diff --git a/src/io.c b/src/io.c
index f9e98ae..e0a8502 100644
--- a/src/io.c
+++ b/src/io.c
@@ -857,6 +857,14 @@ void io_reload_data(void)
 	recur_event_llist_init();
 	todo_init_list();
 
+	/*
+	 * Temporarily reinitialize the todo list box without any items to make
+	 * sure wins_unprepare_external() does not fail when it is called after
+	 * executing the pre-load hook.
+	 */
+	ui_todo_load_items();
+	ui_todo_sel_reset();
+
 	io_load_data(NULL);
 	io_unset_modified();
 	ui_todo_load_items();