diff --git a/include/common/settings.hh b/include/common/settings.hh
index 5ef4c8c8..4795a8ce 100644
--- a/include/common/settings.hh
+++ b/include/common/settings.hh
@@ -601,12 +601,12 @@ public:
 
     bool parse(const std::string &settingName, parser_base_t &parser, bool locked = false) override
     {
-        if (auto value = parseString(parser)) {
-            addValueFromParse(*value, locked);
-            return true;
-        }
+        if (!parser.parse_token(PARSE_PEEK))
+            return false;
 
-        return false;
+        parser.parse_token();
+        addValueFromParse(parser.token, locked);
+        return true;
     }
 
     inline bool copyFrom(const setting_base& other) override {
diff --git a/include/light/light.hh b/include/light/light.hh
index 448af33d..a86df742 100644
--- a/include/light/light.hh
+++ b/include/light/light.hh
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ public:
     setting_bool highlightseams{this, "highlightseams", false, &debug_group, ""};
     setting_soft soft{this, "soft", 0, -1, std::numeric_limits<int32_t>::max(), &postprocessing_group,
         "blurs the lightmap. specify n to blur radius in samples, otherwise auto"};
-    setting_string radlights{this, "radlights", "", "\"filename.rad\"", &experimental_group,
+    setting_set radlights{this, "radlights", "\"filename.rad\"", &experimental_group,
         "loads a <surfacename> <r> <g> <b> <intensity> file"};
     setting_int32 lmscale{
         this, "lmscale", 0, &experimental_group, "change lightmap scale, vanilla engines only allow 16"};
diff --git a/light/light.cc b/light/light.cc
index b7dd7435..e18c0124 100644
--- a/light/light.cc
+++ b/light/light.cc
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ void light_settings::postinitialize(int argc, const char **argv)
     }
 
     if (radlights.isChanged()) {
-        if (!ParseLightsFile(radlights.value())) {
-            logging::print("Unable to read surfacelights file {}\n", radlights.value());
+        if (!ParseLightsFile(*radlights.values().begin())) {
+            logging::print("Unable to read surfacelights file {}\n", *radlights.values().begin());
         }
     }