diff --git a/cmd/neofs-node/attributes.go b/cmd/neofs-node/attributes.go
index 9cef09df48..8fa0475b02 100644
--- a/cmd/neofs-node/attributes.go
+++ b/cmd/neofs-node/attributes.go
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ const (
 )
 
 func parseAttributes(c *config.Config) []*netmap.NodeAttribute {
+	if nodeconfig.Relay(c) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	stringAttributes := nodeconfig.Attributes(c)
 
 	attrs, err := attributes.ParseV2Attributes(stringAttributes, nil)
diff --git a/cmd/neofs-node/config.go b/cmd/neofs-node/config.go
index 5ba45cf86f..de7618f39e 100644
--- a/cmd/neofs-node/config.go
+++ b/cmd/neofs-node/config.go
@@ -237,7 +237,12 @@ func initCfg(path string) *cfg {
 	log, err := logger.NewLogger(logPrm)
 	fatalOnErr(err)
 
-	netAddr := nodeconfig.BootstrapAddresses(appCfg)
+	var netAddr network.AddressGroup
+
+	relayOnly := nodeconfig.Relay(appCfg)
+	if !relayOnly {
+		netAddr = nodeconfig.BootstrapAddresses(appCfg)
+	}
 
 	maxChunkSize := uint64(maxMsgSize) * 3 / 4          // 25% to meta, 75% to payload
 	maxAddrAmount := uint64(maxChunkSize) / addressSize // each address is about 72 bytes
@@ -256,8 +261,6 @@ func initCfg(path string) *cfg {
 	reputationWorkerPool, err := ants.NewPool(notificationHandlerPoolSize)
 	fatalOnErr(err)
 
-	relayOnly := nodeconfig.Relay(appCfg)
-
 	c := &cfg{
 		ctx:         context.Background(),
 		appCfg:      appCfg,