diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Cache/Cache.php b/lib/private/Files/Cache/Cache.php
index 240f02b3fbae7..27db4dfe8099a 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Cache/Cache.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Cache/Cache.php
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ public function get($file) {
 		} elseif (!$data) {
 			return $data;
 		} else {
-			$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery->extractMetadata($data)->asArray();
+			$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery?->extractMetadata($data)->asArray() ?? [];
 			return self::cacheEntryFromData($data, $this->mimetypeLoader);
 		}
 	}
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ public function getFolderContentsById($fileId) {
 			$result->closeCursor();
 
 			return array_map(function (array $data) use ($metadataQuery) {
-				$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery->extractMetadata($data)->asArray();
+				$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery?->extractMetadata($data)->asArray() ?? [];
 				return self::cacheEntryFromData($data, $this->mimetypeLoader);
 			}, $files);
 		}
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Cache/CacheQueryBuilder.php b/lib/private/Files/Cache/CacheQueryBuilder.php
index a0fa7b6be4306..365d28fc8c556 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Cache/CacheQueryBuilder.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Cache/CacheQueryBuilder.php
@@ -135,9 +135,14 @@ public function whereParentInParameter(string $parameter) {
 		return $this;
 	}
 
-	public function selectMetadata(): IMetadataQuery {
+	/**
+	 * join metadata to current query builder and returns an helper
+	 *
+	 * @return IMetadataQuery|null NULL if no metadata have never been generated
+	 */
+	public function selectMetadata(): ?IMetadataQuery {
 		$metadataQuery = $this->filesMetadataManager->getMetadataQuery($this, $this->alias, 'fileid');
-		$metadataQuery->retrieveMetadata();
+		$metadataQuery?->retrieveMetadata();
 		return $metadataQuery;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Cache/QuerySearchHelper.php b/lib/private/Files/Cache/QuerySearchHelper.php
index aca998cc4a79b..d8c5e66e12951 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Cache/QuerySearchHelper.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Cache/QuerySearchHelper.php
@@ -67,6 +67,12 @@ protected function getQueryBuilder() {
 		);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @param CacheQueryBuilder $query
+	 * @param ISearchQuery $searchQuery
+	 * @param array $caches
+	 * @param IMetadataQuery|null $metadataQuery
+	 */
 	protected function applySearchConstraints(
 		CacheQueryBuilder $query,
 		ISearchQuery $searchQuery,
@@ -189,7 +195,12 @@ public function searchInCaches(ISearchQuery $searchQuery, array $caches): array
 		$files = $result->fetchAll();
 
 		$rawEntries = array_map(function (array $data) use ($metadataQuery) {
-			$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery->extractMetadata($data)->asArray();
+			// migrate to null safe ...
+			if ($metadataQuery === null) {
+				$data['metadata'] = [];
+			} else {
+				$data['metadata'] = $metadataQuery->extractMetadata($data)->asArray();
+			}
 			return Cache::cacheEntryFromData($data, $this->mimetypeLoader);
 		}, $files);
 
diff --git a/lib/private/FilesMetadata/FilesMetadataManager.php b/lib/private/FilesMetadata/FilesMetadataManager.php
index 362db3678aeac..e9d6e677bafda 100644
--- a/lib/private/FilesMetadata/FilesMetadataManager.php
+++ b/lib/private/FilesMetadata/FilesMetadataManager.php
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ public function deleteMetadata(int $fileId): void {
 	 * @param string $fileIdField alias of the field that contains file ids
 	 *
 	 * @inheritDoc
-	 * @return IMetadataQuery
+	 * @return IMetadataQuery|null
 	 * @see IMetadataQuery
 	 * @since 28.0.0
 	 */
@@ -221,7 +221,11 @@ public function getMetadataQuery(
 		IQueryBuilder $qb,
 		string $fileTableAlias,
 		string $fileIdField
-	): IMetadataQuery {
+	): ?IMetadataQuery {
+		// we don't want to join metadata table if never filled
+		if ($this->config->getAppValue('core', self::CONFIG_KEY, '') === '') {
+			return null;
+		}
 		return new MetadataQuery($qb, $this->getKnownMetadata(), $fileTableAlias, $fileIdField);
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/public/FilesMetadata/IFilesMetadataManager.php b/lib/public/FilesMetadata/IFilesMetadataManager.php
index ebebf3e806b0e..78ea020e96734 100644
--- a/lib/public/FilesMetadata/IFilesMetadataManager.php
+++ b/lib/public/FilesMetadata/IFilesMetadataManager.php
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ public function deleteMetadata(int $fileId): void;
 	 * @param string $fileTableAlias alias of the table that contains data about files
 	 * @param string $fileIdField alias of the field that contains file ids
 	 *
-	 * @return IMetadataQuery
+	 * @return IMetadataQuery|null NULL if table are not set yet or never used
 	 * @see IMetadataQuery
 	 * @since 28.0.0
 	 */
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ public function getMetadataQuery(
 		IQueryBuilder $qb,
 		string $fileTableAlias,
 		string $fileIdField
-	): IMetadataQuery;
+	): ?IMetadataQuery;
 
 	/**
 	 * returns all type of metadata currently available.