diff --git a/quartz/plugins/emitters/contentIndex.ts b/quartz/plugins/emitters/contentIndex.ts
index 4c5649b7b..f17834009 100644
--- a/quartz/plugins/emitters/contentIndex.ts
+++ b/quartz/plugins/emitters/contentIndex.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { toHtml } from "hast-util-to-html"
 import { write } from "./helpers"
 import { i18n } from "../../i18n"
 import DepGraph from "../../depgraph"
+import chalk from "chalk"
 
 export type ContentIndex = Map<FullSlug, ContentDetails>
 export type ContentDetails = {
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ export type ContentDetails = {
 interface Options {
   enableSiteMap: boolean
   enableRSS: boolean
+  bypassIndexCheck: boolean
   rssLimit?: number
   rssFullHtml: boolean
   includeEmptyFiles: boolean
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@ interface Options {
 }
 
 const defaultOptions: Options = {
+  bypassIndexCheck: false,
   enableSiteMap: true,
   enableRSS: true,
   rssLimit: 10,
@@ -116,8 +119,18 @@ export const ContentIndex: QuartzEmitterPlugin<Partial<Options>> = (opts) => {
       return graph
     },
     async emit(ctx, content, _resources) {
+      // If we're missing an index file, don't bother with sitemap/RSS gen
+      if (!(opts?.bypassIndexCheck || "index" in content.filter(c => c[1].data.slug!))) {
+        console.warn(chalk.yellow(`Warning: contentIndex: 
+  content/ folder is missing an index.md. RSS feeds and sitemap will not be generated.
+  If you still wish to generate these files, add:
+    bypassIndexCheck: true,
+  to your configuration for Plugin.ContentIndex({...}) in quartz.config.ts`))
+        return []
+      }
+
       const cfg = ctx.cfg.configuration
-      const emitted: FilePath[] = []
+      const emitted: Promise<FilePath>[] = []
       const feedIndices: Map<string, ContentIndex> = new Map()
 
       for (const feed of opts?.feedDirectories!) {
@@ -149,7 +162,7 @@ export const ContentIndex: QuartzEmitterPlugin<Partial<Options>> = (opts) => {
       const siteFeed = feedIndices.get("index")!
       if (opts?.enableSiteMap) {
         emitted.push(
-          await write({
+          write({
             ctx,
             // bfahrenfort: "index" is guaranteed non-null
             // see directories instantiation and feedIndices.set iterating over directories
@@ -161,24 +174,20 @@ export const ContentIndex: QuartzEmitterPlugin<Partial<Options>> = (opts) => {
       }
 
       if (opts?.enableRSS) {
-        var feedPromises: Promise<FilePath>[] = []
         opts.feedDirectories!.map((feed) => {
-          feedPromises.push(
-            write({
-              ctx,
-              // bfahrenfort: we just generated a feedIndices entry for every directories entry, guaranteed non-null
-              content: generateRSSFeed(cfg, feedIndices.get(feed)!, opts?.rssLimit),
-              slug: feed as FullSlug,
-              ext: ".xml",
-            }),
-          )
+          emitted.push(write({
+            ctx,
+            // bfahrenfort: we just generated a feedIndices entry for every directories entry, guaranteed non-null
+            content: generateRSSFeed(cfg, feedIndices.get(feed)!, opts?.rssLimit),
+            slug: feed as FullSlug,
+            ext: ".xml",
+          }))
         })
-        emitted.push(...(await Promise.all(feedPromises)))
       }
 
       const fp = joinSegments("static", "contentIndex") as FullSlug
       const simplifiedIndex = Object.fromEntries(
-        Array.from(feedIndices.get("index") ?? []).map(([slug, content]) => {
+        Array.from(feedIndices.get("index")!).map(([slug, content]) => {
           // remove description and from content index as nothing downstream
           // actually uses it. we only keep it in the index as we need it
           // for the RSS feed
@@ -189,7 +198,7 @@ export const ContentIndex: QuartzEmitterPlugin<Partial<Options>> = (opts) => {
       )
 
       emitted.push(
-        await write({
+        write({
           ctx,
           content: JSON.stringify(simplifiedIndex),
           slug: fp,
@@ -197,7 +206,7 @@ export const ContentIndex: QuartzEmitterPlugin<Partial<Options>> = (opts) => {
         }),
       )
 
-      return emitted
+      return await Promise.all(emitted)
     },
     getQuartzComponents: () => [],
   }