diff --git a/options/path.c b/options/path.c
index ea36363a90..2895b7224b 100644
--- a/options/path.c
+++ b/options/path.c
@@ -91,6 +91,18 @@ static const char *mp_get_platform_path(void *talloc_ctx,
     return NULL;
 }
 
+char *mp_find_user_config_file(void *talloc_ctx, struct mpv_global *global,
+                               const char *filename)
+{
+    void *tmp = talloc_new(NULL);
+    char *res = (char *)mp_get_platform_path(tmp, global, config_dirs[0]);
+    if (res)
+        res = mp_path_join(talloc_ctx, res, filename);
+    talloc_free(tmp);
+    MP_VERBOSE(global, "config file: '%s' -> '%s'\n", filename, res ? res : "-");
+    return res;
+}
+
 static char **mp_find_all_config_files_limited(void *talloc_ctx,
                                                struct mpv_global *global,
                                                int max_files,
@@ -316,13 +328,8 @@ void mp_mkdirp(const char *dir)
 
 void mp_mk_config_dir(struct mpv_global *global, char *subdir)
 {
-    void *tmp = talloc_new(NULL);
-    const char *dir = mp_get_platform_path(tmp, global, "home");
-
-    if (dir) {
-        dir = talloc_asprintf(tmp, "%s/%s", dir, subdir);
+    char *dir = mp_find_user_config_file(NULL, global, subdir);
+    if (dir)
         mp_mkdirp(dir);
-    }
-
-    talloc_free(tmp);
+    talloc_free(dir);
 }
diff --git a/options/path.h b/options/path.h
index 1facea81cf..763a8dda54 100644
--- a/options/path.h
+++ b/options/path.h
@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@ struct mpv_global;
 char *mp_find_config_file(void *talloc_ctx, struct mpv_global *global,
                           const char *filename);
 
+// Like mp_find_config_file(), but search only the local writable user config
+// dir. Also, this returns a result even if the file does not exist. Calling
+// it with filename="" is equivalent to retrieving the user config dir.
+char *mp_find_user_config_file(void *talloc_ctx, struct mpv_global *global,
+                               const char *filename);
+
 // Find all instances of the given config file. Paths are returned in order
 // from lowest to highest priority. filename can contain multiple names
 // separated with '|', with the first having highest priority.
diff --git a/player/configfiles.c b/player/configfiles.c
index 6806938a1a..0cd1d0d523 100644
--- a/player/configfiles.c
+++ b/player/configfiles.c
@@ -166,10 +166,10 @@ void mp_load_auto_profiles(struct MPContext *mpctx)
 
 #define MP_WATCH_LATER_CONF "watch_later"
 
-static char *mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(struct mpv_global *global,
+static char *mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(struct MPContext *mpctx,
                                                     const char *fname)
 {
-    struct MPOpts *opts = global->opts;
+    struct MPOpts *opts = mpctx->opts;
     char *res = NULL;
     void *tmp = talloc_new(NULL);
     const char *realpath = fname;
@@ -195,15 +195,14 @@ static char *mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(struct mpv_global *global,
     for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++)
         conf = talloc_asprintf_append(conf, "%02X", md5[i]);
 
-    res = talloc_asprintf(tmp, MP_WATCH_LATER_CONF "/%s", conf);
-    res = mp_find_config_file(NULL, global, res);
-
-    if (!res) {
-        res = mp_find_config_file(tmp, global, MP_WATCH_LATER_CONF);
-        if (res)
-            res = talloc_asprintf(NULL, "%s/%s", res, conf);
+    if (!mpctx->cached_watch_later_configdir) {
+        mpctx->cached_watch_later_configdir =
+            mp_find_user_config_file(mpctx, mpctx->global, MP_WATCH_LATER_CONF);
     }
 
+    if (mpctx->cached_watch_later_configdir)
+        res = mp_path_join(NULL, mpctx->cached_watch_later_configdir, conf);
+
 exit:
     talloc_free(tmp);
     return res;
@@ -298,7 +297,7 @@ void mp_write_watch_later_conf(struct MPContext *mpctx)
 
     mp_mk_config_dir(mpctx->global, MP_WATCH_LATER_CONF);
 
-    conffile = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx->global, filename);
+    conffile = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx, filename);
     if (!conffile)
         goto exit;
 
@@ -342,7 +341,9 @@ exit:
 
 void mp_load_playback_resume(struct MPContext *mpctx, const char *file)
 {
-    char *fname = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx->global, file);
+    if (!mpctx->opts->position_resume)
+        return;
+    char *fname = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx, file);
     if (fname && mp_path_exists(fname)) {
         // Never apply the saved start position to following files
         m_config_backup_opt(mpctx->mconfig, "start");
@@ -365,8 +366,7 @@ struct playlist_entry *mp_check_playlist_resume(struct MPContext *mpctx,
     if (!mpctx->opts->position_resume)
         return NULL;
     for (struct playlist_entry *e = playlist->first; e; e = e->next) {
-        char *conf = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx->global,
-                                                            e->filename);
+        char *conf = mp_get_playback_resume_config_filename(mpctx, e->filename);
         bool exists = conf && mp_path_exists(conf);
         talloc_free(conf);
         if (exists)
diff --git a/player/core.h b/player/core.h
index ea7694d02a..055a48bda4 100644
--- a/player/core.h
+++ b/player/core.h
@@ -335,6 +335,8 @@ typedef struct MPContext {
     // playback rate. Used to avoid showing it multiple times.
     bool drop_message_shown;
 
+    char *cached_watch_later_configdir;
+
     struct screenshot_ctx *screenshot_ctx;
     struct command_ctx *command_ctx;
     struct encode_lavc_context *encode_lavc_ctx;
diff --git a/player/loadfile.c b/player/loadfile.c
index 40ed71d5fd..3dc0e0318a 100644
--- a/player/loadfile.c
+++ b/player/loadfile.c
@@ -1063,8 +1063,7 @@ static void play_current_file(struct MPContext *mpctx)
 
     mp_load_auto_profiles(mpctx);
 
-    if (opts->position_resume)
-        mp_load_playback_resume(mpctx, mpctx->filename);
+    mp_load_playback_resume(mpctx, mpctx->filename);
 
     load_per_file_options(mpctx->mconfig, mpctx->playing->params,
                           mpctx->playing->num_params);