diff --git a/src/db/sysdb.h b/src/db/sysdb.h
index 1c7c8f5e8c7..710a51eee92 100644
--- a/src/db/sysdb.h
+++ b/src/db/sysdb.h
@@ -804,6 +804,7 @@ struct sysdb_upgrade_ctx {
 
 int sysdb_init_ext(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                    struct sss_domain_info *domains,
+                   bool dont_create_cache,
                    struct sysdb_upgrade_ctx *upgrade_ctx);
 
 /* used to initialize only one domain database.
diff --git a/src/db/sysdb_init.c b/src/db/sysdb_init.c
index a078cd9a18a..84049403516 100644
--- a/src/db/sysdb_init.c
+++ b/src/db/sysdb_init.c
@@ -776,10 +776,12 @@ static int sysdb_timestamp_cache_connect(struct sysdb_ctx *sysdb,
 int sysdb_domain_init_internal(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                                struct sss_domain_info *domain,
                                const char *db_path,
+                               bool dont_create_cache,
                                struct sysdb_dom_upgrade_ctx *upgrade_ctx,
                                struct sysdb_ctx **_ctx)
 {
     TALLOC_CTX *tmp_ctx = NULL;
+    bool ldb_file_missing;
     struct sysdb_ctx *sysdb;
     int ret;
 
@@ -799,6 +801,11 @@ int sysdb_domain_init_internal(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
     if (ret != EOK) {
         goto done;
     }
+    ldb_file_missing = (access(sysdb->ldb_file, F_OK) == -1 && errno == ENOENT);
+    if (ldb_file_missing && dont_create_cache) {
+        ret = ENOENT;
+        goto done;
+    }
     DEBUG(SSSDBG_FUNC_DATA,
           "DB File for %s: %s\n", domain->name, sysdb->ldb_file);
     if (sysdb->ldb_ts_file) {
@@ -833,11 +840,12 @@ int sysdb_domain_init_internal(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
 int sysdb_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                struct sss_domain_info *domains)
 {
-    return sysdb_init_ext(mem_ctx, domains, NULL);
+    return sysdb_init_ext(mem_ctx, domains, true, NULL);
 }
 
 int sysdb_init_ext(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                    struct sss_domain_info *domains,
+                   bool dont_create_cache,
                    struct sysdb_upgrade_ctx *upgrade_ctx)
 {
     struct sss_domain_info *dom;
@@ -868,7 +876,7 @@ int sysdb_init_ext(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
             dom_upgrade_ctx = NULL;
         }
 
-        ret = sysdb_domain_init_internal(tmp_ctx, dom, DB_PATH,
+        ret = sysdb_domain_init_internal(tmp_ctx, dom, DB_PATH, dont_create_cache,
                                          dom_upgrade_ctx, &sysdb);
         if (ret != EOK) {
             DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE,
@@ -892,5 +900,5 @@ int sysdb_domain_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                       struct sysdb_ctx **_ctx)
 {
     return sysdb_domain_init_internal(mem_ctx, domain,
-                                      db_path, NULL, _ctx);
+                                      db_path, true, NULL, _ctx);
 }
diff --git a/src/db/sysdb_private.h b/src/db/sysdb_private.h
index ce3f40124ca..f06f8cb7a4b 100644
--- a/src/db/sysdb_private.h
+++ b/src/db/sysdb_private.h
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ struct sysdb_dom_upgrade_ctx {
 int sysdb_domain_init_internal(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                                struct sss_domain_info *domain,
                                const char *db_path,
+                               bool dont_create_cache,
                                struct sysdb_dom_upgrade_ctx *upgrade_ctx,
                                struct sysdb_ctx **_ctx);
 
diff --git a/src/monitor/monitor.c b/src/monitor/monitor.c
index eebef40040e..6a921251e40 100644
--- a/src/monitor/monitor.c
+++ b/src/monitor/monitor.c
@@ -1556,7 +1556,7 @@ static int monitor_process_init(struct mt_ctx *ctx)
     }
 
     db_up_ctx.cdb = ctx->cdb;
-    ret = sysdb_init_ext(tmp_ctx, ctx->domains, &db_up_ctx);
+    ret = sysdb_init_ext(tmp_ctx, ctx->domains, false, &db_up_ctx);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         DEBUG(SSSDBG_TRACE_FUNC,
               "sysdb_init_ext() failed: '%s'\n", sss_strerror(ret));
diff --git a/src/tests/auth-tests.c b/src/tests/auth-tests.c
index c8f99b63aef..5062a3ed4a4 100644
--- a/src/tests/auth-tests.c
+++ b/src/tests/auth-tests.c
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static int setup_sysdb_tests(struct sysdb_test_ctx **ctx)
         return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
+    ret = test_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
                            TESTS_PATH, &test_ctx->domain);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         ck_abort_msg("Could not initialize connection to the sysdb (%d)", ret);
diff --git a/src/tests/cmocka/test_ldap_id_cleanup.c b/src/tests/cmocka/test_ldap_id_cleanup.c
index ae5b0dd663b..e168aa301db 100644
--- a/src/tests/cmocka/test_ldap_id_cleanup.c
+++ b/src/tests/cmocka/test_ldap_id_cleanup.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ static int _setup_sysdb_tests(struct sysdb_test_ctx **ctx, bool enumerate)
                            "config/domain/FILES", "cache_credentials", val);
     assert_int_equal(ret, EOK);
 
