diff --git a/pkg/config/app_config.go b/pkg/config/app_config.go
index b2cc1eafe..936dcb64a 100644
--- a/pkg/config/app_config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app_config.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/adrg/xdg"
 	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/utils/yaml_utils"
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ type AppConfigurer interface {
 	GetUserConfigPaths() []string
 	GetUserConfigDir() string
 	ReloadUserConfigForRepo(repoConfigFiles []*ConfigFile) error
+	ReloadChangedUserConfigFiles() (error, bool)
 	GetTempDir() string
 
 	GetAppState() *AppState
@@ -55,9 +57,10 @@ const (
 )
 
 type ConfigFile struct {
-	Path   string
-	Policy ConfigFilePolicy
-	exists bool
+	Path    string
+	Policy  ConfigFilePolicy
+	modDate time.Time
+	exists  bool
 }
 
 // NewAppConfig makes a new app config
@@ -146,9 +149,10 @@ func loadUserConfigWithDefaults(configFiles []*ConfigFile) (*UserConfig, error)
 func loadUserConfig(configFiles []*ConfigFile, base *UserConfig) (*UserConfig, error) {
 	for _, configFile := range configFiles {
 		path := configFile.Path
-		_, err := os.Stat(path)
+		statInfo, err := os.Stat(path)
 		if err == nil {
 			configFile.exists = true
+			configFile.modDate = statInfo.ModTime()
 		} else {
 			if !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 				return nil, err
@@ -174,6 +178,11 @@ func loadUserConfig(configFiles []*ConfigFile, base *UserConfig) (*UserConfig, e
 				file.Close()
 
 				configFile.exists = true
+				statInfo, err := os.Stat(configFile.Path)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				configFile.modDate = statInfo.ModTime()
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -295,6 +304,30 @@ func (c *AppConfig) ReloadUserConfigForRepo(repoConfigFiles []*ConfigFile) error
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (c *AppConfig) ReloadChangedUserConfigFiles() (error, bool) {
+	fileHasChanged := func(f *ConfigFile) bool {
+		info, err := os.Stat(f.Path)
+		if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			// If we can't stat the file, assume it hasn't changed
+			return false
+		}
+		exists := err == nil
+		return exists != f.exists || (exists && info.ModTime() != f.modDate)
+	}
+
+	if lo.NoneBy(c.userConfigFiles, fileHasChanged) {
+		return nil, false
+	}
+
+	userConfig, err := loadUserConfigWithDefaults(c.userConfigFiles)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err, false
+	}
+
+	c.userConfig = userConfig
+	return nil, true
+}
+
 func (c *AppConfig) GetTempDir() string {
 	return c.tempDir
 }
diff --git a/pkg/gui/gui.go b/pkg/gui/gui.go
index 7f305c0bd..9d5aad97a 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/gui.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/gui.go
@@ -331,8 +331,23 @@ func (gui *Gui) onNewRepo(startArgs appTypes.StartArgs, contextKey types.Context
 
 	gui.g.SetFocusHandler(func(Focused bool) error {
 		if Focused {
+			reloadErr, didChange := gui.Config.ReloadChangedUserConfigFiles()
+			if didChange && reloadErr == nil {
+				gui.c.Log.Info("User config changed - reloading")
+				reloadErr = gui.onUserConfigLoaded()
+				if err := gui.resetKeybindings(); err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
+
 			gui.c.Log.Info("Receiving focus - refreshing")
-			return gui.helpers.Refresh.Refresh(types.RefreshOptions{Mode: types.ASYNC})
+			refreshErr := gui.helpers.Refresh.Refresh(types.RefreshOptions{Mode: types.ASYNC})
+			if reloadErr != nil {
+				// An error from reloading the config is the more important one
+				// to report to the user
+				return reloadErr
+			}
+			return refreshErr
 		}
 
 		return nil