diff --git a/frontend/src/Widget.jsx b/frontend/src/Widget.jsx
index 45ef910..4220eee 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Widget.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/Widget.jsx
@@ -277,6 +277,13 @@ function Widget() {
     });
 
     widgetApi.current.start();
+
+    const sendMessageCapability = WidgetEventCapability.forRoomEvent(
+      EventDirection.Send,
+      'm.room.message',
+    );
+    widgetApi.current.requestCapability(sendMessageCapability.raw);
+    widgetApi.current.updateRequestedCapabilities();
   }, []);
 
   /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
@@ -363,12 +370,6 @@ function Widget() {
 
   // TODO: Sign and send a message to the forum-api bot / to a room in matrix
   const registerMatrixIdentity = async () => {
-    const sendMessageCapability = WidgetEventCapability.forRoomEvent(
-      EventDirection.Send,
-      'm.room.message',
-    );
-    widgetApi.current.requestCapability(sendMessageCapability.raw);
-    await widgetApi.current.updateRequestedCapabilities();
     if (widgetApi.current.hasCapability(sendMessageCapability)) {
       await widgetApi.current.sendRoomEvent('m.message', 'test message', '!HMoNkuTRLqQGhhlMNO:matrix.dgov.io');
     } else {