diff --git a/core/autoload/set.el b/core/autoload/set.el
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dab134ace
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/autoload/set.el
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+;;; set.el
+(provide 'doom-lib-set)
+
+;; This provides a centralized configuration system that a) won't evaluate its
+;; arguments if it doesn't need to (performance), b) won't complain if the
+;; setting doesn't exist and c) is more elegant than a bunch of `after!' blocks,
+;; which can cause intermittent stuttering in large quantities. I'm a fan of
+;; concise, do-what-I-mean front-facing configuration, believe it or not.
+;;
+;; Plus, it can benefit from byte-compilation.
+
+;;;###autoload
+(defvar doom-settings nil
+  "An alist of settings, mapping setting keywords to setter functions, which can
+be a lambda or symbol.")
+
+;;;###autoload
+(defmacro def-setting! (keyword arglist &optional docstring &rest forms)
+  "Define a setting macro. Like `defmacro', this should return a form to be
+executed when called with `set!'. FORMS are not evaluated until `set!' calls it."
+  (declare (indent defun) (doc-string 3))
+  (unless (keywordp keyword)
+    (error "Not a valid property name: %s" keyword))
+  (let ((sym (intern (format "doom-setting--setter%s" keyword))))
+    (setq doom-settings (assq-delete-all keyword doom-settings))
+    (prog1
+        `(progn
+           (defun ,sym ,arglist
+             ,docstring
+             ,@forms)
+           (push ',(list keyword
+                         :source (__FILE__)
+                         :docstring docstring
+                         :fn sym)
+                 doom-settings))
+      (let (byte-compile-warnings)
+        (byte-compile sym)))))
+
+;;;###autoload
+(defmacro set! (keyword &rest values)
+  "Set an option defined by `def-setting!'. Skip if doesn't exist."
+  (declare (indent defun))
+  (unless values
+    (error "Empty set! for %s" keyword))
+  (cond ((not values)
+         (error "Empty set! for %s" keyword))
+        ((not (assq keyword doom-settings))
+         (when doom-debug-mode
+           (warn "No setting found for %s" keyword)))
+        (t
+         (let* ((plist (cdr (assq keyword doom-settings)))
+                (fn (plist-get plist :fn)))
+           (if fn
+               (let ((values (eval `(list ,@values))))
+                 (apply fn values))
+             (error "No setting function where one was expected for %s" keyword))))))
+
diff --git a/core/core-editor.el b/core/core-editor.el
index a8c9bd9be..c06bf3832 100644
--- a/core/core-editor.el
+++ b/core/core-editor.el
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@
 (package! wgrep
   :commands (wgrep-setup wgrep-change-to-wgrep-mode)
   :config
-  (set! :popup ("^\\*ivy-occur counsel-ag" :size 25 :select t :regexp t))
+  (set! :popup "^\\*ivy-occur counsel-ag" :size 25 :select t :regexp t)
   (setq wgrep-auto-save-buffer t)
   (advice-add 'wgrep-abort-changes :after 'doom/popup-close)
   (advice-add 'wgrep-finish-edit :after 'doom/popup-close))
diff --git a/core/core-popups.el b/core/core-popups.el
index 8d138ffee..8b1594a34 100644
--- a/core/core-popups.el
+++ b/core/core-popups.el
@@ -36,18 +36,23 @@
     map)
   "Active keymap in popup windows.")
 
-(def-setting! :popup (&rest rule)
+(def-setting! :popup (&rest rules)
   "Prepend a new popup rule to `shackle-rules'."
-  (let ((pattern (car rule))
-        (plist (cdr rule)))
-    ;; Align popups by default (error if this doesn't happen)
-    (unless (plist-member plist :align)
-      (plist-put plist :align t))
-    ;; Select popups by default
-    (unless (or (plist-member plist :select)
-                (plist-member plist :noselect))
-      (plist-put plist :select t))
-    (push (cons pattern plist) shackle-rules)))
+  (if (not (-all-p 'listp rules))
+      `(cl-pushnew ',rules shackle-rules :key 'car :test 'equal)
+    (let (real-rules)
+      (dolist (rule rules)
+        (let ((pattern (car rule))
+              (plist (cdr rule)))
+          ;; Align popups by default (error if this doesn't happen)
+          (unless (plist-member plist :align)
+            (plist-put plist :align t))
+          ;; Select popups by default
+          (unless (or (plist-member plist :select)
+                      (plist-member plist :noselect))
+            (plist-put plist :select t))
+          (push (cons pattern plist) real-rules)))
+      `(setq shackle-rules (append ',real-rules shackle-rules)))))
 
