diff --git a/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.spec.ts b/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.spec.ts
index bc018577684fe..a3d52906ef9da 100644
--- a/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.spec.ts
@@ -91,4 +91,24 @@ describe('updateRootJestConfig', () => {
 
     expect(rootJestConfig).toMatchSnapshot();
   });
+
+  it('should handle not having a root jest config file', async () => {
+    // ARRANGE
+    tree.delete('jest.config.ts');
+
+    await libraryGenerator(tree, {
+      name: 'test',
+      bundler: 'vite',
+      unitTestRunner: 'vitest',
+    });
+
+    // ACT
+    expect(() =>
+      updateJestConfig(
+        tree,
+        { projectName: 'test', skipFormat: false, forceRemove: false },
+        readProjectConfiguration(tree, 'test')
+      )
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.ts b/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.ts
index 1cf5aef33a8f5..8ac17f22b0f90 100644
--- a/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.ts
+++ b/packages/workspace/src/generators/remove/lib/update-jest-config.ts
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ export function updateJestConfig(
   const rootConfigPath = findRootJestConfig(tree);
 
   if (
+    !rootConfigPath ||
     !tree.exists(rootConfigPath) ||
     !tree.exists(join(projectConfig.root, 'jest.config.ts')) ||
     isUsingUtilityFunction(tree) ||