diff --git a/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas.ts b/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas.ts
index 427c1697d..9a0d6e34f 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import TypeWidget from "./type_widget.js";
-import utils from "../../services/utils.js";
 import server from "../../services/server.js";
 import type FNote from "../../entities/fnote.js";
 import options from "../../services/options.js";
-import type { AppState, BinaryFileData, ExcalidrawImperativeAPI, LibraryItem, SceneData } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/types";
+import type { AppState, BinaryFileData, LibraryItem } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/types";
 import type { ExcalidrawElement, Theme } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/element/types";
 import type Canvas from "./canvas_el.js";
 
@@ -109,8 +108,6 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
     private librarycache: LibraryItem[];
     private attachmentMetadata: AttachmentMetadata[];
     private themeStyle!: Theme;
-    private excalidrawApi!: ExcalidrawImperativeAPI;
-    private excalidrawWrapperRef!: React.RefObject<HTMLElement | null>;
 
     private $render!: JQuery<HTMLElement>;
     private reactHandlers!: JQuery<HTMLElement>;
@@ -209,11 +206,15 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
      * called to populate the widget container with the note content
      */
     async doRefresh(note: FNote) {
+        if (!this.canvasInstance) {
+            await this.#init();
+        }
+
         // see if the note changed, since we do not get a new class for a new note
         const noteChanged = this.currentNoteId !== note.noteId;
         if (noteChanged) {
             // reset the scene to omit unnecessary onchange handler
-            this.canvasInstance?.resetSceneVersion();
+            this.canvasInstance.resetSceneVersion();
         }
         this.currentNoteId = note.noteId;
 
@@ -221,10 +222,7 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
         const blob = await note.getBlob();
 
         // before we load content into excalidraw, make sure excalidraw has loaded
-        while (!this.canvasInstance?.excalidrawApi) {
-            console.log("excalidrawApi not yet loaded, sleep 200ms...");
-            await utils.sleep(200);
-        }
+        await this.canvasInstance.waitForApiToBecomeAvailable();
 
         /**
          * new and empty note - make sure that canvas is empty.
@@ -233,15 +231,7 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
          * newly instantiated?
          */
         if (!blob?.content?.trim()) {
-            const sceneData: SceneData = {
-                elements: [],
-                appState: {
-                    theme: this.themeStyle
-                }
-            };
-
-            // TODO: Props mismatch.
-            this.canvasInstance.excalidrawApi.updateScene(sceneData as any);
+            this.canvasInstance.resetScene(this.themeStyle);
         } else if (blob.content) {
             let content: CanvasContent;
 
@@ -285,7 +275,7 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
                 const metadata = results.map((result) => result.metadata);
 
                 // Update the library and save to independent variables
-                this.canvasInstance.excalidrawApi.updateLibrary({ libraryItems, merge: false });
+                this.canvasInstance.updateLibrary(libraryItems);
 
                 // save state of library to compare it to the new state later.
                 this.librarycache = libraryItems;
@@ -313,12 +303,7 @@ export default class ExcalidrawTypeWidget extends TypeWidget {
             // this.libraryChanged is unset in dataSaved()
 
             // there's no separate method to get library items, so have to abuse this one
-            const libraryItems = await this.canvasInstance.excalidrawApi.updateLibrary({
-                libraryItems() {
-                    return [];
-                },
-                merge: true
-            });
+            const libraryItems = await this.canvasInstance.getLibraryItems();
 
             // excalidraw saves the library as a own state. the items are saved to libraryItems. then we compare the library right now with a libraryitemcache. The cache is filled when we first load the Library into the note.
             //We need the cache to delete old attachments later in the server.
diff --git a/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas_el.ts b/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas_el.ts
index a6e611ac4..80d7c5fb8 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas_el.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/widgets/type_widgets/canvas_el.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 import "@excalidraw/excalidraw/index.css";
 import { Excalidraw, getSceneVersion, exportToSvg } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw";
-import { createElement, createRef, Fragment, RefObject, render, useEffect, useState } from "preact/compat";
-import { AppState, BinaryFileData, ExcalidrawImperativeAPI, ExcalidrawProps, SceneData } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/types";
-import type { ComponentType, VNode } from "preact";
+import { createElement, render } from "preact/compat";
+import { AppState, BinaryFileData, ExcalidrawImperativeAPI, ExcalidrawProps, LibraryItem, SceneData } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/types";
+import type { ComponentType } from "preact";
+import utils from "../../services/utils";
+import { Theme } from "@excalidraw/excalidraw/element/types";
 
-/** -1 indicates that it is fresh. excalidraw scene version is always >0 */
+/** Indicates that it is fresh. excalidraw scene version is always >0 */
 const SCENE_VERSION_INITIAL = -1;
-/** -2 indicates error */
-const SCENE_VERSION_ERROR = -2;
 
 export default class Canvas {
 
     private currentSceneVersion: number;
     private opts: ExcalidrawProps;
-    excalidrawApi!: ExcalidrawImperativeAPI;
+    private excalidrawApi!: ExcalidrawImperativeAPI;
 
     constructor(opts: ExcalidrawProps) {
         this.opts = opts;
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ export default class Canvas {
         }), targetEl);
     }
 
+    async waitForApiToBecomeAvailable() {
+        while (!this.excalidrawApi) {
+            console.log("excalidrawApi not yet loaded, sleep 200ms...");
+            await utils.sleep(200);
+        }
+    }
+
     private createCanvasElement(opts: ExcalidrawProps) {
         return createElement("div", { className: "excalidraw-wrapper", },
             createElement(Excalidraw as ComponentType<ExcalidrawProps>, opts)
@@ -68,6 +75,15 @@ export default class Canvas {
         return this.currentSceneVersion === SCENE_VERSION_INITIAL;
     }
 
+    resetScene(theme: Theme) {
+        this.excalidrawApi.updateScene({
+            elements: [],
+            appState: {
+                theme
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     loadData(content: any, theme: any) {
         const { elements, files } = content;
         const appState: Partial<AppState> = content.appState ?? {};
@@ -143,4 +159,17 @@ export default class Canvas {
         }
     }
 
+    async getLibraryItems() {
+        return this.excalidrawApi.updateLibrary({
+            libraryItems() {
+                return [];
+            },
+            merge: true
+        });
+    }
+
+    async updateLibrary(libraryItems: LibraryItem[]) {
+        this.excalidrawApi.updateLibrary({ libraryItems, merge: false });
+    }
+
 }