diff --git a/src/api2/status.rs b/src/api2/status.rs
index 55f489f7..3aff91e7 100644
--- a/src/api2/status.rs
+++ b/src/api2/status.rs
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ use crate::config::acl::{
                 },
                 history: {
                     type: Array,
+                    optional: true,
                     description: "A list of usages of the past (last Month).",
                     items: {
                         type: Number,
@@ -69,6 +70,11 @@ use crate::config::acl::{
                         of RRD data of the last Month. Missing if there are not enough data points yet.\
                         If the estimate lies in the past, the usage is decreasing.",
                 },
+                "error": {
+                    type: String,
+                    optional: true,
+                    description: "An error description, for example, when the datastore could not be looked up.",
+                },
             },
         },
     },
@@ -97,7 +103,19 @@ pub fn datastore_status(
             continue;
         }
 
-        let datastore = DataStore::lookup_datastore(&store)?;
+        let datastore = match DataStore::lookup_datastore(&store) {
+            Ok(datastore) => datastore,
+            Err(err) => {
+                list.push(json!({
+                    "store": store,
+                    "total": -1,
+                    "used": -1,
+                    "avail": -1,
+                    "error": err.to_string()
+                }));
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
         let status = crate::tools::disks::disk_usage(&datastore.base_path())?;
 
         let mut entry = json!({