diff --git a/sat/plugins/plugin_comp_ap_gateway/__init__.py b/sat/plugins/plugin_comp_ap_gateway/__init__.py
index 5f1477bf..162c2c60 100644
--- a/sat/plugins/plugin_comp_ap_gateway/__init__.py
+++ b/sat/plugins/plugin_comp_ap_gateway/__init__.py
@@ -389,16 +389,31 @@ class APGateway:
                 self.client, author_jid, node
             )
             if not cached_node:
-                raise exceptions.NotFound
-            cached_items, __ = await self.host.memory.storage.getItems(
-                cached_node, item_ids=[item_id]
-            )
-            if not cached_items:
-                raise exceptions.NotFound(
-                    f"item {item_id!r} is not found in cache"
+                log.debug(f"node {node!r} at {author_jid} is not found in cache")
+                found_item = None
+            else:
+                cached_items, __ = await self.host.memory.storage.getItems(
+                    cached_node, item_ids=[item_id]
                 )
+                if not cached_items:
+                    log.debug(
+                        f"item {item_id!r} of {node!r} at {author_jid} is not found in "
+                        "cache"
+                    )
+                    found_item = None
+                else:
+                    found_item = cached_items[0].data
+
+            if found_item is None:
+                # the node is not in cache, we have to make a request to retrieve the item
+                # if doesn't exist, getItems will raise a NotFound exception
+                found_items, __ = await self._p.getItems(
+                    self.client, author_jid, node, item_ids=[item_id]
+                )
+                found_item = found_items[0]
+
             mb_data = await self._m.item2mbdata(
-                self.client, cached_items[0].data, author_jid, node
+                self.client, found_item, author_jid, node
             )
             ap_item = await self.mbdata2APitem(self.client, mb_data)
             # the URL must return the object and not the activity