diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e5130c91..229e1cde 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 Compton
 =======
 
+**This is a development branch, bug to be expected**
+
 This is forked from the original Compton because that seems to have become unmaintained. I'll merge pull requests as they appear upstream, as well as trying to fix bugs reported to upstream, or found by myself.
 
 New features are not likely to be added, since I expect compton to become irrelevant in near future.
diff --git a/src/win.c b/src/win.c
index 3d74a502..a92cebdf 100644
--- a/src/win.c
+++ b/src/win.c
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ int win_get_name(session_t *ps, win *w) {
   }
 
   int ret = 0;
-  if (strcmp(w->name, strlst[0]) != 0) {
+  if (!w->name || strcmp(w->name, strlst[0]) != 0) {
     ret = 1;
     free(w->name);
     w->name = mstrcpy(strlst[0]);
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ int win_get_role(session_t *ps, win *w) {
     return -1;
 
   int ret = 0;
-  if (strcmp(w->role, strlst[0]) != 0) {
+  if (!w->role || strcmp(w->role, strlst[0]) != 0) {
     ret = 1;
     free(w->role);
     w->role = mstrcpy(strlst[0]);