diff --git a/sdk/list.go b/sdk/list.go
index be09e72..1c891f0 100644
--- a/sdk/list.go
+++ b/sdk/list.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func fetchGenericList[I TagItemWithValue](
 		// but if we haven't tried fetching from the network recently we should do it
 		lastFetchKey := makeLastFetchKey(actualKind, pubkey)
 		lastFetchData, _ := sys.KVStore.Get(lastFetchKey)
-		if nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
+		if lastFetchData == nil || nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
 			newV := tryFetchListFromNetwork(ctx, sys, pubkey, replaceableIndex, parseTag)
 			if newV != nil && newV.Event.CreatedAt > v.Event.CreatedAt {
 				v = *newV
diff --git a/sdk/metadata.go b/sdk/metadata.go
index c371aef..1aa7389 100644
--- a/sdk/metadata.go
+++ b/sdk/metadata.go
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ func (sys *System) FetchProfileMetadata(ctx context.Context, pubkey string) (pm
 		// but if we haven't tried fetching from the network recently we should do it
 		lastFetchKey := makeLastFetchKey(0, pubkey)
 		lastFetchData, _ := sys.KVStore.Get(lastFetchKey)
-		if nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
+		if lastFetchData == nil || nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
 			newM := sys.tryFetchMetadataFromNetwork(ctx, pubkey)
 			if newM != nil && newM.Event.CreatedAt > pm.Event.CreatedAt {
 				pm = *newM
diff --git a/sdk/set.go b/sdk/set.go
index 64b7820..561fd7e 100644
--- a/sdk/set.go
+++ b/sdk/set.go
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ func fetchGenericSets[I TagItemWithValue](
 		// but if we haven't tried fetching from the network recently we should do it
 		lastFetchKey := makeLastFetchKey(actualKind, pubkey)
 		lastFetchData, _ := sys.KVStore.Get(lastFetchKey)
-		if nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
+		if lastFetchData == nil || nostr.Now()-decodeTimestamp(lastFetchData) > 7*24*60*60 {
 			newV := tryFetchSetsFromNetwork(ctx, sys, pubkey, addressableIndex, parseTag)
 
 			// unlike for lists, when fetching sets we will blindly trust whatever we get from the network