diff --git a/archivebox/cli/__init__.py b/archivebox/cli/__init__.py
index 3df41809..f9a55efd 100644
--- a/archivebox/cli/__init__.py
+++ b/archivebox/cli/__init__.py
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ def run_subcommand(subcommand: str,
 
     if subcommand not in meta_cmds:
         from ..config import setup_django
-        setup_django(in_memory_db=subcommand in fake_db)
+        setup_django(in_memory_db=subcommand in fake_db, check_db=subcommand in archive_cmds)
 
     module = import_module('.archivebox_{}'.format(subcommand), __package__)
     module.main(args=subcommand_args, stdin=stdin, pwd=pwd)    # type: ignore
diff --git a/archivebox/extractors/title.py b/archivebox/extractors/title.py
index ff70f689..28cb128f 100644
--- a/archivebox/extractors/title.py
+++ b/archivebox/extractors/title.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ from ..config import (
     CURL_ARGS,
     CURL_VERSION,
     CURL_USER_AGENT,
-    setup_django,
 )
 from ..logging_util import TimedProgress
 
@@ -81,7 +80,6 @@ def extract_title_with_regex(html):
 def save_title(link: Link, out_dir: Optional[Path]=None, timeout: int=TIMEOUT) -> ArchiveResult:
     """try to guess the page's title from its content"""
 
-    setup_django(out_dir=out_dir)
     from core.models import Snapshot
 
     output: ArchiveOutput = None
diff --git a/archivebox/index/__init__.py b/archivebox/index/__init__.py
index bf1d0c6a..4f4ac3d4 100644
--- a/archivebox/index/__init__.py
+++ b/archivebox/index/__init__.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ from ..util import (
     ExtendedEncoder,
 )
 from ..config import (
-    setup_django,
     ARCHIVE_DIR_NAME,
     SQL_INDEX_FILENAME,
     JSON_INDEX_FILENAME,
@@ -243,16 +242,9 @@ def write_main_index(links: List[Link], out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> None:
 
     log_indexing_process_finished()
 
-@enforce_types
-def get_empty_snapshot_queryset(out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR):
-    setup_django(out_dir, check_db=True)
-    from core.models import Snapshot
-    return Snapshot.objects.none()
-
 @enforce_types
 def load_main_index(out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR, warn: bool=True) -> List[Link]:
     """parse and load existing index with any new links from import_path merged in"""
-    setup_django(out_dir, check_db=True)
     from core.models import Snapshot
     try:
         return Snapshot.objects.all()
@@ -390,8 +382,9 @@ def search_filter(snapshots: QuerySet, filter_patterns: List[str], filter_type:
                 color='red',
             )
         raise SystemExit(2)
+    from core.models import Snapshot
 
-    qsearch = get_empty_snapshot_queryset()
+    qsearch = Snapshot.objects.none()
     for pattern in filter_patterns:
         try:
             qsearch |= query_search_index(pattern)
diff --git a/archivebox/index/html.py b/archivebox/index/html.py
index 4ead04ce..a62e2c7e 100644
--- a/archivebox/index/html.py
+++ b/archivebox/index/html.py
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ from ..config import (
     GIT_SHA,
     FOOTER_INFO,
     HTML_INDEX_FILENAME,
-    setup_django,
 )
 
 MAIN_INDEX_TEMPLATE = 'main_index.html'
@@ -111,7 +110,6 @@ def render_django_template(template: str, context: Mapping[str, str]) -> str:
     """render a given html template string with the given template content"""
     from django.template.loader import render_to_string
 
-    setup_django(check_db=False)
     return render_to_string(template, context)
 
 
diff --git a/archivebox/main.py b/archivebox/main.py
index 756fecde..eb8cd6a0 100644
--- a/archivebox/main.py
+++ b/archivebox/main.py
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ from .util import enforce_types                         # type: ignore
 from .system import get_dir_size, dedupe_cron_jobs, CRON_COMMENT
 from .index import (
     load_main_index,
-    get_empty_snapshot_queryset,
     parse_links_from_source,
     dedupe_links,
     write_main_index,
@@ -265,6 +264,7 @@ def run(subcommand: str,
 @enforce_types
 def init(force: bool=False, out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> None:
     """Initialize a new ArchiveBox collection in the current directory"""
+    from core.models import Snapshot
     Path(out_dir).mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     is_empty = not len(set(os.listdir(out_dir)) - ALLOWED_IN_OUTPUT_DIR)
 
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ def init(force: bool=False, out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> None:
     print()
     print('{green}[*] Collecting links from any existing indexes and archive folders...{reset}'.format(**ANSI))
 
-    all_links = get_empty_snapshot_queryset()
+    all_links = Snapshot.objects.none()
     pending_links: Dict[str, Link] = {}
 
     if existing_index:
diff --git a/archivebox/search/__init__.py b/archivebox/search/__init__.py
index 360b20ff..6191ede9 100644
--- a/archivebox/search/__init__.py
+++ b/archivebox/search/__init__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from django.db.models import QuerySet
 
 from archivebox.index.schema import Link
 from archivebox.util import enforce_types
-from archivebox.config import setup_django,stderr, OUTPUT_DIR, USE_INDEXING_BACKEND, USE_SEARCHING_BACKEND, SEARCH_BACKEND_ENGINE
+from archivebox.config import stderr, OUTPUT_DIR, USE_INDEXING_BACKEND, USE_SEARCHING_BACKEND, SEARCH_BACKEND_ENGINE
 
 from .utils import get_indexable_content, log_index_started
 
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ def write_search_index(link: Link, texts: Union[List[str], None]=None, out_dir:
 
 @enforce_types
 def query_search_index(query: str, out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> QuerySet:
-    setup_django(out_dir, check_db=True)
     from core.models import Snapshot
 
     if search_backend_enabled():
diff --git a/archivebox/search/backends/ripgrep.py b/archivebox/search/backends/ripgrep.py
index ff02008d..e2e03c9b 100644
--- a/archivebox/search/backends/ripgrep.py
+++ b/archivebox/search/backends/ripgrep.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import re
 from subprocess import run, PIPE, DEVNULL
 from typing import List, Generator
 
-from archivebox.config import setup_django, ARCHIVE_DIR
+from archivebox.config import ARCHIVE_DIR
 from archivebox.util import enforce_types
 
 RG_IGNORE_EXTENSIONS = ('css','js','orig','svg')
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ def search(text: str) -> List[str]:
     if is_rg_installed.returncode:
         raise Exception("ripgrep binary not found, install ripgrep to use this search backend")
 
-    setup_django(check_db=True)
     from core.models import Snapshot
 
     rg_cmd = ['rg', RG_ADD_TYPE, RG_IGNORE_ARGUMENTS, RG_DEFAULT_ARGUMENTS, RG_REGEX_ARGUMENT, text, str(ARCHIVE_DIR)]
diff --git a/tests/test_oneshot.py b/tests/test_oneshot.py
index 4057a6ad..560ac43c 100644
--- a/tests/test_oneshot.py
+++ b/tests/test_oneshot.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ def test_oneshot_command_saves_page_in_right_folder(tmp_path, disable_extractors
         capture_output=True,
         env=disable_extractors_dict,
     )
-    print(process.stdout)
     items = ' '.join([str(x) for x in tmp_path.iterdir()])
     current_path = ' '.join([str(x) for x in Path.cwd().iterdir()])
     assert "index.json" in items