diff --git a/collectors/prometheus.go b/collectors/prometheus.go
index 1e97236..0c24590 100644
--- a/collectors/prometheus.go
+++ b/collectors/prometheus.go
@@ -150,8 +150,10 @@ func (p *PrometheusExporter) Start() error {
 
 	// Start the htlc monitor goroutine. This will subscribe to htlcs and
 	// update all of our routing-related metrics.
-	if err := p.htlcMonitor.start(); err != nil {
-		return err
+	if !p.monitoringCfg.DisableHtlc {
+		if err := p.htlcMonitor.start(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Finally, we'll launch the HTTP server that Prometheus will use to