diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index 594d01d..d33cfa4 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ export function basicConfig(options: BasicConfigOptions) {
     const filename = options.filename ?? null;
     const stream = options.stream ?? null;
     const filemode = options.filemode ?? 'a';
-    const dateformat = options.filemode ?? null;
-    const style = options.filemode ?? '%';
+    const dateformat = options.datefmt ?? null;
+    const style = options.style ?? '%';
     const level = options.level ?? null;
 
     if (!Object.keys(STYLES).includes(style)) {
@@ -139,64 +139,54 @@ export function basicConfig(options: BasicConfigOptions) {
         }
     }
 
-    if (handlers.length == 0) {
-        if (handlers === null && stream && filename) {
+    if (MANAGER.root.handlers.length > 0 && !force) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (handlers.length > 0) {
+        if (stream || filename) {
+            throw new ValueError(
+                "'stream' or 'filename' should not be specified together " +
+                "with 'handlers'"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+    else {
+        if (stream && filename) {
             throw new ValueError(
                 "'stream' and 'filename' should not be specified together"
             );
         }
 
-        else if (stream || filename) {
-            throw new ValueError(
-                "'stream' or 'filename' should not be specified together" +
-                "with 'handlers'"
-            );
+        if (filename) {
+            if (filemode.match('b')) { errors = undefined }
+            else { encoding = 'utf-8' }
+
+            handlers = [new FileHandler({
+                filename: filename,
+                filemode: filemode,
+                encoding: encoding,
+                errors: errors
+            })];
         }
-
-        if (handlers === null) {
-            var h: Handler;
-
-            if (filename) {
-                if (filemode.match('b')) { errors = undefined }
-                else { encoding = 'utf-8' }
-
-                h = new FileHandler({
-                    filename: filename,
-                    filemode: filemode,
-                    'encoding': encoding,
-                    errors: errors
-                });
-            }
-
-            else { h = new StreamHandler(stream) }
-
-            handlers = [h];
-        }
-
-        for (var i = 0; i < handlers.length; i += 1) {
-            let h = handlers[i];
-
-            if (h.formatter === null) {
-                h.formatter = new Formatter({
-                    fmt: options.format ?? STYLES[style][1],
-                    datefmt: dateformat,
-                    style: style
-                });
-            }
-
-            MANAGER.root.addHandler(h);
-        }
-
-        if (level !== null) { MANAGER.root.setLevel(level) }
-
-        if (options) {
-            // runtime interface guard, please let me stay. 🥺
-            // the interface does not allow for additional members, but the
-            // runtime environment has no concept of interfaces. We can stick to
-            // the original implementation
-            const keys = Object.keys(options).join(', ');
-
-            throw new ValueError(`Unrecognised argument(s): ${keys}`);
+        else {
+            handlers = [new StreamHandler(stream)];
         }
     }
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < handlers.length; i += 1) {
+        const h = handlers[i];
+
+        if (h.formatter === null) {
+            h.formatter = new Formatter({
+                fmt: options.format ?? STYLES[style][1],
+                datefmt: dateformat,
+                style: style
+            });
+        }
+
+        MANAGER.root.addHandler(h);
+    }
+
+    if (level !== null) { MANAGER.root.setLevel(level) }
 }