diff --git a/uSync.AutoTemplates/AutoTemplateComposer.cs b/uSync.AutoTemplates/AutoTemplateComposer.cs
index c056436ff..1b36d0521 100644
--- a/uSync.AutoTemplates/AutoTemplateComposer.cs
+++ b/uSync.AutoTemplates/AutoTemplateComposer.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Composing;
+using System.Linq;
+
+using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Composing;
 using Umbraco.Cms.Core.DependencyInjection;
 
 namespace uSync.AutoTemplates;
@@ -7,6 +9,8 @@ public class AutoTemplateComposer : IComposer
 {
     public void Compose(IUmbracoBuilder builder)
     {
-        builder.AdduSyncAutoTemplates();
+        // only load when the backoffice is enabled. 
+        if (builder.Services.Any(s => s.ServiceType == typeof(IBackOfficeEnabledMarker)))
+            builder.AdduSyncAutoTemplates();
     }
 }
diff --git a/uSync.BackOffice/HealthChecks/SyncFolderIntegrityChecks.cs b/uSync.BackOffice/HealthChecks/SyncFolderIntegrityChecks.cs
index 926db7bdc..c440942f3 100644
--- a/uSync.BackOffice/HealthChecks/SyncFolderIntegrityChecks.cs
+++ b/uSync.BackOffice/HealthChecks/SyncFolderIntegrityChecks.cs
@@ -20,8 +20,11 @@ namespace uSync.BackOffice.HealthChecks;
     Group = "uSync")]
 public class SyncFolderIntegrityChecks : HealthCheck
 {
-    private readonly ISyncConfigService _configService;
-    private readonly ISyncFileService _fileService;
+    private readonly ISyncConfigService? _configService;
+    private readonly ISyncFileService? _fileService;
+
+
+    public SyncFolderIntegrityChecks() { }
 
     /// <summary>
     ///  Constructor 
@@ -41,6 +44,18 @@ public override HealthCheckStatus ExecuteAction(HealthCheckAction action)
     /// <inheritdoc/>
     public override Task<IEnumerable<HealthCheckStatus>> GetStatusAsync()
     {
+        if (_configService is null || _fileService is null)
+        {
+            return Task.FromResult((IEnumerable<HealthCheckStatus>)new List<HealthCheckStatus>
+            {
+                new HealthCheckStatus("uSync services not available")
+                {
+                    Description = "The uSync services are not available, this likely means the site has no backoffice loaded.",
+                    ResultType = StatusResultType.Info
+                }
+            });
+        }
+
         var items = new List<HealthCheckStatus>
         {
             CheckuSyncFolder(),
diff --git a/uSync.BackOffice/uSyncBackOfficeComposer.cs b/uSync.BackOffice/uSyncBackOfficeComposer.cs
index f661170d3..71512ef93 100644
--- a/uSync.BackOffice/uSyncBackOfficeComposer.cs
+++ b/uSync.BackOffice/uSyncBackOfficeComposer.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+
+using System.Linq;
+
 using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Composing;
 using Umbraco.Cms.Core.DependencyInjection;
 
+using uSync.Core.Extensions;
+
 namespace uSync.BackOffice;
 
 /// <summary>
@@ -12,10 +18,12 @@ public class uSyncBackOfficeComposer : IComposer
     /// <inheritdoc/>
     public void Compose(IUmbracoBuilder builder)
     {
-        // the composers add uSync, but the extension methods
-        // will only add the values if uSync hasn't already 
-        // been added, so you can for example add uSync to your
-        // startup.cs file. and then the composers don't fire
-        builder.AdduSync();
+        if (builder.IsUmbracoBackOfficeEnabled() is true) {
+            // the composers add uSync, but the extension methods
+            // will only add the values if uSync hasn't already 
+            // been added, so you can for example add uSync to your
+            // startup.cs file. and then the composers don't fire
+            builder.AdduSync();
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api/ApiComposer.cs b/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api/ApiComposer.cs
index ca7da952c..f5d3a6869 100644
--- a/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api/ApiComposer.cs
+++ b/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api/ApiComposer.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 using uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api.Configuration;
 using uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api.Services;
 using uSync.BackOffice;
+using uSync.Core.Extensions;
 
 namespace uSync.Backoffice.Management.Api;
 
@@ -15,6 +16,9 @@ public class ApiComposer : IComposer
 {
     public void Compose(IUmbracoBuilder builder)
     {
+        if (builder.IsUmbracoBackOfficeEnabled() is false)
+            return;
+
         builder.Services.AddSingleton<IOperationIdHandler, uSyncCustomOperationHandler>();
 
         builder.Services.ConfigureOptions<ConfigSyncApiSwaggerGenOptions>();
diff --git a/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Client/uSyncManifestReader.cs b/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Client/uSyncManifestReader.cs
index 2a664bb6e..b72b385c7 100644
--- a/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Client/uSyncManifestReader.cs
+++ b/uSync.Backoffice.Management.Client/uSyncManifestReader.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 using uSync.BackOffice.Configuration;
 using uSync.BackOffice.Extensions;
+using uSync.Core.Extensions;
 
 namespace uSync.Backoffice.Management.Client;
 
@@ -18,8 +19,12 @@ public class uSyncManifestComposer : IComposer
 {
     public void Compose(IUmbracoBuilder builder)
     {
-        builder.Services.AddSingleton<IPackageManifestReader, uSyncManifestReader>();
-        builder.Services.AddSingleton<IPackageManifestReader, SyncSectionManifestReader>();
+        if (builder.IsUmbracoBackOfficeEnabled())
+        {
+            // only load this when the backoffice is enabled. 
+            builder.Services.AddSingleton<IPackageManifestReader, uSyncManifestReader>();
+            builder.Services.AddSingleton<IPackageManifestReader, SyncSectionManifestReader>();
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/uSync.Core/Extensions/SyncBuilderExtensions.cs b/uSync.Core/Extensions/SyncBuilderExtensions.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ac0d055e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/uSync.Core/Extensions/SyncBuilderExtensions.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+using Umbraco.Cms.Core.DependencyInjection;
+
+namespace uSync.Core.Extensions;
+
+public static class SyncBuilderExtensions
+{
+    public static bool IsUmbracoBackOfficeEnabled(this IUmbracoBuilder builder)
+        => builder.Services.Any(s => s.ServiceType == typeof(IBackOfficeEnabledMarker));
+}
diff --git a/uSync.History/uSyncHistoryComposer.cs b/uSync.History/uSyncHistoryComposer.cs
index eea736e47..43783ac3b 100644
--- a/uSync.History/uSyncHistoryComposer.cs
+++ b/uSync.History/uSyncHistoryComposer.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 using uSync.BackOffice;
 using uSync.BackOffice.Extensions;
+using uSync.Core.Extensions;
 using uSync.History.Service;
 
 namespace uSync.History
@@ -26,6 +27,10 @@ public class uSyncHistoryComposer : IComposer
     {
         public void Compose(IUmbracoBuilder builder)
         {
+            // don't load if the backoffice is not loaded as part of the project. 
+            if (builder.IsUmbracoBackOfficeEnabled() is false)
+                return;
+
             builder.Services.AddSingleton<ISyncHistoryService, SyncHistoryService>();
 
             builder.AddNotificationAsyncHandler<uSyncImportCompletedNotification, uSyncHistoryNotificationHandler>();