diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a5fb8dc6..45ef6a76 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ VeVote is a decentralized governance platform. This repository serves as the mon
 
 Ensure your development environment is set up with the following:
 
-- **Node.js (v18 or later):** [Download here](https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager) 📥
+- **Node.js (v22 or later):** [Download here](https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager) 📥
 - **Yarn:** [Install here](https://classic.yarnpkg.com/lang/en/docs/install/#mac-stable) 🧶
 - **Docker (for containerization):** [Get Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) 🐳
 - **Hardhat (for smart contracts):** [Getting Started with Hardhat](https://hardhat.org/hardhat-runner/docs/getting-started) ⛑️
diff --git a/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/helpers.ts b/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/helpers.ts
index 0b2a9c10..e86031b4 100644
--- a/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/helpers.ts
+++ b/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/helpers.ts
@@ -243,8 +243,11 @@ export const parseHistoricalProposals = async (
   data?: HistoricalProposalData[],
 ): Promise<HistoricalProposalMerged[]> => {
   if (!data) return [];
-  const ipfsFetches = data.map(d => getProposalsFromIpfs(d.description));
 
+  // Only fetch from IPFS if description (CID) is valid
+  const ipfsFetches = data.map(d =>
+    d.description ? getProposalsFromIpfs(d.description) : Promise.resolve({ ipfsHash: undefined }),
+  );
   const ipfsDetails = await Promise.all(ipfsFetches);
 
   return data.map(d => {
diff --git a/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/proposalQueriesUtils.ts b/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/proposalQueriesUtils.ts
index a388a861..5ba72ade 100644
--- a/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/proposalQueriesUtils.ts
+++ b/apps/frontend/src/utils/proposals/proposalQueriesUtils.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@ export const paginateProposals = (proposals: MergedProposal[], cursor?: string,
 };
 
 export const enrichProposalsWithData = async (proposals: FromEventsToProposalsReturnType) => {
-  const ipfsFetches = proposals.map(p => getProposalsFromIpfs(p.ipfsHash));
+  // Only fetch from IPFS if ipfsHash is valid
+  const ipfsFetches = proposals.map(p =>
+    p.ipfsHash ? getProposalsFromIpfs(p.ipfsHash) : Promise.resolve({ ipfsHash: undefined }),
+  );
   const ipfsDetails: IpfsDetails[] = await Promise.all(ipfsFetches);
 
   const mergedWithIpfs = mergeIpfsDetails(ipfsDetails, proposals);