diff --git a/src/middleware/validate-collection.ts b/src/middleware/validate-collection.ts
index aa63c41886..bff8b6794e 100644
--- a/src/middleware/validate-collection.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/validate-collection.ts
@@ -12,12 +12,20 @@ const validateCollection: RequestHandler = asyncHandler(async (req, res, next) =
 
 	const exists = await database.schema.hasTable(req.params.collection);
 
-	if (exists) {
-		req.collection = req.params.collection;
-		return next();
+	if (exists === false) {
+		throw new CollectionNotFoundException(req.params.collection);
 	}
 
-	throw new CollectionNotFoundException(req.params.collection);
+	req.collection = req.params.collection;
+
+	const { single } = await database
+		.select('single')
+		.from('directus_collections')
+		.where({ collection: req.collection })
+		.first();
+	req.single = single;
+
+	return next();
 });
 
 export default validateCollection;
diff --git a/src/routes/settings.ts b/src/routes/settings.ts
index ac312d74b4..bfab4d2afa 100644
--- a/src/routes/settings.ts
+++ b/src/routes/settings.ts
@@ -24,15 +24,11 @@ router.patch(
 	sanitizeQuery,
 	validateQuery,
 	asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
-		const primaryKey = await SettingsService.updateSettings(
-			req.params.pk /** @TODO Singleton */,
-			req.body,
-			{
-				ip: req.ip,
-				userAgent: req.get('user-agent'),
-				user: req.user,
-			}
-		);
+		await SettingsService.updateSettings(req.body, {
+			ip: req.ip,
+			userAgent: req.get('user-agent'),
+			user: req.user,
+		});
 
 		const record = await SettingsService.readSettings(req.sanitizedQuery);
 
diff --git a/src/services/settings.ts b/src/services/settings.ts
index 32837bce8a..c416c98621 100644
--- a/src/services/settings.ts
+++ b/src/services/settings.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Query } from '../types/query';
 import * as ItemsService from './items';
 import { Accountability } from '../types';
+import database, { schemaInspector } from '../database';
 
 export const readSettings = async (query: Query) => {
 	const settings = await ItemsService.readItems('directus_settings', {
@@ -8,14 +9,28 @@ export const readSettings = async (query: Query) => {
 		limit: 1,
 	});
 
-	return settings[0];
+	const settingsObj = settings[0];
+
+	if (!settingsObj) {
+		const settingsColumns = await schemaInspector.columnInfo('directus_settings');
+		const defaults = {};
+
+		for (const column of settingsColumns) {
+			defaults[column.name] = column.default_value;
+		}
+
+		return defaults;
+	}
+
+	return settingsObj;
 };
 
-export const updateSettings = async (
-	pk: string | number,
-	data: Record<string, any>,
-	accountability: Accountability
-) => {
-	/** @NOTE I guess this can technically update _all_ items, as we expect there to only be one */
-	return await ItemsService.updateItem('directus_settings', pk, data, accountability);
+export const updateSettings = async (data: Record<string, any>, accountability: Accountability) => {
+	const record = await database.select('id').from('directus_settings').limit(1).first();
+
+	if (record) {
+		return await ItemsService.updateItem('directus_settings', record.id, data, accountability);
+	}
+
+	return await ItemsService.createItem('directus_settings', data, accountability);
 };
diff --git a/src/types/express.d.ts b/src/types/express.d.ts
index 01ba743a4e..cd00f44ffb 100644
--- a/src/types/express.d.ts
+++ b/src/types/express.d.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ declare global {
 			role?: string;
 			collection?: string;
 			sanitizedQuery?: Record<string, any>;
+			single: boolean;
 		}
 	}
 }