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
+    ret = test_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
                            TESTS_PATH, &test_ctx->domain);
     assert_int_equal(ret, EOK);
 
diff --git a/src/tests/cmocka/test_sysdb_views.c b/src/tests/cmocka/test_sysdb_views.c
index d3a6ed5707c..b7b06337ca4 100644
--- a/src/tests/cmocka/test_sysdb_views.c
+++ b/src/tests/cmocka/test_sysdb_views.c
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ static int _setup_sysdb_tests(struct sysdb_test_ctx **ctx, bool enumerate)
                            "config/domain/FILES", "cache_credentials", val);
     assert_int_equal(ret, EOK);
 
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
+    ret = test_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
                            TESTS_PATH, &test_ctx->domain);
     assert_int_equal(ret, EOK);
 
diff --git a/src/tests/common.h b/src/tests/common.h
index 662db17ca08..323785dd2b7 100644
--- a/src/tests/common.h
+++ b/src/tests/common.h
@@ -92,6 +92,12 @@ struct sss_test_ctx *create_ev_test_ctx(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx);
 
 void reset_ldb_errstrings(struct sss_domain_info *dom);
 
+errno_t test_domain_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
+                         struct confdb_ctx *cdb,
+                         const char *domain_name,
+                         const char *db_path,
+                         struct sss_domain_info **_domain);
+
 struct sss_test_ctx *
 create_multidom_test_ctx(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
                          const char *tests_path,
diff --git a/src/tests/common_dom.c b/src/tests/common_dom.c
index 267d5f50f9a..a00c024c7e6 100644
--- a/src/tests/common_dom.c
+++ b/src/tests/common_dom.c
@@ -181,6 +181,34 @@ void reset_ldb_errstrings(struct sss_domain_info *dom)
     }
 }
 
+errno_t test_domain_init(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
+                         struct confdb_ctx *cdb,
+                         const char *domain_name,
+                         const char *db_path,
+                         struct sss_domain_info **_domain)
+{
+    /* This is a replacement of `sssd_domain_init()`
+     * that uses `sysdb_domain_init_internal()` instead of `sysdb_domain_init()`
+     * under the hood to let tests create sysdb cache files
+     */
+    int ret;
+
+    ret = confdb_get_domain(cdb, domain_name, _domain);
+    if (ret != EOK) {
+        DEBUG(SSSDBG_OP_FAILURE, "Error retrieving domain configuration.\n");
+        return ret;
+    }
+
+    ret = sysdb_domain_init_internal(mem_ctx, *_domain,
+                                     db_path, false, NULL, &(*_domain)->sysdb);
+    if (ret != EOK) {
+        DEBUG(SSSDBG_OP_FAILURE, "Error opening cache database.\n");
+        return ret;
+    }
+
+    return EOK;
+}
+
 static errno_t
 mock_domain(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
             struct confdb_ctx *cdb,
@@ -192,9 +220,9 @@ mock_domain(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
     errno_t ret;
 
     /* initialize sysdb */
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(mem_ctx, cdb, name, db_path, &domain);
+    ret = test_domain_init(mem_ctx, cdb, name, db_path, &domain);
     if (ret != EOK) {
-        DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE, "sssd_domain_init() of %s failed "
+        DEBUG(SSSDBG_CRIT_FAILURE, "test_domain_init() of %s failed "
               "[%d]: %s\n", name, ret, sss_strerror(ret));
         goto done;
     }
diff --git a/src/tests/sysdb-tests.c b/src/tests/sysdb-tests.c
index f9f347da7ab..8d055203985 100644
--- a/src/tests/sysdb-tests.c
+++ b/src/tests/sysdb-tests.c
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ static int _setup_sysdb_tests(struct sysdb_test_ctx **ctx, bool enumerate)
         return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
+    ret = test_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
                            TESTS_PATH, &test_ctx->domain);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         ck_abort_msg("Could not initialize connection to the sysdb (%d)", ret);
diff --git a/src/tests/sysdb_ssh-tests.c b/src/tests/sysdb_ssh-tests.c
index f21e50c19ee..393049015d6 100644
--- a/src/tests/sysdb_ssh-tests.c
+++ b/src/tests/sysdb_ssh-tests.c
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ static int setup_sysdb_tests(struct sysdb_test_ctx **ctx)
         return ret;
     }
 
-    ret = sssd_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
+    ret = test_domain_init(test_ctx, test_ctx->confdb, "FILES",
                            TESTS_PATH, &test_ctx->domain);
     if (ret != EOK) {
         ck_abort_msg("Could not initialize connection to the sysdb (%d)", ret);