diff --git a/.changeset/root-handler-crash-payments-disabled.md b/.changeset/root-handler-crash-payments-disabled.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49f5313d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/root-handler-crash-payments-disabled.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"nostream": patch
+---
+
+fix: prevent crash in NIP-11 relay information document when payments settings are absent
diff --git a/src/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.ts b/src/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.ts
index f322057f..e792c0df 100644
--- a/src/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.ts
+++ b/src/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.ts
@@ -105,20 +105,22 @@ export const rootRequestHandler = (request: Request, response: Response, next: N
         search_supported: settings.nip50?.enabled ?? false,
       },
       payments_url: paymentsUrl.toString(),
-      fees: Object.getOwnPropertyNames(settings.payments.feeSchedules).reduce(
-        (prev, feeName) => {
-          const feeSchedules = settings.payments.feeSchedules[feeName] as FeeSchedule[]
-
-          return {
-            ...prev,
-            [feeName]: feeSchedules.reduce(
-              (fees, fee) => (fee.enabled ? [...fees, { amount: fee.amount, unit: 'msats' }] : fees),
-              [],
-            ),
-          }
-        },
-        {} as Record<string, { amount: number; unit: string }>,
-      ),
+      fees: settings.payments
+        ? Object.getOwnPropertyNames(settings.payments.feeSchedules).reduce(
+            (prev, feeName) => {
+              const feeSchedules = settings.payments.feeSchedules[feeName] as FeeSchedule[]
+
+              return {
+                ...prev,
+                [feeName]: feeSchedules.reduce(
+                  (fees, fee) => (fee.enabled ? [...fees, { amount: fee.amount, unit: 'msats' }] : fees),
+                  [],
+                ),
+              }
+            },
+            {} as Record<string, { amount: number; unit: string }>,
+          )
+        : {},
     }
 
     response
diff --git a/test/unit/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.spec.ts b/test/unit/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.spec.ts
index a72bec27..597984de 100644
--- a/test/unit/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.spec.ts
+++ b/test/unit/handlers/request-handlers/root-request-handler.spec.ts
@@ -224,6 +224,16 @@ describe('rootRequestHandler', () => {
       const restrictedDoc = res.send.firstCall.args[0]
       expect(restrictedDoc.limitation.restricted_writes).to.equal(true)
     })
+
+    it('returns empty fees instead of crashing when the payments block is absent', () => {
+      const { payments, ...settingsWithoutPayments } = baseSettings
+      createSettingsStub.returns(settingsWithoutPayments)
+
+      expect(() => rootRequestHandler(req, res, next)).to.not.throw()
+
+      const doc = res.send.firstCall.args[0]
+      expect(doc.fees).to.deep.equal({})
+    })
   })
 
   describe('when serving HTML', () => {