diff --git a/src/synclean/config/settings.py b/src/synclean/config/settings.py
index 9fcf8a9..a9b32d0 100644
--- a/src/synclean/config/settings.py
+++ b/src/synclean/config/settings.py
@@ -12,13 +12,15 @@ class SettingsManager:
     def __init__(self, config_path: Path = DEFAULT_PATH) -> None:
         self.config_path = config_path
 
-    def load_config(self) -> SynapseConfig:
+    def load_config(self) -> SynapseConfig | None:
         """Load Synapse configuration from YAML file with validation."""
         try:
+            if not self.config_path.exists():
+                return None
             with self.config_path.open('r', encoding="utf-8") as f:
                 config_data = yaml.safe_load(f)
         except FileNotFoundError:
-            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Config file not found: {self.config_path}") from None
+            None
         except yaml.YAMLError as e:
             raise ValueError(f"Invalid YAML syntax: {e}") from e