diff --git a/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node.go b/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node.go
index ae2002fa47..e061306f71 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node.go
@@ -422,8 +422,14 @@ func readNode(ctx context.Context, lu PathLookup, spaceID, nodeID, internalPath
 		spaceRoot.Exists = true
 
 		// lookup name in extended attributes
-		spaceRoot.Name, err = spaceRoot.XattrString(ctx, prefixes.NameAttr)
-		if err != nil {
+		var name string
+		name, err = spaceRoot.XattrString(ctx, prefixes.NameAttr)
+		switch {
+		case err == nil:
+			spaceRoot.Name = name
+		case metadata.IsAttrUnset(err):
+			// ignore
+		default:
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node_test.go b/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node_test.go
index ce1fff24ce..8922652fe1 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node_test.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node/node_test.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 	ocsconv "github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/conversions"
 	ctxpkg "github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/ctx"
+	"github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/metadata/prefixes"
 	"github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/node"
 	helpers "github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/storage/pkg/decomposedfs/testhelpers"
 	"github.com/opencloud-eu/reva/v2/pkg/storage/utils/grants"
@@ -81,6 +82,21 @@ var _ = Describe("Node", func() {
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(n.BlobID).To(Equal("file1-blobid"))
 		})
+
+		It("treats a space root with an unset name attribute as nameless instead of failing", func() {
+			spaceRoot, err := env.Lookup.NodeFromSpaceID(env.Ctx, env.SpaceRootRes.SpaceId)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// simulate a half-deleted space root whose name attribute is gone
+			err = spaceRoot.RemoveXattr(env.Ctx, prefixes.NameAttr, true)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			n, err := node.ReadNode(env.Ctx, env.Lookup, spaceRoot.SpaceID, spaceRoot.ID, "", false, nil, false)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(n).ToNot(BeNil())
+			Expect(n.Exists).To(BeTrue())
+			Expect(n.Name).To(Equal(""))
+		})
 	})
 
 	Describe("WriteMetadata", func() {