diff --git a/.changeset/astro-cache-disabled-shim.md b/.changeset/astro-cache-disabled-shim.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7cdab25004b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/astro-cache-disabled-shim.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'astro': patch
+---
+
+Fixes a regression where `Astro.cache` was `undefined` when `experimental.cache` was not configured. 
+
+The previous documented behavior is for `Astro.cache` to always be defined as a no-op shim: `cache.set()` warns once, `cache.invalidate()` throws and `cache.enabled` can be used to gate. This allows library and user code can call cache methods without conditional checks. The cache provider registration was being gated at the call site on `experimental.cache` being configured, which meant the disabled shim branch inside the provider was unreachable and the `Astro.cache` getter was never attached to the context.
diff --git a/packages/astro/src/core/routing/handler.ts b/packages/astro/src/core/routing/handler.ts
index cd0acaeec6a6..dd8a5a3e2e41 100644
--- a/packages/astro/src/core/routing/handler.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/src/core/routing/handler.ts
@@ -105,14 +105,13 @@ export class AstroHandler {
 
 		let response;
 		try {
-			// Only call provider functions when the feature is configured.
-			// Each call does property lookups + state.provide() which
-			// allocates a Map on the hot path when nothing is configured.
-			if (this.#hasSession || this.#app.pipeline.cacheConfig) {
-				const sessionP = this.#hasSession ? provideSession(state) : undefined;
-				const cacheP = this.#app.pipeline.cacheConfig ? provideCache(state) : undefined;
-				if (sessionP || cacheP) await Promise.all([sessionP, cacheP]);
-			}
+			// `provideCache` always runs so `Astro.cache` is defined even
+			// when caching is disabled — it registers a no-op shim that
+			// warns once on use. `provideSession` is gated because there
+			// is no equivalent disabled-shim contract for sessions.
+			const sessionP = this.#hasSession ? provideSession(state) : undefined;
+			const cacheP = provideCache(state);
+			if (sessionP || cacheP) await Promise.all([sessionP, cacheP]);
 			// Track feature usage even when skipped.
 			state.pipeline.usedFeatures |= PipelineFeatures.sessions;
 
diff --git a/packages/astro/test/cache-route.test.ts b/packages/astro/test/cache-route.test.ts
index 34006c5438c0..93d60b87e7a5 100644
--- a/packages/astro/test/cache-route.test.ts
+++ b/packages/astro/test/cache-route.test.ts
@@ -155,4 +155,44 @@ describe('context.cache', () => {
 			assert.deepEqual(body, { ok: true });
 		});
 	});
+
+	describe('Disabled (no cache provider configured)', () => {
+		let fixture: Fixture;
+		let app: App;
+
+		before(async () => {
+			fixture = await loadFixture({
+				root: './fixtures/cache-route/',
+				output: 'server',
+				adapter: testAdapter(),
+				outDir: './dist/cache-route-disabled/',
+			});
+			await fixture.build({});
+			app = await fixture.loadTestAdapterApp();
+		});
+
+		async function fetchResponse(path: string) {
+			const request = new Request('http://example.com' + path);
+			return app.render(request);
+		}
+
+		// Regression: Astro.cache must always be defined as a no-op shim
+		// even when experimental.cache is not configured, so that
+		// `Astro.cache.set(...)` calls do not crash.
+		it('Astro.cache.set() is a no-op on .astro pages', async () => {
+			const response = await fetchResponse('/');
+			assert.equal(response.status, 200);
+			assert.equal(response.headers.get('CDN-Cache-Control'), null);
+			assert.equal(response.headers.get('Cache-Tag'), null);
+		});
+
+		it('context.cache.set() is a no-op in API routes', async () => {
+			const response = await fetchResponse('/api');
+			assert.equal(response.status, 200);
+			assert.equal(response.headers.get('CDN-Cache-Control'), null);
+			assert.equal(response.headers.get('Cache-Tag'), null);
+			const body = await response.json();
+			assert.deepEqual(body, { ok: true });
+		});
+	});
 });