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 dd983697cda..0cf9646e7e1 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,
 static 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 @@ static 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 @@ static 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/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));