diff --git a/electron-docs-main.ts b/electron-docs-main.ts
index cc2af4875..9eeac270c 100644
--- a/electron-docs-main.ts
+++ b/electron-docs-main.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import debounce from "./src/public/app/services/debounce.js";
 import { extractZip, initializeDatabase, startElectron } from "./electron-utils.js";
 import cls from "./src/services/cls.js";
 import type { AdvancedExportOptions } from "./src/services/export/zip.js";
+import TaskContext from "./src/services/task_context.js";
 
 const NOTE_ID_USER_GUIDE = "pOsGYCXsbNQG";
 const markdownPath = path.join("docs", "User Guide");
@@ -17,11 +18,14 @@ const htmlPath = path.join("src", "public", "app", "doc_notes", "en", "User Guid
 
 async function main() {
     await initializeTranslations();
-    const zipBuffer = await createImportZip();
-    await initializeDatabase(zipBuffer);
+    await initializeDatabase(true);
+
+    cls.init(async () => {
+        await importData(markdownPath);
+        setOptions();
+    });
 
     await startElectron();
-    cls.init(() => setOptions());
 
     // Wait for the import to be finished and the application to be loaded before we listen to changes.
     setTimeout(() => registerHandlers(), 10_000);
@@ -34,13 +38,28 @@ async function setOptions() {
     optionsService.setOption("compressImages", "false");
 }
 
-async function createImportZip() {
+async function importData(path: string) {
+    const buffer = await createImportZip(path);
+    const importService = (await import("./src/services/import/zip.js")).default;
+    const context = new TaskContext("no-progress-reporting", "import", false);
+    const becca = (await import("./src/becca/becca.js")).default;
+
+    const rootNote = becca.getRoot();
+    if (!rootNote) {
+        throw new Error("Missing root note for import.");
+    }
+    await importService.importZip(context, buffer, rootNote, {
+        preserveIds: true
+    });
+}
+
+async function createImportZip(path: string) {
     const inputFile = "input.zip";
     const archive = archiver("zip", {
         zlib: { level: 0 }
     });
 
-    archive.directory(markdownPath, "/");
+    archive.directory(path, "/");
 
     const outputStream = fsExtra.createWriteStream(inputFile);
     archive.pipe(outputStream);
diff --git a/electron-utils.ts b/electron-utils.ts
index 646cf5a50..a3c4ba508 100644
--- a/electron-utils.ts
+++ b/electron-utils.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@ import fs from "fs/promises";
 import fsExtra from "fs-extra";
 import path from "path";
 
-export function initializeDatabase(customDbBuffer?: Buffer) {
+export function initializeDatabase(skipDemoDb: boolean) {
     return new Promise<void>(async (resolve) => {
         const sqlInit = (await import("./src/services/sql_init.js")).default;
         cls.init(async () => {
             if (!sqlInit.isDbInitialized()) {
-                await sqlInit.createInitialDatabase(true, customDbBuffer);
+                await sqlInit.createInitialDatabase(skipDemoDb);
             }
             resolve();
         });
diff --git a/src/services/sql_init.ts b/src/services/sql_init.ts
index 2ad69de20..3ba0bfc5d 100644
--- a/src/services/sql_init.ts
+++ b/src/services/sql_init.ts
@@ -67,16 +67,16 @@ async function initDbConnection() {
 /**
  * Applies the database schema, creating the necessary tables and importing the demo content.
  *
- * @param preserveIds `true` if the note IDs from the meta file should be preserved, or `false` to generate new ones (normal behaviour).
- * @param customDbBuffer a custom database buffer to use, otherwise the default demo one is going to be used.
+ * @param skipDemoDb if set to `true`, then the demo database will not be imported, resulting in an empty root note.
+ * @throws {Error} if the database is already initialized.
  */
-async function createInitialDatabase(preserveIds?: boolean, customDbBuffer?: Buffer) {
+async function createInitialDatabase(skipDemoDb?: boolean) {
     if (isDbInitialized()) {
         throw new Error("DB is already initialized");
     }
 
     const schema = fs.readFileSync(`${resourceDir.DB_INIT_DIR}/schema.sql`, "utf-8");
-    const demoFile = customDbBuffer ?? fs.readFileSync(`${resourceDir.DB_INIT_DIR}/demo.zip`);
+    const demoFile = (!skipDemoDb ? fs.readFileSync(`${resourceDir.DB_INIT_DIR}/demo.zip`) : null);
 
     let rootNote!: BNote;
 
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ async function createInitialDatabase(preserveIds?: boolean, customDbBuffer?: Buf
 
     const dummyTaskContext = new TaskContext("no-progress-reporting", "import", false);
 
-    await zipImportService.importZip(dummyTaskContext, demoFile, rootNote, {
-        preserveIds
-    });
+    if (demoFile) {
+        await zipImportService.importZip(dummyTaskContext, demoFile, rootNote);
+    }
 
     sql.transactional(() => {
         // this needs to happen after ZIP import,