diff --git a/cmd/neofs-ir/defaults.go b/cmd/neofs-ir/defaults.go
index f31354fa9..516192baa 100644
--- a/cmd/neofs-ir/defaults.go
+++ b/cmd/neofs-ir/defaults.go
@@ -64,8 +64,6 @@ func defaultConfiguration(cfg *viper.Viper) {
 	cfg.SetDefault("contracts.proxy", "")
 	cfg.SetDefault("contracts.processing", "")
 	cfg.SetDefault("contracts.reputation", "")
-	// alphabet contracts
-	cfg.SetDefault("contracts.alphabet.amount", 7)
 
 	cfg.SetDefault("timers.epoch", "0")
 	cfg.SetDefault("timers.emit", "0")
diff --git a/pkg/innerring/contracts.go b/pkg/innerring/contracts.go
index dcc59ed7f..5c5504f27 100644
--- a/pkg/innerring/contracts.go
+++ b/pkg/innerring/contracts.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package innerring
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -87,18 +88,34 @@ func parseAlphabetContracts(cfg *viper.Viper, morph *client.Client) (alphabetCon
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("amount of alphabet contracts overflows glagolitsa %d > %d", num, lastLetterNum)
 	}
 
+	thresholdIsSet := num != 0
+
+	if !thresholdIsSet {
+		// try to read maximum alphabet contracts
+		// if threshold has not been set manually
+		num = lastLetterNum
+	}
+
 	for letter := az; letter < num; letter++ {
 		contractHash, err := parseContract(cfg, morph,
 			"contracts.alphabet."+letter.String(),
 			client.NNSAlphabetContractName(int(letter)),
 		)
 		if err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, client.ErrNNSRecordNotFound) {
+				break
+			}
+
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid alphabet %s contract: %w", letter, err)
 		}
 
 		alpha.set(letter, contractHash)
 	}
 
+	if thresholdIsSet && len(alpha) != int(num) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not read all contracts: required %d, read %d", num, len(alpha))
+	}
+
 	return alpha, nil
 }