diff --git a/lib/pry/plugins.rb b/lib/pry/plugins.rb
index 9612cea7..2476eebd 100644
--- a/lib/pry/plugins.rb
+++ b/lib/pry/plugins.rb
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ class Pry
       # disabled)
       # Does not reload plugin if it's already active.
       def activate!
+        # Create the configuration object for the plugin.
+        Pry.config.send("#{gem_name.gsub('-', '_')}=", OpenStruct.new)
+
         begin
           require gem_name if !active?
         rescue LoadError => e
@@ -49,9 +52,6 @@ class Pry
           warn e
         end
 
-        # Create the configuration object for the plugin.
-        Pry.config.send("#{gem_name.gsub('-', '_')}=", OpenStruct.new)
-
         self.active = true
         self.enabled = true
       end