diff --git a/src/sftp.js b/src/sftp.js
index fd9e86676..19a199ce7 100644
--- a/src/sftp.js
+++ b/src/sftp.js
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ async function start(existingInfra) {
     // custom app data directories
     const allApps = await apps.list();
     for (const app of allApps) {
-        if (!app.manifest.addons['localstorage'] || !app.storageVolumeId) continue;
+        if (!app.manifest.addons?.localstorage || !app.storageVolumeId) continue;
 
         const hostDir = await apps.getStorageDir(app), mountDir = `/mnt/app-${app.id}`; // see also sftp:userSearchSftp
         if (!safe.fs.existsSync(hostDir)) { // this can fail if external mount does not have permissions for yellowtent user