diff --git a/lua/vscode/init.lua b/lua/vscode/init.lua
index 03cc2b7..e40846b 100644
--- a/lua/vscode/init.lua
+++ b/lua/vscode/init.lua
@@ -15,9 +15,12 @@ vscode.setup = function(user_opts)
 
     -- backwards compatibility: let users still set settings with global vars
     local global_settings_opts = vim.tbl_extend('force', defaults, {
-        transparent = vim.g.vscode_transparency == 1,
-        italic_comments = vim.g.vscode_italic_comment == 1,
-        disable_nvimtree_bg = vim.g.vscode_disable_nvim_tree_bg == true,
+        transparent = (vim.g.vscode_transparent == true
+                       or vim.g.vscode_transparent == 1),
+        italic_comments = (vim.g.vscode_italic_comment == true
+                           or vim.g.vscode_italic_comment == 1),
+        disable_nvimtree_bg = (vim.g.vscode_disable_nvim_tree_bg == true
+                               or vim.g.vscode_disable_nvim_tree_bg == 1),
     })
 
     -- but override global vars settings with setup() settings