diff --git a/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py b/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
index 49d9b46498..423bc87f1c 100644
--- a/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
+++ b/evennia/server/sessionhandler.py
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
 _SERVERNAME = settings.SERVERNAME
 _MULTISESSION_MODE = settings.MULTISESSION_MODE
 _IDLE_TIMEOUT = settings.IDLE_TIMEOUT
+_DELAY_CMD_LOGINSTART = settings.DELAY_CMD_LOGINSTART
 _MAX_SERVER_COMMANDS_PER_SECOND = 100.0
 _MAX_SESSION_COMMANDS_PER_SECOND = 5.0
 _MODEL_MAP = None
@@ -319,12 +320,9 @@ class ServerSessionHandler(SessionHandler):
                 sess.logged_in = False
                 sess.uid = None
 
-        # show the first login command
-
-        # this delay is necessary notably for Mudlet, which will fail on the connection screen
-        # unless the MXP protocol has been negotiated. Unfortunately this may be too short for some
-        # networks, the symptom is that < and > are not parsed by mudlet on first connection.
-        delay(0.3, self._run_cmd_login, sess)
+        # show the first login command, may delay slightly to allow
+        # the handshakes to finish.
+        delay(_DELAY_CMD_LOGINSTART, self._run_cmd_login, sess)
 
     def portal_session_sync(self, portalsessiondata):
         """
diff --git a/evennia/settings_default.py b/evennia/settings_default.py
index b1e2a7a79e..7ae45c4be2 100644
--- a/evennia/settings_default.py
+++ b/evennia/settings_default.py
@@ -307,6 +307,14 @@ CMD_IGNORE_PREFIXES = "@&/+"
 # This module should contain one or more variables
 # with strings defining the look of the screen.
 CONNECTION_SCREEN_MODULE = "server.conf.connection_screens"
+# Delay to use before sending the evennia.syscmdkeys.CMD_LOGINSTART Command
+# when a new session connects (this defaults the unloggedin-look for showing
+# the connection screen). The delay is useful mainly for telnet, to allow
+# client/server to establish client capabilities like color/mxp etc before
+# sending any text. A value of 0.3 should be enough. While a good idea, it may
+# cause issues with menu-logins and autoconnects since the menu will not have
+# started when the autoconnects starts sending menu commands.
+DELAY_CMD_LOGINSTART = 0.3
 # An optional module that, if existing, must hold a function
 # named at_initial_setup(). This hook method can be used to customize
 # the server's initial setup sequence (the very first startup of the system).