 
 ;;
diff --git a/modules/feature/evil/config.el b/modules/feature/evil/config.el
index f658f0701..b98fe19ff 100644
--- a/modules/feature/evil/config.el
+++ b/modules/feature/evil/config.el
@@ -10,9 +10,19 @@
 (defvar +evil-localleader "\\"
   "The <localleader> key, used by the `map!' macro for :localleader bindings.")
 
-(def-setting! :evil-state (mode state)
+(def-setting! :evil-state (&rest mode-state-list)
   "Set the initialize STATE of MODE using `evil-set-initial-state'."
-  (evil-set-initial-state mode state))
+  (if (-all-p 'listp mode-state-list)
+      (macroexp-progn
+       (--map (let ((argc (length it)))
+                (unless (= argc 2)
+                  (error ":evil-state sub-lists expect 2 arguments, got %s" argc))
+                `(evil-set-initial-state ',(car it) ',(cadr it)))
+              mode-state-list))
+    (let ((argc (length mode-state-list)))
+      (unless (= argc 2)
+        (error ":evil-state expected 2 arguments, got %s" argc)))
+    `(evil-set-initial-state ',(car mode-state-list) ',(cadr mode-state-list))))
 
 
 ;;
@@ -36,8 +46,8 @@
 
   :config
   (set! :popup
-    ("*evil-registers*" :size 0.3)
-    ("*Command Line*" :size 8))
+    '("*evil-registers*" :size 0.3)
+    '("*Command Line*" :size 8))
 
   (evil-mode +1)
   (evil-select-search-module 'evil-search-module 'evil-search)
@@ -374,7 +384,7 @@ if on a delimiter, jump to the matching one (`evilmi-jump-items')."
           "^#.*#$"))
 
   :config
-  (set! :evil-state (neotree-mode motion))
+  (set! :evil-state 'neotree-mode 'motion)
 
   ;; Adding keybindings to `neotree-mode-map' wouldn't work for me (they get
   ;; overridden when the neotree buffer is spawned). So we bind them in a hook.
diff --git a/modules/feature/version-control/+git.el b/modules/feature/version-control/+git.el
index f5ce0679e..00d26c05d 100644
--- a/modules/feature/version-control/+git.el
+++ b/modules/feature/version-control/+git.el
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   :commands git-gutter-mode
   :init (add-hook! (text-mode prog-mode conf-mode) 'git-gutter-mode)
   :config
-  (set! :popup ("^\\*git-gutter.+\\*$" :regexp t :size 15 :noselect t))
+  (set! :popup "^\\*git-gutter.+\\*$" :regexp t :size 15 :noselect t)
 
   ;; Update git-gutter on focus (in case I was using git externally)
   (add-hook 'focus-in-hook 'git-gutter:update-all-windows)
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 (use-package! magit
   :commands magit-status
   :config
-  (set! :popup ("^\\*magit.+" :regexp t))
+  (set! :popup "^\\*magit.+" :regexp t)
   (after! evil-snipe
     ;; evil-snipe conflicts with magit
     (add-hook 'magit-mode-hook 'turn-off-evil-snipe-override-mode)))
diff --git a/modules/feature/version-control/config.el b/modules/feature/version-control/config.el
index 9b9ce9b70..009da80ba 100644
--- a/modules/feature/version-control/config.el
+++ b/modules/feature/version-control/config.el
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@
 
 (after! vc-annotate
   (set! :popup
-    ("*vc-diff*" :size 15 :noselect t)
-    ("*vc-change-log*" :size 15 :select t)
-    (vc-annotate-mode :same t))
+    '("*vc-diff*" :size 15 :noselect t)
+    '("*vc-change-log*" :size 15 :select t)
+    '(vc-annotate-mode :same t))
 
   (set! :evil-state
-    (vc-annotate-mode normal)
-    (vc-git-log-view-mode normal))
+    '(vc-annotate-mode normal)
+    '(vc-git-log-view-mode normal))
 
   (map! :map vc-annotate-mode-map
         :n "q" 'kill-this-buffer