diff --git a/files/app/main/status/e/local-services.ut b/files/app/main/status/e/local-services.ut
index 92de813c..5f3ca75f 100755
--- a/files/app/main/status/e/local-services.ut
+++ b/files/app/main/status/e/local-services.ut
@@ -37,7 +37,15 @@ if (request.env.REQUEST_METHOD === "PUT") {
     configuration.prepareChanges();
     if ("services" in request.args) {
         const services = json(request.args.services);
-        uciMesh.set("setup", "services", "service", services);
+        if (!uciMesh.get("setup", "services")) {
+            uciMesh.set("setup", "services", "services");
+        }
+        if (length(services)) {
+            uciMesh.set("setup", "services", "service", services);
+        }
+        else {
+            uciMesh.delete("setup", "services", "service");
+        }
         uciMesh.commit("setup");
     }
     if ("aliases" in request.args) {
@@ -108,7 +116,7 @@ const ae = iptoarr(dhcp.end);
 const reService = regexp("^([^|]+)\\|1\\|([^|]+)\\|([^|]+)\\|(\\d+)\\|(.*)$");
 const reLink = regexp("^([^|]+)\\|0\\|\\|([^|]+)\\|\\|$");
 const reType = regexp("^(.+) \\[([a-z]+)\\]$");
-const svcs = uciMesh.get("setup", "services", "service");
+const svcs = uciMesh.get("setup", "services", "service") || [];
 for (let i = 0; i < length(svcs); i++) {
     const l = trim(svcs[i]);
     const v = match(l, reService);
diff --git a/files/app/partial/local-services.ut b/files/app/partial/local-services.ut
index 0b6147f6..24374e1e 100755
--- a/files/app/partial/local-services.ut
+++ b/files/app/partial/local-services.ut
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
         }
         f.close();
     }
-    const svcs = uciMesh.get("setup", "services", "service");
+    const svcs = uciMesh.get("setup", "services", "service") || [];
     for (let i = 0; i < length(svcs); i++) {
         const l = trim(svcs[i]);
         const v = match(l, reService);
diff --git a/files/usr/lib/lua/aredn/services.lua b/files/usr/lib/lua/aredn/services.lua
index 5a0abfbc..48e2b002 100755
--- a/files/usr/lib/lua/aredn/services.lua
+++ b/files/usr/lib/lua/aredn/services.lua
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ local function get(validate)
     end
 
     -- load the services
-    local svcs = uci.cursor("/etc/config.mesh"):get_all("setup", "services", "service")
+    local svcs = uci.cursor("/etc/config.mesh"):get_all("setup", "services", "service") or {}
     for _, svc in ipairs(svcs)
     do
         local name, link, proto, host, port, sffx = svc:match("(.*)|(.*)|(.*)|(.*)|(.*)|(.*)")