diff --git a/sesman/chansrv/clipboard.c b/sesman/chansrv/clipboard.c
index a690e5e2..e91c1cde 100644
--- a/sesman/chansrv/clipboard.c
+++ b/sesman/chansrv/clipboard.c
@@ -376,6 +376,12 @@ clipboard_init(void)
         return 0;
     }
 
+    if (!g_display)
+    {
+        // prevent crash in XInternAtom
+        return 3;
+    }
+
     xfuse_init();
     xcommon_init();
     g_incr_max_req_size = XMaxRequestSize(g_display) * 4 - 24;