diff --git a/src/pipeline.ts b/src/pipeline.ts
index 26dbd82b..9aa16fda 100644
--- a/src/pipeline.ts
+++ b/src/pipeline.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { NKinds, NostrEvent, NPolicy, NSchema as n } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
+import { NKinds, NostrEvent, NSchema as n } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
 import { PipePolicy } from '@nostrify/nostrify/policies';
 import Debug from '@soapbox/stickynotes/debug';
 import { sql } from 'kysely';
@@ -58,24 +58,10 @@ async function handleEvent(event: DittoEvent, signal: AbortSignal): Promise<void
 async function policyFilter(event: NostrEvent): Promise<void> {
   const debug = Debug('ditto:policy');
 
-  const policies: NPolicy[] = [
+  const policy = new PipePolicy([
     new MuteListPolicy(Conf.pubkey, await Storages.admin()),
-  ];
-
-  try {
-    await policyWorker.import(Conf.policy);
-    policies.push(policyWorker);
-    debug(`Using custom policy: ${Conf.policy}`);
-  } catch (e) {
-    if (e.message.includes('Module not found')) {
-      debug('Custom policy not found <https://docs.soapbox.pub/ditto/policies/>');
-    } else {
-      console.error(`DITTO_POLICY (error importing policy): ${Conf.policy}`, e);
-      throw new RelayError('blocked', 'policy could not be loaded');
-    }
-  }
-
-  const policy = new PipePolicy(policies.reverse());
+    policyWorker,
+  ]);
 
   try {
     const result = await policy.call(event);
diff --git a/src/workers/policy.ts b/src/workers/policy.ts
index e3926675..ef9aa2cd 100644
--- a/src/workers/policy.ts
+++ b/src/workers/policy.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
+import { Stickynotes } from '@soapbox/stickynotes';
 import * as Comlink from 'comlink';
 
 import { Conf } from '@/config.ts';
 import type { CustomPolicy } from '@/workers/policy.worker.ts';
 
+const console = new Stickynotes('ditto:policy');
+
 export const policyWorker = Comlink.wrap<CustomPolicy>(
   new Worker(
     new URL('./policy.worker.ts', import.meta.url),
@@ -19,3 +22,14 @@ export const policyWorker = Comlink.wrap<CustomPolicy>(
     },
   ),
 );
+
+try {
+  await policyWorker.import(Conf.policy);
+  console.debug(`Using custom policy: ${Conf.policy}`);
+} catch (e) {
+  if (e.message.includes('Module not found')) {
+    console.debug('Custom policy not found <https://docs.soapbox.pub/ditto/policies/>');
+  } else {
+    throw new Error(`DITTO_POLICY (error importing policy): ${Conf.policy}`, e);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/workers/policy.worker.ts b/src/workers/policy.worker.ts
index d1368bce..9f94a008 100644
--- a/src/workers/policy.worker.ts
+++ b/src/workers/policy.worker.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import 'deno-safe-fetch/load';
 import { NostrEvent, NostrRelayOK, NPolicy } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
-import { ReadOnlyPolicy } from '@nostrify/nostrify/policies';
+import { NoOpPolicy, ReadOnlyPolicy } from '@nostrify/nostrify/policies';
 import * as Comlink from 'comlink';
 
 export class CustomPolicy implements NPolicy {
@@ -12,8 +12,15 @@ export class CustomPolicy implements NPolicy {
   }
 
   async import(path: string): Promise<void> {
-    const Policy = (await import(path)).default;
-    this.policy = new Policy();
+    try {
+      const Policy = (await import(path)).default;
+      this.policy = new Policy();
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (e.message.includes('Module not found')) {
+        this.policy = new NoOpPolicy();
+      }
+      throw e;
+    }
   }
 }