diff --git a/pkg/apiclient/argo-kube-client.go b/pkg/apiclient/argo-kube-client.go
index 1c45a23be4e0..8fe3b13903c9 100644
--- a/pkg/apiclient/argo-kube-client.go
+++ b/pkg/apiclient/argo-kube-client.go
@@ -168,6 +168,8 @@ func (a *argoKubeClient) startStores(ctx context.Context, restConfig *restclient
 		} else {
 			a.cwfTmplStore = clusterworkflowtmplserver.NewClusterWorkflowTemplateClientStore()
 		}
+	} else {
+		a.cwfTmplStore = clusterworkflowtmplserver.NewNullClusterWorkflowTemplate()
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/server/apiserver/argoserver.go b/server/apiserver/argoserver.go
index ae18b07a44ba..bcd25186a8c5 100644
--- a/server/apiserver/argoserver.go
+++ b/server/apiserver/argoserver.go
@@ -239,12 +239,14 @@ func (as *argoServer) Run(ctx context.Context, port int, browserOpenFunc func(st
 		log.WithFatal().Error(ctx, err.Error())
 	}
 	kubeclientset := kubernetes.NewForConfigOrDie(as.restConfig)
-	var cwftmplInformer *clusterworkflowtemplate.Informer
+	var cwftmplInformer clusterworkflowtemplate.ClusterWorkflowTemplateInformer
 	if rbacutil.HasAccessToClusterWorkflowTemplates(ctx, kubeclientset, resourceCacheNamespace) {
 		cwftmplInformer, err = clusterworkflowtemplate.NewInformer(as.restConfig)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.WithFatal().Error(ctx, err.Error())
 		}
+	} else {
+		cwftmplInformer = clusterworkflowtemplate.NewNullClusterWorkflowTemplate()
 	}
 	eventRecorderManager := events.NewEventRecorderManager(as.clients.Kubernetes)
 	artifactRepositories := artifactrepositories.New(as.clients.Kubernetes, as.managedNamespace, &config.ArtifactRepository)
diff --git a/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/informer.go b/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/informer.go
index 7f435bc72932..212b517bb5ee 100644
--- a/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/informer.go
+++ b/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/informer.go
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ const (
 	workflowTemplateResyncPeriod = 20 * time.Minute
 )
 
+type ClusterWorkflowTemplateInformer interface {
+	Run(ctx context.Context, stopCh <-chan struct{})
+	Getter(ctx context.Context) templateresolution.ClusterWorkflowTemplateGetter
+}
+
 var _ types.ClusterWorkflowTemplateStore = &Informer{}
 
 type Informer struct {
@@ -56,9 +61,9 @@ func (cwti *Informer) Run(ctx context.Context, stopCh <-chan struct{}) {
 
 // if namespace contains empty string Lister will use the namespace provided during initialization
 func (cwti *Informer) Getter(ctx context.Context) templateresolution.ClusterWorkflowTemplateGetter {
-	if cwti.informer == nil {
-		logging.RequireLoggerFromContext(ctx).WithFatal().Error(ctx, "Template informer not started")
-		os.Exit(1)
+	if cwti == nil || cwti.informer == nil {
+		logging.RequireLoggerFromContext(ctx).Error(ctx, "Template informer not started")
+		return nil
 	}
 	return templateresolution.WrapClusterWorkflowTemplateLister(cwti.informer.Lister())
 }
diff --git a/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/null_client_store.go b/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/null_client_store.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fd725e05f334
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/clusterworkflowtemplate/null_client_store.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package clusterworkflowtemplate
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/argoproj/argo-workflows/v3/workflow/templateresolution"
+)
+
+// NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore is a no-op implementation of ClusterWorkflowTemplateStore
+// implements both informer and store interfaces
+type NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore struct{}
+
+func NewNullClusterWorkflowTemplate() *NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore {
+	return &NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore{}
+}
+
+func (NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore) Getter(context.Context) templateresolution.ClusterWorkflowTemplateGetter {
+	return &templateresolution.NullClusterWorkflowTemplateGetter{}
+}
+
+func (NullClusterWorkflowTemplateStore) Run(ctx context.Context, stopCh <-chan struct{}) {}