diff --git a/termite.cc b/termite.cc
index 76abf71..98d2d1d 100644
--- a/termite.cc
+++ b/termite.cc
@@ -1012,7 +1012,7 @@ static void exit_with_status(VteTerminal *vte) {
 int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     GError *error = NULL;
     const char *term = "xterm-termite";
-    const char *directory;
+    const char *directory = nullptr;
     gboolean version = FALSE;
 
     GOptionContext *context = g_option_context_new(NULL);