diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/Diagram.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/Diagram.ts
index a5de65124..f4b1e2c4f 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/Diagram.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/Diagram.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ import { getDiagram, registerDiagram } from './diagram-api/diagramAPI.js';
 import { detectType, getDiagramLoader } from './diagram-api/detectType.js';
 import { extractFrontMatter } from './diagram-api/frontmatter.js';
 import { UnknownDiagramError } from './errors.js';
-import { DetailedError } from './utils.js';
 import { cleanupComments } from './diagram-api/comments.js';
+import type { DetailedError } from './utils.js';
+import type { MermaidConfig } from './config.type.js';
 
 export type ParseErrorFunction = (err: string | DetailedError | unknown, hash?: any) => void;
 
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ export class Diagram {
   parser;
   renderer;
   db;
+  private init?: (config: MermaidConfig) => void;
   private detectError?: UnknownDiagramError;
   constructor(public text: string) {
     this.text += '\n';
@@ -48,11 +50,7 @@ export class Diagram {
       originalParse(cleanupComments(extractFrontMatter(text, this.db)));
 
     this.parser.parser.yy = this.db;
-    this.db.clear?.();
-    if (diagram.init) {
-      diagram.init(cnf);
-      log.info('Initialized diagram ' + this.type, cnf);
-    }
+    this.init = diagram.init;
     this.parse();
   }
 
@@ -60,6 +58,12 @@ export class Diagram {
     if (this.detectError) {
       throw this.detectError;
     }
+    this.db.clear?.();
+    if (this.init) {
+      const config = configApi.getConfig();
+      this.init(config);
+      log.info('Initialized diagram ' + this.type, config);
+    }
     this.parser.parse(this.text);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sequence/sequenceDiagram.spec.js b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sequence/sequenceDiagram.spec.js
index 8b7d6f8d0..1b4c62e66 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sequence/sequenceDiagram.spec.js
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/sequence/sequenceDiagram.spec.js
@@ -173,13 +173,12 @@ describe('more than one sequence diagram', () => {
 describe('when parsing a sequenceDiagram', function () {
   beforeEach(function () {
     // diagram.db = sequenceDb;
-    // diagram.db.clear();
+    //
     diagram = new Diagram(`
 sequenceDiagram
 Alice->Bob:Hello Bob, how are you?
 Note right of Bob: Bob thinks
 Bob-->Alice: I am good thanks!`);
-    diagram.db.clear();
   });
   it('should handle a sequenceDiagram definition', async function () {
     const str = `
@@ -1482,8 +1481,6 @@ describe('when checking the bounds in a sequenceDiagram', function () {
   let conf;
   beforeEach(function () {
     mermaidAPI.reset();
-    // diagram.db = sequenceDb;
-    // diagram.db.clear();
     diagram.renderer.bounds.init();
     conf = diagram.db.getConfig();
   });
@@ -1635,7 +1632,6 @@ sequenceDiagram
 Alice->Bob:Hello Bob, how are you?
 Note right of Bob: Bob thinks
 Bob-->Alice: I am good thanks!`);
-    diagram.db.clear();
   });
   ['tspan', 'fo', 'old', undefined].forEach(function (textPlacement) {
     it(`
@@ -2009,8 +2005,6 @@ describe('when rendering a sequenceDiagram with actor mirror activated', () => {
   let conf;
   beforeEach(function () {
     mermaidAPI.reset();
-    // diagram.db = sequenceDb;
-    diagram.db.clear();
     conf = diagram.db.getConfig();
     diagram.renderer.bounds.init();
   });
@@ -2052,12 +2046,9 @@ describe('when rendering a sequenceDiagram with directives', () => {
     mermaidAPI.initialize({ sequence: conf });
   });
 
-  let conf;
   beforeEach(function () {
     mermaidAPI.reset();
     // diagram.db = sequenceDb;
-    diagram.db.clear();
-    conf = diagram.db.getConfig();
     diagram.renderer.bounds.init();
   });
 
@@ -2069,10 +2060,7 @@ sequenceDiagram
 participant Alice
 `;
     diagram = new Diagram(str);
-
     diagram.renderer.bounds.init();
-    await mermaidAPI.parse(str);
-
     diagram.renderer.draw(str, 'tst', '1.2.3', diagram);
 
     const { bounds, models } = diagram.renderer.bounds.getBounds();
@@ -2093,7 +2081,7 @@ sequenceDiagram
 participant Alice
 `;
 
-    diagram.parse(str);
+    diagram = new Diagram(str);
     diagram.renderer.draw(str, 'tst', '1.2.3', diagram);
 
     const { bounds, models } = diagram.renderer.bounds.getBounds();
@@ -2114,7 +2102,7 @@ Alice->Bob:Hello Bob, how are you?
 Note right of Bob: Bob thinks
 Bob-->Alice: I am good thanks!`;
 
-    await mermaidAPI.parse(str1);
+    diagram = new Diagram(str1);
     diagram.renderer.draw(str1, 'tst', '1.2.3', diagram); // needs to be rendered for the correct value of visibility auto numbers
     expect(diagram.db.showSequenceNumbers()).toBe(true);
 
@@ -2124,7 +2112,7 @@ Alice->Bob:Hello Bob, how are you?
 Note right of Bob: Bob thinks
 Bob-->Alice: I am good thanks!`;
 
-    await mermaidAPI.parse(str2);
+    diagram = new Diagram(str2);
     diagram.renderer.draw(str2, 'tst', '1.2.3', diagram);
     expect(diagram.db.showSequenceNumbers()).toBe(false);
   });
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
index 4d8d95290..5cbf0287e 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ export interface RenderResult {
 async function parse(text: string, parseOptions?: ParseOptions): Promise<boolean> {
   addDiagrams();
   try {
-    const diagram = await getDiagramFromText(text);
-    diagram.parse();
+    await getDiagramFromText(text);
+    // diagram.parse();
   } catch (error) {
     if (parseOptions?.suppressErrors) {
       return false;