diff --git a/lib/api/src/modules/refs.ts b/lib/api/src/modules/refs.ts
index b4088eae33a..00595d930ed 100644
--- a/lib/api/src/modules/refs.ts
+++ b/lib/api/src/modules/refs.ts
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ const map = (
   return input;
 };
 
-export const init: ModuleFn = ({ store, provider, fullAPI }) => {
+export const init: ModuleFn = ({ store, provider, fullAPI }, { runCheck = true } = {}) => {
   const api: SubAPI = {
     findRef: (source) => {
       const refs = api.getRefs();
@@ -232,9 +232,11 @@ export const init: ModuleFn = ({ store, provider, fullAPI }) => {
     r.type = 'unknown';
   });
 
-  Object.entries(refs).forEach(([k, v]) => {
-    api.checkRef(v as SetRefData);
-  });
+  if (runCheck) {
+    Object.entries(refs).forEach(([k, v]) => {
+      api.checkRef(v as SetRefData);
+    });
+  }
 
   return {
     api,
diff --git a/lib/api/src/tests/refs.test.js b/lib/api/src/tests/refs.test.js
index 97786ec15eb..1c54af75597 100644
--- a/lib/api/src/tests/refs.test.js
+++ b/lib/api/src/tests/refs.test.js
@@ -45,9 +45,55 @@ const store = {
       },
     },
   }),
-  setState: jest.fn(() => {
-    // console.log('setState!');
-  }),
+  setState: jest.fn(() => {}),
+};
+
+const emptyResponse = Promise.resolve({
+  ok: true,
+  json: async () => ({}),
+});
+
+const setupResponses = (
+  a = emptyResponse,
+  b = emptyResponse,
+  c = emptyResponse,
+  d = emptyResponse
+) => {
+  fetch.mockClear();
+  store.setState.mockClear();
+
+  fetch.mockImplementation((l, o) => {
+    if (l.includes('stories') && o.credentials === 'omit') {
+      return Promise.resolve({
+        ok: a.ok,
+        json: a.response,
+      });
+    }
+    if (l.includes('stories') && o.credentials === 'include') {
+      return Promise.resolve({
+        ok: b.ok,
+        json: b.response,
+      });
+    }
+    if (l.includes('iframe')) {
+      return Promise.resolve({
+        ok: c.ok,
+        json: c.response,
+      });
+    }
+    if (l.includes('metadata')) {
+      return Promise.resolve({
+        ok: d.ok,
+        json: d.response,
+      });
+    }
+    return Promise.resolve({
+      ok: false,
+      json: () => {
+        throw new Error('not ok');
+      },
+    });
+  });
 };
 
 describe('Refs API', () => {
@@ -122,12 +168,30 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
 
     it('checks refs (all fail)', async () => {
       // given
-      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store });
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
 
-      fetch.mockClear();
-      store.setState.mockClear();
+      setupResponses(
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        }
+      );
 
-      const result = await api.checkRef({
+      await api.checkRef({
         id: 'fake',
         url: 'https://example.com',
         title: 'Fake',
@@ -192,19 +256,29 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
 
     it('checks refs (success)', async () => {
       // given
-      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store });
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
 
-      fetch.mockClear();
-      store.setState.mockClear();
-
-      fetch.mockImplementation(() =>
-        Promise.resolve({
+      setupResponses(
+        {
           ok: true,
-          json: () =>
-            Promise.resolve({
-              stories: {},
-            }),
-        })
+          response: async () => ({ stories: {} }),
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({ stories: {} }),
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({
+            versions: {},
+          }),
+        }
       );
 
       await api.checkRef({
@@ -253,7 +327,7 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
         ]
       `);
 
-      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[1][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[0][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         Object {
           "refs": Object {
             "fake": Object {
@@ -263,6 +337,7 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
               "title": "Fake",
               "type": "lazy",
               "url": "https://example.com",
+              "versions": Object {},
             },
           },
         }
@@ -271,19 +346,31 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
 
     it('checks refs (auth)', async () => {
       // given
-      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store });
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
 
