diff --git a/lamindb_setup/_init_instance.py b/lamindb_setup/_init_instance.py
index 11d864eb..3a4c3fd1 100644
--- a/lamindb_setup/_init_instance.py
+++ b/lamindb_setup/_init_instance.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     from .core.types import UPathStr
 
 
-def get_schema_module_name(schema_name) -> str:
+def get_schema_module_name(schema_name, raise_import_error: bool = True) -> str | None:
     import importlib.util
 
     name_attempts = [f"lnschema_{schema_name.replace('-', '_')}", schema_name]
@@ -34,9 +34,11 @@ def get_schema_module_name(schema_name) -> str:
         module_spec = importlib.util.find_spec(name)
         if module_spec is not None:
             return name
-    raise ImportError(
-        f"Python package for '{schema_name}' is not installed.\nIf your package is on PyPI, run `pip install {schema_name}`"
-    )
+    message = f"Schema module '{schema_name}' is not installed → no access to its labels & registries (resolve via `pip install {schema_name}`)"
+    if raise_import_error:
+        raise ImportError(message)
+    logger.warning(message.lower())
+    return None
 
 
 def register_storage_in_instance(ssettings: StorageSettings):
diff --git a/lamindb_setup/core/django.py b/lamindb_setup/core/django.py
index 992ad625..517c4834 100644
--- a/lamindb_setup/core/django.py
+++ b/lamindb_setup/core/django.py
@@ -55,7 +55,17 @@ def setup_django(
         from .._init_instance import get_schema_module_name
 
         schema_names = ["core"] + list(isettings.schema)
-        installed_apps = [get_schema_module_name(n) for n in schema_names]
+        raise_import_error = True if init else False
+        installed_apps = [
+            package_name
+            for n in schema_names
+            if (
+                package_name := get_schema_module_name(
+                    n, raise_import_error=raise_import_error
+                )
+            )
+            is not None
+        ]
         if view_schema:
             installed_apps = installed_apps[::-1]  # to fix how apps appear
             installed_apps += ["schema_graph", "django.contrib.staticfiles"]
diff --git a/noxfile.py b/noxfile.py
index a6ee138a..918aa499 100644
--- a/noxfile.py
+++ b/noxfile.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def lint(session: nox.Session) -> None:
     ["hub-local", "hub-prod", "hub-cloud", "storage", "docs"],
 )
 def install(session: nox.Session, group: str) -> None:
-    no_deps_packages = "git+https://github.com/laminlabs/lnschema-core git+https://github.com/laminlabs/wetlab git+https://github.com/laminlabs/lamin-cli git+https://github.com/laminlabs/findrefs"
+    no_deps_packages = "git+https://github.com/laminlabs/lnschema-core git+https://github.com/laminlabs/wetlab git+https://github.com/laminlabs/lamin-cli"
     schema_deps = f"""uv pip install --system git+https://github.com/laminlabs/bionty git+https://github.com/laminlabs/lamindb
 uv pip install --system --no-deps {no_deps_packages}
 """