diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/config/init.lua b/lua/lazyvim/config/init.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..29b56b61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/config/init.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---@type LazyVimConfig
+local M = {}
+
+---@class LazyVimConfig
+local defaults = {
+  icons = {
+    diagnostics = {
+      Error = " ",
+      Warn = " ",
+      Hint = " ",
+      Info = " ",
+    },
+    git = {
+      added = " ",
+      modified = " ",
+      removed = " ",
+    },
+    kinds = {
+      Array = " ",
+      Boolean = " ",
+      Class = " ",
+      Color = " ",
+      Constant = " ",
+      Constructor = " ",
+      Enum = " ",
+      EnumMember = " ",
+      Event = " ",
+      Field = " ",
+      File = " ",
+      Folder = " ",
+      Function = " ",
+      Interface = " ",
+      Key = " ",
+      Keyword = " ",
+      Method = " ",
+      Module = " ",
+      Namespace = " ",
+      Null = "ﳠ ",
+      Number = " ",
+      Object = " ",
+      Operator = " ",
+      Package = " ",
+      Property = " ",
+      Reference = " ",
+      Snippet = " ",
+      String = " ",
+      Struct = " ",
+      Text = " ",
+      TypeParameter = " ",
+      Unit = " ",
+      Value = " ",
+      Variable = " ",
+    },
+  },
+}
+
+---@type LazyVimConfig
+local options
+
+---@param opts? LazyVimConfig
+function M.setup(opts)
+  options = vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", defaults, opts or {})
+---@param range? string
+function M.has(range)
+  local Semver = require("lazy.manage.semver")
+  return Semver.range(range or M.lazy_version):matches(require("lazy.core.config").version or "0.0.0")
+end
+
+setmetatable(M, {
+  __index = function(_, key)
+    if options == nil then
+      M.setup()
+    end
+    ---@cast options LazyVimConfig
+    return options[key]
+  end,
+})
+
+return M
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/config/settings.lua b/lua/lazyvim/config/settings.lua
index f2b3c61a..31add973 100644
--- a/lua/lazyvim/config/settings.lua
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/config/settings.lua
@@ -1,54 +1,16 @@
----@class LazyVimSettings
-local settings = {
-  icons = {
-    diagnostics = {
-      Error = " ",
-      Warn = " ",
-      Hint = " ",
-      Info = " ",
-    },
-    git = {
-      added = " ",
-      modified = " ",
-      removed = " ",
-    },
-    kinds = {
-      Array = " ",
-      Boolean = " ",
-      Class = " ",
-      Color = " ",
-      Constant = " ",
-      Constructor = " ",
-      Enum = " ",
-      EnumMember = " ",
-      Event = " ",
-      Field = " ",
-      File = " ",
-      Folder = " ",
-      Function = " ",
-      Interface = " ",
-      Key = " ",
-      Keyword = " ",
-      Method = " ",
-      Module = " ",
-      Namespace = " ",
-      Null = "ﳠ ",
-      Number = " ",
-      Object = " ",
-      Operator = " ",
-      Package = " ",
-      Property = " ",
-      Reference = " ",
-      Snippet = " ",
-      String = " ",
-      Struct = " ",
-      Text = " ",
-      TypeParameter = " ",
-      Unit = " ",
-      Value = " ",
-      Variable = " ",
-    },
+require("lazy.core.util").warn(
+  [[`config.settings` is deprecated.
+
+Please configure LazyVim as a plugin:
+```lua
+{
+  "LazyVim/LazyVim",
+  opts = {
+    -- your config comes here
   },
 }
-
-return settings
+```
+]],
+  { title = "LazyVim" }
+)
+return require("lazyvim.config")
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/init.lua b/lua/lazyvim/init.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dceae58d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/init.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+local M = {}
+
+---@param opts? LazyVimConfig
+function M.setup(opts)
+  require("lazyvim.config").setup(opts)
+end
+
+return M
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/coding.lua b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/coding.lua
index 69ce6d41..7b1372d1 100644
--- a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/coding.lua
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/coding.lua
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ return {
         }),
         formatting = {
           format = function(_, item)
-            local icons = require("lazyvim.config.settings").icons.kinds
+            local icons = require("lazyvim.config").icons.kinds
             if icons[item.kind] then
               item.kind = icons[item.kind] .. item.kind
             end
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/core.lua b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/core.lua
index 7a1d9378..f21e24ab 100644
--- a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/core.lua
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/core.lua
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-return {
+local specs = {
   -- set to HEAD for now. I'm sill making too many changes for this repo related to lazy itself
   { "folke/lazy.nvim", version = false },
 }
+
+-- only add for >=9.0.1, since there's an endless loop in earlier versions
+if require("lazyvim.config").has(">=9.1.0") then
+  specs[#specs + 1] = { "LazyVim/LazyVim", priority = 10000, lazy = true }
+end
+
+return specs
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/lsp/init.lua b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/lsp/init.lua
index 518c89ee..7bf151cc 100644
--- a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/lsp/init.lua
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/lsp/init.lua
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ return {
       end)
 
       -- diagnostics
-      for name, icon in pairs(require("lazyvim.config.settings").icons.diagnostics) do
+      for name, icon in pairs(require("lazyvim.config").icons.diagnostics) do
         name = "DiagnosticSign" .. name
         vim.fn.sign_define(name, { text = icon, texthl = name, numhl = "" })
       end
diff --git a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/ui.lua b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/ui.lua
index 217a26df..feb6d6fc 100644
--- a/lua/lazyvim/plugins/ui.lua
+++ b/lua/lazyvim/plugins/ui.lua
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ return {
         diagnostics = "nvim_lsp",
         always_show_bufferline = false,
         diagnostics_indicator = function(_, _, diag)
-          local icons = require("lazyvim.config.settings").icons.diagnostics
+          local icons = require("lazyvim.config").icons.diagnostics
           local ret = (diag.error and icons.Error .. diag.error .. " " or "")
             .. (diag.warning and icons.Warn .. diag.warning or "")
           return vim.trim(ret)
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ return {
         require("lazyvim.util").deprecate("lualine.override", "lualine.opts")
       end
 
-      local icons = require("lazyvim.config.settings").icons
+      local icons = require("lazyvim.config").icons
 
       local function fg(name)
         return function()