-      fetch.mockClear();
-      store.setState.mockClear();
-
-      fetch.mockImplementation(() =>
-        Promise.resolve({
+      setupResponses(
+        {
           ok: true,
-          json: () =>
-            Promise.resolve({
-              loginUrl: 'https://example.com/login',
-            }),
-        })
+          response: async () => ({ loginUrl: 'https://example.com/login' }),
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        }
       );
 
       await api.checkRef({
@@ -323,17 +410,7 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
             "https://example.com/metadata.json",
             Object {
               "cache": "no-cache",
-              "credentials": "include",
-              "headers": Object {
-                "Accept": "application/json",
-              },
-            },
-          ],
-          Array [
-            "https://example.com/metadata.json",
-            Object {
-              "cache": "no-cache",
-              "credentials": "include",
+              "credentials": "omit",
               "headers": Object {
                 "Accept": "application/json",
               },
@@ -342,7 +419,7 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
         ]
       `);
 
-      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[1][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[0][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         Object {
           "refs": Object {
             "fake": Object {
@@ -361,38 +438,33 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
 
     it('checks refs (mixed)', async () => {
       // given
-      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store });
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
 
       fetch.mockClear();
       store.setState.mockClear();
 
-      fetch.mockImplementation((l, o) => {
-        if (l.includes('stories') && o.credentials === 'omit') {
-          return Promise.resolve({
-            ok: true,
-            json: () =>
-              Promise.resolve({
-                loginUrl: 'https://example.com/login',
-              }),
-          });
-        }
-        if (l.includes('stories') && o.credentials === 'include') {
-          return Promise.resolve({
-            ok: true,
-            json: () =>
-              Promise.resolve({
-                stories: {},
-              }),
-          });
-        }
-        return Promise.resolve({
+      setupResponses(
+        {
           ok: true,
-          json: () =>
-            Promise.resolve({
-              versions: { '1.0.0': 'https://example.com/v1', '2.0.0': 'https://example.com' },
-            }),
-        });
-      });
+          response: async () => ({ loginUrl: 'https://example.com/login' }),
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({ stories: {} }),
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({
+            versions: { '1.0.0': 'https://example.com/v1', '2.0.0': 'https://example.com' },
+          }),
+        }
+      );
 
       await api.checkRef({
         id: 'fake',
@@ -437,20 +509,10 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
               },
             },
           ],
-          Array [
-            "https://example.com/metadata.json",
-            Object {
-              "cache": "no-cache",
-              "credentials": "include",
-              "headers": Object {
-                "Accept": "application/json",
-              },
-            },
-          ],
         ]
       `);
 
-      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[1][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[0][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
         Object {
           "refs": Object {
             "fake": Object {
@@ -469,5 +531,88 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
         }
       `);
     });
+
+    it('checks refs (cors)', async () => {
+      // given
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
+
+      setupResponses(
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('not ok');
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          ok: false,
+          response: async () => {
+            throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
+          },
+        }
+      );
+
+      await api.checkRef({
+        id: 'fake',
+        url: 'https://example.com',
+        title: 'Fake',
+      });
+
+      expect(fetch.mock.calls).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Array [
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/stories.json",
+            Object {
+              "credentials": "include",
+              "headers": Object {
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/stories.json",
+            Object {
+              "credentials": "omit",
+              "headers": Object {
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/iframe.html",
+            Object {
+              "cors": "no-cors",
+              "credentials": "omit",
+            },
+          ],
+        ]
+      `);
+
+      expect(store.setState.mock.calls[0][0]).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Object {
+          "refs": Object {
+            "fake": Object {
+              "id": "fake",
+              "ready": false,
+              "stories": undefined,
+              "title": "Fake",
+              "type": "auto-inject",
+              "url": "https://example.com",
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      `);
+    });
   });
 });