diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7227525..770cf68 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -138,7 +138,12 @@ fastify.get('/favicon.ico', function (req, reply) {
 
 ### Options
 
-#### `root` (required)
+#### `serve`
+Default: `true`
+
+If set to `false`, the plugin will not serve files from the `root` directory.
+
+#### `root` (required if `serve` is not false)
 
 The absolute path of the directory containing the files to serve.
 The file to serve is determined by combining `req.url` with the
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index a4e81f6..0ff84c5 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -19,8 +19,10 @@ send.mime.default_type = 'application/octet-stream'
 
 /** @type {import("fastify").FastifyPluginAsync<import("./types").FastifyStaticOptions>} */
 async function fastifyStatic (fastify, opts) {
-  opts.root = normalizeRoot(opts.root)
-  checkRootPathForErrors(fastify, opts.root)
+  if (opts.serve !== false || opts.root !== undefined) {
+    opts.root = normalizeRoot(opts.root)
+    checkRootPathForErrors(fastify, opts.root)
+  }
 
   const setHeaders = opts.setHeaders
   if (setHeaders !== undefined && typeof setHeaders !== 'function') {
@@ -199,6 +201,8 @@ async function fastifyStatic (fastify, opts) {
       } else {
         options.root = rootPath
       }
+    } else if (path.isAbsolute(pathname) === false) {
+      return reply.callNotFound()
     }
 
     if (allowedPath && !allowedPath(pathname, options.root, request)) {
diff --git a/test/static.test.js b/test/static.test.js
index 8077c00..cd5e147 100644
--- a/test/static.test.js
+++ b/test/static.test.js
@@ -753,6 +753,51 @@ test('serving disabled', async (t) => {
   })
 })
 
+test('serving disabled without root', async (t) => {
+  t.plan(2)
+
+  const pluginOptions = {
+    prefix: '/static/',
+    serve: false
+  }
+  const fastify = Fastify()
+  fastify.register(fastifyStatic, pluginOptions)
+
+  t.after(() => fastify.close())
+
+  fastify.get('/foo/bar/r', (_request, reply) => {
+    reply.sendFile('index.html')
+  })
+
+  fastify.get('/foo/bar/a', (_request, reply) => {
+    reply.sendFile(path.join(__dirname, pluginOptions.prefix, 'index.html'))
+  })
+
+  t.after(() => fastify.close())
+
+  await fastify.listen({ port: 0 })
+
+  fastify.server.unref()
+
+  await t.test('/static/index.html via sendFile not found', async (t) => {
+    t.plan(3 + GENERIC_RESPONSE_CHECK_COUNT)
+
+    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:' + fastify.server.address().port + '/foo/bar/a')
+    t.assert.ok(response.ok)
+    t.assert.deepStrictEqual(response.status, 200)
+    t.assert.deepStrictEqual(await response.text(), indexContent)
+    genericResponseChecks(t, response)
+  })
+
+  await t.test('/static/index.html via sendFile with relative path not found', async (t) => {
+    t.plan(2)
+
+    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:' + fastify.server.address().port + '/foo/bar/r')
+    t.assert.ok(!response.ok)
+    t.assert.deepStrictEqual(response.status, 404)
+  })
+})
+
 test('sendFile', async (t) => {
   t.plan(4)
 
@@ -1215,7 +1260,7 @@ test('maxAge option', async (t) => {
 })
 
 test('errors', async (t) => {
-  t.plan(11)
+  t.plan(12)
 
   await t.test('no root', async (t) => {
     t.plan(1)
@@ -1280,6 +1325,16 @@ test('errors', async (t) => {
     await t.assert.rejects(async () => await fastify.register(fastifyStatic, pluginOptions))
   })
 
