diff --git a/api/rpk-api/firm/core/depends.py b/api/rpk-api/firm/core/depends.py
index c0254a0..8f3342c 100644
--- a/api/rpk-api/firm/core/depends.py
+++ b/api/rpk-api/firm/core/depends.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def get_authed_tenant_registry(registry=Depends(get_tenant_registry), user=Depen
 async def get_uninitialized_registry(instance: str, firm: str, db_client=Depends(get_db_client), user=Depends(get_current_user)) -> Registry:
     registry = Registry(db_client, instance, firm)
     if await registry.current_firm is not None:
-        HTTPException(status_code=409, detail="Firm configuration already exists")
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail="Firm configuration already exists")
 
     try:
         registry.set_user(user)