diff --git a/kong/plugins/prometheus/wasmx.lua b/kong/plugins/prometheus/wasmx.lua
index d2aff3256c37..0b52f7f53d51 100644
--- a/kong/plugins/prometheus/wasmx.lua
+++ b/kong/plugins/prometheus/wasmx.lua
@@ -152,7 +152,16 @@ _M.metric_data = function()
 
   -- delayed require of the WasmX module, to ensure it is loaded
   -- after ngx_wasm_module.so is loaded.
-  wasmx_shm = wasmx_shm or require "resty.wasmx.shm"
+  if not wasmx_shm then
+    local ok, _wasmx_shm = pcall(require, "resty.wasmx.shm")
+    if ok then
+      wasmx_shm = _wasmx_shm
+    end
+  end
+
+  if not wasmx_shm then
+    return
+  end
 
   wasmx_shm.metrics:lock()