+  await t.test('no root and serve: false', async (t) => {
+    t.plan(1)
+    const pluginOptions = {
+      serve: false,
+      root: []
+    }
+    const fastify = Fastify({ logger: false })
+    await t.assert.rejects(async () => await fastify.register(fastifyStatic, pluginOptions))
+  })
+
   await t.test('duplicate root paths are not allowed', async (t) => {
     t.plan(1)
     const pluginOptions = {
diff --git a/types/index.d.ts b/types/index.d.ts
index d410bb2..6aef4a0 100644
--- a/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/types/index.d.ts
@@ -84,40 +84,52 @@ declare namespace fastifyStatic {
     serveDotFiles?: boolean;
   }
 
-  export interface FastifyStaticOptions extends SendOptions {
-    root: string | string[] | URL | URL[];
-    prefix?: string;
-    prefixAvoidTrailingSlash?: boolean;
-    serve?: boolean;
-    decorateReply?: boolean;
-    schemaHide?: boolean;
-    setHeaders?: (res: SetHeadersResponse, path: string, stat: Stats) => void;
-    redirect?: boolean;
-    wildcard?: boolean;
-    globIgnore?: string[];
-    list?: boolean | ListOptionsJsonFormat | ListOptionsHtmlFormat;
-    allowedPath?: (pathName: string, root: string, request: FastifyRequest) => boolean;
-    /**
-     * @description
-     * Opt-in to looking for pre-compressed files
-     */
-    preCompressed?: boolean;
-
-    // Passed on to `send`
-    acceptRanges?: boolean;
-    contentType?: boolean;
-    cacheControl?: boolean;
-    dotfiles?: 'allow' | 'deny' | 'ignore';
-    etag?: boolean;
-    extensions?: string[];
-    immutable?: boolean;
-    index?: string[] | string | false;
-    lastModified?: boolean;
-    maxAge?: string | number;
-    constraints?: RouteOptions['constraints'];
-    logLevel?: RouteOptions['logLevel'];
+  type Root = string | string[] | URL | URL[]
+
+  type RootOptions = {
+    serve: true;
+    root: Root;
+  } | {
+    serve?: false;
+    root?: Root;
   }
 
+  export type FastifyStaticOptions =
+    SendOptions
+    & RootOptions
+    & {
+      // Added by this plugin
+      prefix?: string;
+      prefixAvoidTrailingSlash?: boolean;
+      decorateReply?: boolean;
+      schemaHide?: boolean;
+      setHeaders?: (res: SetHeadersResponse, path: string, stat: Stats) => void;
+      redirect?: boolean;
+      wildcard?: boolean;
+      globIgnore?: string[];
+      list?: boolean | ListOptionsJsonFormat | ListOptionsHtmlFormat;
+      allowedPath?: (pathName: string, root: string, request: FastifyRequest) => boolean;
+      /**
+       * @description
+       * Opt-in to looking for pre-compressed files
+       */
+      preCompressed?: boolean;
+
+      // Passed on to `send`
+      acceptRanges?: boolean;
+      contentType?: boolean;
+      cacheControl?: boolean;
+      dotfiles?: 'allow' | 'deny' | 'ignore';
+      etag?: boolean;
+      extensions?: string[];
+      immutable?: boolean;
+      index?: string[] | string | false;
+      lastModified?: boolean;
+      maxAge?: string | number;
+      constraints?: RouteOptions['constraints'];
+      logLevel?: RouteOptions['logLevel'];
+    }
+
   export const fastifyStatic: FastifyStaticPlugin
 
   export { fastifyStatic as default }
diff --git a/types/index.test-d.ts b/types/index.test-d.ts
index eafe4fd..ff5b103 100644
--- a/types/index.test-d.ts
+++ b/types/index.test-d.ts
@@ -120,6 +120,19 @@ expectAssignable<FastifyStaticOptions>({
   root: [new URL('')]
 })
 
+expectError<FastifyStaticOptions>({
+  serve: true
+})
+
+expectAssignable<FastifyStaticOptions>({
+  serve: true,
+  root: ''
+})
+
+expectAssignable<FastifyStaticOptions>({
+  serve: false
+})
+
 appWithImplicitHttp
   .register(fastifyStatic, options)
   .after(() => {