diff --git a/lib/mu-msg-fields.c b/lib/mu-msg-fields.c
index 962a736e..34943102 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg-fields.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg-fields.c
@@ -233,7 +233,8 @@ static const MuMsgField FIELD_DATA[] = {
 		MU_MSG_FIELD_ID_TAGS,
 		MU_MSG_FIELD_TYPE_STRING_LIST,
 		"tag", 'x', 'X',
-		FLAG_GMIME | FLAG_XAPIAN_TERM |	FLAG_XAPIAN_ESCAPE
+		FLAG_GMIME | FLAG_XAPIAN_TERM |	FLAG_XAPIAN_ESCAPE |
+		FLAG_XAPIAN_VALUE
 	},
 
 
diff --git a/lib/mu-msg.c b/lib/mu-msg.c
index 965516f6..d71a15d3 100644
--- a/lib/mu-msg.c
+++ b/lib/mu-msg.c
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ get_str_list_field (MuMsg *self, MuMsgFieldId mfid)
 
 	if (self->_doc && mu_msg_field_xapian_value (mfid))
 		val = mu_msg_doc_get_str_list_field (self->_doc, mfid);
-	if (!val) {
+	if (!val && !self->_doc) {
 		/* if we don't have a file object yet, we need to
 		 * create it from the file on disk */
 		if (!mu_msg_load_msg_file (self, NULL))