diff --git a/src/ui/toolbar/pencil-toolbar.cpp b/src/ui/toolbar/pencil-toolbar.cpp
index e781bf3bba71582a79ee26f9042f5eef4ba8a08e..5d7fabe4ac7989f6fb9761b35347e44cbb13d32e 100644
--- a/src/ui/toolbar/pencil-toolbar.cpp
+++ b/src/ui/toolbar/pencil-toolbar.cpp
@@ -252,6 +252,9 @@ PencilToolbar::mode_changed(int mode)
     if (_simplify) {
         _simplify->set_visible(visible);
     }
+    if (tools_isactive(_desktop, TOOLS_FREEHAND_PEN)) {
+        SP_PEN_CONTEXT(_desktop->event_context)->setPolylineMode();
+    }
 }
 
 /* This is used in generic functions below to share large portions of code between pen and pencil tool */
diff --git a/src/ui/tools/pen-tool.cpp b/src/ui/tools/pen-tool.cpp
index 70ab0f8db7c59d36d68d69883a1054acba9226ea..d17c0d7721fcb34fb92f9414ac65e4a4ea105967 100644
--- a/src/ui/tools/pen-tool.cpp
+++ b/src/ui/tools/pen-tool.cpp
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ bool PenTool::_handleButtonPress(GdkEventButton const &bevent) {
                         // This is allowed, if we just canceled curve
                     case PenTool::POINT:
                         if (this->npoints == 0) {
-                            this->setPolylineMode();
+                            this->_bsplineSpiroColor();
                             Geom::Point p;
                             if ((bevent.state & GDK_CONTROL_MASK) && (this->polylines_only || this->polylines_paraxial)) {
                                 p = event_dt;
@@ -508,7 +508,6 @@ bool PenTool::_handleButtonPress(GdkEventButton const &bevent) {
                                 this->_setSubsequentPoint(p, true);
                             }
                         }
-                        this->_bsplineSpiroColor();
                         // avoid the creation of a control point so a node is created in the release event
                         this->state = (this->spiro || this->bspline || this->polylines_only) ? PenTool::POINT : PenTool::CONTROL;
                         ret = true;