diff --git a/src/python/jw/pkg/App.py b/src/python/jw/pkg/App.py
index 1cd974c8..c474ead0 100644
--- a/src/python/jw/pkg/App.py
+++ b/src/python/jw/pkg/App.py
@@ -185,16 +185,18 @@ class App(Base):
                 return ret
         return None
 
-    @cache
     def __read_project_conf(self, project_dir: str) -> ProjectConf:
         return ProjectConf.read(project_dir + '/make/project.conf')
 
     @cache
-    def __get_project_conf(self, project: str) -> ProjectConf:
+    def __get_project_conf(self, project: str) -> ProjectConf | None:
         pd = self.__proj_dir(project, False)
         if pd is None:
             raise Exception(f'Failed to find directory of project {project}')
-        return self.__read_project_conf(pd)
+        try:
+            return self.__read_project_conf(pd)
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            return None
 
     def __get_project_refs_cached(
         self, buf, visited, spec, section, key, add_self, scope, names_only
@@ -552,7 +554,10 @@ class App(Base):
                     log(DEBUG, f'Ignoring unreadable file "{version_path}"')
                     continue
             raise Exception(f'No version file found for project "{project}"')
-        ret = self.__get_project_conf(project).get_str_or_none(section, key)
+        proj_conf = self.__get_project_conf(project)
+        if proj_conf is None:
+            return None
+        ret = proj_conf.get_str_or_none(section, key)
         log(
             DEBUG,
             'Lookup %s -> %s / [%s%s] -> "%s"' %