diff --git a/routers/api/packages/cargo/cargo.go b/routers/api/packages/cargo/cargo.go
index 225b6b5ad..8f1e965c9 100644
--- a/routers/api/packages/cargo/cargo.go
+++ b/routers/api/packages/cargo/cargo.go
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ func UploadPackage(ctx *context.Context) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	if err := cargo_service.AddOrUpdatePackageIndex(ctx, ctx.Doer, ctx.Package.Owner, pv.PackageID); err != nil {
+	if err := cargo_service.UpdatePackageIndexIfExists(ctx, ctx.Doer, ctx.Package.Owner, pv.PackageID); err != nil {
 		if err := packages_service.DeletePackageVersionAndReferences(ctx, pv); err != nil {
 			log.Error("Rollback creation of package version: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ func yankPackage(ctx *context.Context, yank bool) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	if err := cargo_service.AddOrUpdatePackageIndex(ctx, ctx.Doer, ctx.Package.Owner, pv.PackageID); err != nil {
+	if err := cargo_service.UpdatePackageIndexIfExists(ctx, ctx.Doer, ctx.Package.Owner, pv.PackageID); err != nil {
 		apiError(ctx, http.StatusInternalServerError, err)
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/services/packages/cargo/index.go b/services/packages/cargo/index.go
index 0561f168e..8164ffb01 100644
--- a/services/packages/cargo/index.go
+++ b/services/packages/cargo/index.go
@@ -106,10 +106,16 @@ func RebuildIndex(ctx context.Context, doer, owner *user_model.User) error {
 	)
 }
 
-func AddOrUpdatePackageIndex(ctx context.Context, doer, owner *user_model.User, packageID int64) error {
-	repo, err := getOrCreateIndexRepository(ctx, doer, owner)
+func UpdatePackageIndexIfExists(ctx context.Context, doer, owner *user_model.User, packageID int64) error {
+	// We do not want to force the creation of the repo here
+	// cargo http index does not rely on the repo itself,
+	// so if the repo does not exist, we just do nothing.
+	repo, err := repo_model.GetRepositoryByOwnerAndName(ctx, owner.Name, IndexRepositoryName)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		if errors.Is(err, util.ErrNotExist) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("GetRepositoryByOwnerAndName: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	p, err := packages_model.GetPackageByID(ctx, packageID)
diff --git a/services/packages/cleanup/cleanup.go b/services/packages/cleanup/cleanup.go
index 77bcfb194..9bdd9d6aa 100644
--- a/services/packages/cleanup/cleanup.go
+++ b/services/packages/cleanup/cleanup.go
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ func ExecuteCleanupRules(outerCtx context.Context) error {
 					if err != nil {
 						return fmt.Errorf("GetUserByID failed: %w", err)
 					}
-					if err := cargo_service.AddOrUpdatePackageIndex(ctx, owner, owner, p.ID); err != nil {
-						return fmt.Errorf("CleanupRule [%d]: cargo.AddOrUpdatePackageIndex failed: %w", pcr.ID, err)
+					if err := cargo_service.UpdatePackageIndexIfExists(ctx, owner, owner, p.ID); err != nil {
+						return fmt.Errorf("CleanupRule [%d]: cargo.UpdatePackageIndexIfExists failed: %w", pcr.ID, err)
 					}
 				}
 			}