Action(&owner_, getIcon(item.func_, false),
+		toqstr(item.label_), item.func_, toqstr(item.label_), this);
 	actions_.append(act);
 	return act;
 }
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
index 1f4ffe114d..4ff601ef91 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ GuiView::GuiView(int id)
 	d.toolbars_ = new GuiToolbars(*this);
 
 	// Fill up the menu bar.
-	guiApp->menus().fillMenuBar(this);
+	guiApp->menus().fillMenuBar(menuBar(), this);
 
 	setCentralWidget(d.stack_widget_);
 
@@ -2024,7 +2024,7 @@ void GuiView::resetDialogs()
 	// FIXME: the "math panels" toolbar takes an awful lot of time to
 	// initialise so we don't do that for the time being.
 	//d.toolbars_->init();
-	guiApp->menus().fillMenuBar(this);
+	guiApp->menus().fillMenuBar(menuBar(), this);
 	if (d.layout_)
 		d.layout_->updateContents(true);
 	// Now update controls with current buffer.
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.cpp
index 27b2f98090..4ea1e0d27c 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.cpp
@@ -1114,8 +1114,8 @@ void Menu::Impl::populate(QMenu & qMenu, MenuDefinition const & menu)
 			populate(*subMenu, m->submenu());
 		} else {
 			// we have a MenuItem::Command
-			qMenu.addAction(new Action(*view, QIcon(), label(*m), m->func(),
-				QString()));
+			qMenu.addAction(new Action(view, QIcon(), label(*m), 
+				m->func(), QString(), &qMenu));
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -1167,10 +1167,10 @@ struct Menus::Impl {
 	    ViewFormats, ExportFormats, UpdateFormats, Branches
 	*/
 	void expand(MenuDefinition const & frommenu, MenuDefinition & tomenu,
-		    Buffer const *) const;
+		Buffer const *) const;
 
 	/// Initialize specific MACOS X menubar
-	void macxMenuBarInit(GuiView * view);
+	void macxMenuBarInit(GuiView * view, QMenuBar * qmb);
 
 	/// Mac special menu.
 	/** This defines a menu whose entries list the FuncRequests
@@ -1211,7 +1211,7 @@ struct Menus::Impl {
   that this menubar will be used also when one of LyX' dialogs has
   focus. (JMarc)
 */
-void Menus::Impl::macxMenuBarInit(GuiView * view)
+void Menus::Impl::macxMenuBarInit(GuiView * view, QMenuBar * qmb)
 {
 	// The Mac menubar initialisation must be done only once!
 	static bool done = false;
@@ -1260,12 +1260,12 @@ void Menus::Impl::macxMenuBarInit(GuiView * view)
 
 	// add the entries to a QMenu that will eventually be empty
 	// and therefore invisible.
-	QMenu * qMenu = view->menuBar()->addMenu("special");
+	QMenu * qMenu = qmb->addMenu("special");
 	MenuDefinition::const_iterator cit = specialmenu_.begin();
 	MenuDefinition::const_iterator end = specialmenu_.end();
 	for (size_t i = 0 ; cit != end ; ++cit, ++i) {
-		Action * action = new Action(*view, QIcon(), cit->label(),
-					     cit->func(), QString());
+		Action * action = new Action(view, QIcon(), cit->label(),
+			cit->func(), QString(), qMenu);
 		action->setMenuRole(entries[i].role);
 		qMenu->addAction(action);
 	}
@@ -1464,14 +1464,14 @@ bool Menus::searchMenu(FuncRequest const & func,
 }
 
 
-void Menus::fillMenuBar(GuiView * view)
+void Menus::fillMenuBar(QMenuBar * qmb, GuiView * view)
 {
 	// Clear all menubar contents before filling it.
-	view->menuBar()->clear();
+	qmb->clear();
 	
 #ifdef Q_WS_MACX
 	// setup special mac specific menu item
-	d->macxMenuBarInit(view);
+	d->macxMenuBarInit(view, qmb);
 #endif
 
 	LYXERR(Debug::GUI, "populating menu bar" << fromqstr(d->menubar_.name()));
@@ -1487,7 +1487,10 @@ void Menus::fillMenuBar(GuiView * view)
 	}
 
 	MenuDefinition menu;
-	d->expand(d->menubar_, menu, view->buffer());
+	Buffer * buf = 0;
+	if (view)
+		buf = view->buffer();
+	d->expand(d->menubar_, menu, buf);
 
 	MenuDefinition::const_iterator m = menu.begin();
 	MenuDefinition::const_iterator end = menu.end();
@@ -1537,7 +1540,10 @@ void Menus::updateMenu(Menu * qmenu)
 	}
 
 	MenuDefinition const & fromLyxMenu = d->getMenu(qmenu->d->name);
-	d->expand(fromLyxMenu, *qmenu->d->top_level_menu, qmenu->d->view->buffer());
+	Buffer * buf = 0;
+	if (qmenu->d->view)
+		buf = qmenu->d->view->buffer();
+	d->expand(fromLyxMenu, *qmenu->d->top_level_menu, buf);
 	qmenu->d->populate(*qmenu, *qmenu->d->top_level_menu);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.h b/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.h
index 80de0da292..9ba0c10d58 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.h
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/Menus.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public:
 	bool searchMenu(FuncRequest const & func,
 		std::vector<docstring> & names) const;
 	///
-	void fillMenuBar(GuiView * view);
+	void fillMenuBar(QMenuBar * qmb, GuiView * view);
 
 	/// \return a top-level submenu given its name.
 	Menu * menu(QString const & name, GuiView & view);