diff --git a/src/base.h b/src/base.h
index a2f8473b..a313cdb7 100644
--- a/src/base.h
+++ b/src/base.h
@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ struct connection {
 	void **plugin_ctx;           /* plugin connection specific config */
 
 	specific_config conf;        /* global connection specific config */
+	uint32_t conditional_is_valid;
 	cond_cache_t *cond_cache;
 
 	const buffer *server_name;
@@ -283,8 +284,6 @@ struct connection {
 
 	/* etag handling */
 	etag_flags_t etag_flags;
-
-	int8_t conditional_is_valid[16]; /* MUST be >= COMP_LAST_ELEMENT] */
 };
 
 typedef struct {
diff --git a/src/configfile-glue.c b/src/configfile-glue.c
index f152b4ff..eb014d6e 100644
--- a/src/configfile-glue.c
+++ b/src/configfile-glue.c
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ static cond_result_t config_check_cond_nocache(server *srv, connection *con, con
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (!con->conditional_is_valid[dc->comp]) {
+	if (!(con->conditional_is_valid & (1 << dc->comp))) {
 		if (con->conf.log_condition_handling) {
 			log_error_write(srv, __FILE__, __LINE__,  "dss", 
 				dc->comp,
@@ -561,16 +561,14 @@ void config_cond_cache_reset_item(server *srv, connection *con, comp_key_t item)
  * reset the config cache to its initial state at connection start
  */
 void config_cond_cache_reset(server *srv, connection *con) {
+	cond_cache_t * const cond_cache = con->cond_cache;
+	con->conditional_is_valid = 0;
 	/* resetting all entries; no need to follow children as in config_cond_cache_reset_item */
-	for (uint32_t i = 0; i < srv->config_context->used; ++i) {
-		con->cond_cache[i].result = COND_RESULT_UNSET;
-		con->cond_cache[i].local_result = COND_RESULT_UNSET;
-		con->cond_cache[i].patterncount = 0;
-		con->cond_cache[i].comp_value = NULL;
-	}
-
-	for (int i = 0; i < COMP_LAST_ELEMENT; ++i) {
-		con->conditional_is_valid[i] = 0;
+	for (uint32_t i = 1, used = srv->config_context->used; i < used; ++i) {
+		cond_cache[i].result = COND_RESULT_UNSET;
+		cond_cache[i].local_result = COND_RESULT_UNSET;
+		cond_cache[i].patterncount = 0;
+		cond_cache[i].comp_value = NULL;
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/configfile.c b/src/configfile.c
index fbcfa264..21e396d5 100644
--- a/src/configfile.c
+++ b/src/configfile.c
@@ -1544,8 +1544,6 @@ int config_set_defaults(server *srv) {
 	specific_config *s = srv->config_storage[0];
 	struct stat st1, st2;
 
-	force_assert(sizeof(((connection *)0)->conditional_is_valid) >= COMP_LAST_ELEMENT);
-
 	if (0 != fdevent_config(srv)) return -1;
 
 	if (!buffer_string_is_empty(srv->srvconf.changeroot)) {
diff --git a/src/connections.c b/src/connections.c
index 2d1ba5e9..84f4f33a 100644
--- a/src/connections.c
+++ b/src/connections.c
@@ -1118,8 +1118,8 @@ connection *connection_accepted(server *srv, server_socket *srv_socket, sock_add
 		con->is_ssl_sock = srv_socket->is_ssl;
 
 		config_cond_cache_reset(srv, con);
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_SERVER_SOCKET] = 1;
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_REMOTE_IP] = 1;
+		con->conditional_is_valid |= (1 << COMP_SERVER_SOCKET)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_REMOTE_IP);
 
 		buffer_copy_string_len(con->proto, CONST_STR_LEN("http"));
 		if (HANDLER_GO_ON != plugins_call_handle_connection_accept(srv, con)) {
diff --git a/src/mod_openssl.c b/src/mod_openssl.c
index 6feb9697..2737c9d8 100644
--- a/src/mod_openssl.c
+++ b/src/mod_openssl.c
@@ -347,8 +347,8 @@ mod_openssl_SNI (SSL *ssl, server *srv, handler_ctx *hctx, const char *servernam
         return SSL_TLSEXT_ERR_ALERT_FATAL;
   #endif
 
-    con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_SCHEME] = 1;
-    con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_HOST] = 1;
+    con->conditional_is_valid |= (1 << COMP_HTTP_SCHEME)
+                              |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_HOST);
     mod_openssl_patch_connection(srv, con, hctx);
     /* reset COMP_HTTP_HOST so that conditions re-run after request hdrs read */
     /*(done in response.c:config_cond_cache_reset() after request hdrs read)*/
diff --git a/src/response.c b/src/response.c
index 4a2f0ab8..330c04aa 100644
--- a/src/response.c
+++ b/src/response.c
@@ -427,14 +427,14 @@ handler_t http_response_prepare(server *srv, connection *con) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_SERVER_SOCKET] = 1;       /* SERVERsocket */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_SCHEME] = 1;         /* Scheme:      */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_HOST] = 1;           /* Host:        */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_REMOTE_IP] = 1;      /* Client-IP */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_REQUEST_METHOD] = 1; /* REQUEST_METHOD */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_URL] = 1;            /* HTTPurl */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_QUERY_STRING] = 1;   /* HTTPqs */
-		con->conditional_is_valid[COMP_HTTP_REQUEST_HEADER] = 1; /* HTTP request header */
+		con->conditional_is_valid |= (1 << COMP_SERVER_SOCKET)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_SCHEME)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_HOST)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_REMOTE_IP)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_REQUEST_METHOD)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_URL)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_QUERY_STRING)
+					  |  (1 << COMP_HTTP_REQUEST_HEADER);
 		config_patch_connection(srv, con);
 
 		/* do we have to downgrade to 1.0 ? */