> If you drop self._config.get_bool("autorpt"), this reads:

I'm not sure why dropping it has any relevance, but perhaps you're just
saying it reads oddly?

> +        is_changed = new != prev if was_filled else True
> +        if new and is_changed:

How about we change it to:

  is_changed = new != prev if was_filled else True

  autorpt_enabled = self._config.get_bool("autorpt")

  if new is not None and is_changed and autorpt_enabled:
      ....