diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
index 07d6fb702d30..d5ff0b5229ea 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
@@ -608,7 +608,9 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState> = ({
       });
 
       await store.setState({ status: newStatus }, { persistence: 'session' });
-      await api.setIndex(index);
+      if (index) {
+        await api.setIndex(index);
+      }
     },
     experimental_setFilter: async (id, filterFunction) => {
       const { internal_index: index } = store.getState();
diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
index a6617bce9f41..75f080ce2d85 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
@@ -1241,6 +1241,32 @@ describe('stories API', () => {
         }
       `);
     });
+    it('skips updating index, if index is unset', async () => {
+      const moduleArgs = createMockModuleArgs({});
+      const { api } = initStories(moduleArgs as unknown as ModuleArgs);
+      const { store } = moduleArgs;
+
+      await expect(
+        api.experimental_updateStatus('a-addon-id', {
+          'a-story-id': {
+            status: 'pending',
+            title: 'an addon title',
+            description: 'an addon description',
+          },
+        })
+      ).resolves.not.toThrow();
+      expect(store.getState().status).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Object {
+          "a-story-id": Object {
+            "a-addon-id": Object {
+              "description": "an addon description",
+              "status": "pending",
+              "title": "an addon title",
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      `);
+    });
     it('updates multiple stories', async () => {
       const moduleArgs = createMockModuleArgs({});
       const { api } = initStories(moduleArgs as unknown as ModuleArgs);