diff --git a/src/lib/state-store.js b/src/lib/state-store.js
index 340b5ad..94edfc8 100644
--- a/src/lib/state-store.js
+++ b/src/lib/state-store.js
@@ -32,6 +32,21 @@ class JsonFileStateStore {
   }
 }
 
+class InMemoryStateStore {
+  constructor(initialState = null) {
+    this.state = initialState;
+  }
+
+  async load() {
+    return this.state;
+  }
+
+  async save(state) {
+    this.state = state;
+  }
+}
+
 module.exports = {
   JsonFileStateStore,
+  InMemoryStateStore,
 };
diff --git a/src/server.js b/src/server.js
index 538bf47..288d364 100644
--- a/src/server.js
+++ b/src/server.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const http = require("node:http");
 const { buildApp } = require("./app");
 const { config } = require("./config");
 const { ConvexStateStore } = require("./lib/convex-state-store");
+const { InMemoryStateStore } = require("./lib/state-store");
 const { createLogger } = require("./lib/logger");
 
 function readBody(req) {
@@ -81,13 +82,23 @@ function createMutationPersister({ stateStore, logger = console }) {
 }
 
 async function createRuntime({ runtimeConfig = config, logger = console, stateStore = null } = {}) {
-  const effectiveStateStore = stateStore || new ConvexStateStore({
+  let effectiveStateStore = stateStore || new ConvexStateStore({
     deploymentUrl: runtimeConfig.convexDeploymentUrl,
     authToken: runtimeConfig.convexAuthToken,
     readFunction: runtimeConfig.convexStateQuery,
     writeFunction: runtimeConfig.convexStateMutation,
   });
-  const initialState = await effectiveStateStore.load();
+  let initialState;
+  try {
+    initialState = await effectiveStateStore.load();
+  } catch (error) {
+    logger.warn(
+      { err: error },
+      "failed to initialize configured state store; falling back to in-memory state",
+    );
+    effectiveStateStore = new InMemoryStateStore();
+    initialState = await effectiveStateStore.load();
+  }
   const persister = createMutationPersister({ stateStore: effectiveStateStore, logger });
 
   const app = buildApp({
diff --git a/test/config.test.js b/test/config.test.js
index 71d54b6..3af30c5 100644
--- a/test/config.test.js
+++ b/test/config.test.js
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ test("config uses defaults when env is missing", () => {
     APP_BASE_URL: "",
     BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: "",
     BETTER_AUTH_BASE_PATH: "",
+    INTERNAL_API_TOKEN: "",
     QWEN_TTS_MODEL: "",
     MINIO_SIGNED_URL_TTL_SEC: "",
     MINIO_USE_SSL: "",
diff --git a/test/server.test.js b/test/server.test.js
index 72deab4..c60dbc3 100644
--- a/test/server.test.js
+++ b/test/server.test.js
@@ -2,7 +2,65 @@
 
 const test = require("node:test");
 const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
-const { mapToAppRequest, normalizeHeaders, createMutationPersister } = require("../src/server");
+const {
+  mapToAppRequest,
+  normalizeHeaders,
+  createMutationPersister,
+  createRuntime,
+} = require("../src/server");
+
+function createRuntimeConfig() {
+  return {
+    port: 3000,
+    logLevel: "info",
+    appBaseUrl: "http://localhost:3000",
+    betterAuthSecret: "test-better-auth-secret",
+    betterAuthBasePath: "/api/auth",
+    betterAuthDevPassword: "xartaudio-dev-password",
+    internalApiToken: "",
+    convexDeploymentUrl: "",
+    convexAuthToken: "",
+    convexStateQuery: "state:getLatestSnapshot",
+    convexStateMutation: "state:saveSnapshot",
+    xWebhookSecret: "x-secret",
+    xBearerToken: "",
+    xBotUserId: "",
+    polarWebhookSecret: "polar-secret",
+    polarAccessToken: "",
+    polarServer: "production",
+    polarProductIds: [],
+    qwenTtsApiKey: "",
+    qwenTtsBaseUrl: "https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
+    qwenTtsModel: "qwen-tts-latest",
+    qwenTtsVoice: "Cherry",
+    qwenTtsFormat: "mp3",
+    minioEndPoint: "",
+    minioPort: 443,
+    minioUseSSL: true,
+    minioBucket: "",
+    minioRegion: "us-east-1",
+    minioAccessKey: "",
+    minioSecretKey: "",
+    minioSignedUrlTtlSec: 3600,
+    rateLimits: {
+      webhookPerMinute: 120,
+      authPerMinute: 30,
+      actionPerMinute: 60,
+    },
+    abuse: {
+      maxJobsPerUserPerDay: 0,
+      cooldownSec: 0,
+      denyUserIds: [],
+    },
+    credit: {
+      baseCredits: 1,
+      includedChars: 25000,
+      stepChars: 10000,
+      stepCredits: 1,
+      maxCharsPerArticle: 120000,
+    },
+  };
+}
 
 test("normalizeHeaders lowercases and joins array values", () => {
   const headers = normalizeHeaders({
@@ -49,3 +107,39 @@ test("createMutationPersister writes sequentially and flush waits", async () =>
 
   assert.deepEqual(saved, ["s1", "s2"]);
 });
+
+test("createRuntime falls back to in-memory state when initial load fails", async () => {
+  const warnings = [];
+  const runtime = await createRuntime({
+    runtimeConfig: createRuntimeConfig(),
+    logger: {
+      warn(payload, message) {
+        warnings.push({ payload, message });
+      },
+      info() {},
+      error() {},
+    },
+    stateStore: {
+      async load() {
+        throw new Error("state_load_failed");
+      },
+      async save() {
+        throw new Error("state_save_should_not_run");
+      },
+    },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(warnings.length, 1);
+  assert.match(String(warnings[0].message), /falling back to in-memory state/);
+
+  const response = await runtime.app.handleRequest({
+    method: "POST",
+    path: "/app/actions/topup",
+    headers: { "x-user-id": "u1" },
+    rawBody: "amount=3",
+    query: {},
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(response.status, 303);
+  await runtime.persister.flush();
+});
diff --git a/test/state-store.test.js b/test/state-store.test.js
index a60203b..939a4f6 100644
--- a/test/state-store.test.js
+++ b/test/state-store.test.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
 const os = require("node:os");
 const path = require("node:path");
 const fs = require("node:fs/promises");
-const { JsonFileStateStore } = require("../src/lib/state-store");
+const { JsonFileStateStore, InMemoryStateStore } = require("../src/lib/state-store");
 
 test("load returns null when state file does not exist", async () => {
   const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "xartaudio-state-test-"));
@@ -33,3 +33,12 @@ test("save and load roundtrip state", async () => {
 
   assert.deepEqual(actual, expected);
 });
+
+test("in memory state store roundtrips without filesystem", async () => {
+  const store = new InMemoryStateStore();
+  assert.equal(await store.load(), null);
+
+  await store.save({ engine: { jobs: {} } });
+  const loaded = await store.load();
+  assert.deepEqual(loaded, { engine: { jobs: {} } });
+});