diff --git a/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/error.rs b/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/error.rs
index bb78c53d0..7fa0319b8 100644
--- a/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/error.rs
+++ b/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/error.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ pub enum AuthenticationError {
     // Triggered on configuration error.
     #[error("An internal error has occurred. `Irretrievable state`.")]
     IrretrievableState,
+    #[error("Meilisearch is running without a master key. To access this API endpoint, you must have set a master key at launch.")]
+    MissingMasterKey,
 }
 
 impl ErrorCode for AuthenticationError {
@@ -17,6 +19,7 @@ impl ErrorCode for AuthenticationError {
             AuthenticationError::MissingAuthorizationHeader => Code::MissingAuthorizationHeader,
             AuthenticationError::InvalidToken => Code::InvalidToken,
             AuthenticationError::IrretrievableState => Code::Internal,
+            AuthenticationError::MissingMasterKey => Code::MissingMasterKey,
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/mod.rs b/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/mod.rs
index f6feabbbd..b9e2f711a 100644
--- a/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/mod.rs
+++ b/meilisearch-http/src/extractors/authentication/mod.rs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ impl<P, D> GuardedData<P, D> {
                 }),
                 None => Err(AuthenticationError::IrretrievableState.into()),
             },
-            None => Err(AuthenticationError::MissingAuthorizationHeader.into()),
+            None => Err(AuthenticationError::MissingMasterKey.into()),
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/meilisearch-types/src/error.rs b/meilisearch-types/src/error.rs
index 56ac65f9e..147207aec 100644
--- a/meilisearch-types/src/error.rs
+++ b/meilisearch-types/src/error.rs
@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ pub enum Code {
     InvalidStore,
     InvalidToken,
     MissingAuthorizationHeader,
+    MissingMasterKey,
     NoSpaceLeftOnDevice,
     DumpNotFound,
     TaskNotFound,
@@ -231,6 +232,9 @@ impl Code {
             MissingAuthorizationHeader => {
                 ErrCode::authentication("missing_authorization_header", StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)
             }
+            MissingMasterKey => {
+                ErrCode::authentication("missing_master_key", StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)
+            }
             TaskNotFound => ErrCode::invalid("task_not_found", StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
             DumpNotFound => ErrCode::invalid("dump_not_found", StatusCode::NOT_FOUND),
             NoSpaceLeftOnDevice => {