diff --git a/src/core/create_routes.ts b/src/core/create_routes.ts
index 12d57c7..6215932 100644
--- a/src/core/create_routes.ts
+++ b/src/core/create_routes.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { locations } from '../config';
 import { Page, PageComponent, ServerRoute } from '../interfaces';
 import { posixify } from './utils';
 
-const fallback_index = posixify(path.resolve(
+const fallback_file = posixify(path.resolve(
 	__dirname,
 	'../fallback.html'
 ));
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ export default function create_routes(cwd = locations.routes()) {
 	const pages: Page[] = [];
 	const server_routes: ServerRoute[] = [];
 
+	const fallback = {
+		name: 'fallback',
+		file: path.relative(cwd, fallback_file)
+	};
+
 	function walk(
 		dir: string,
 		parent_segments: Part[][],
@@ -104,17 +109,18 @@ export default function create_routes(cwd = locations.routes()) {
 					}
 					: null;
 
-				if (component) components.push(component);
+				if (component) {
+					components.push(component);
+				} else if (components.indexOf(fallback) === -1) {
+					components.push(fallback);
+				}
 
 				walk(
 					path.join(dir, item.basename),
 					segments,
 					params,
 					stack.concat({
-						component: component || {
-							name: 'fallback',
-							file: fallback_index
-						},
+						component: component || fallback,
 						params
 					})
 				);
diff --git a/test/app/routes/missing-index/ok.html b/test/app/routes/missing-index/ok.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cc8f66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/app/routes/missing-index/ok.html
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<h1>it works</h1>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/common/test.js b/test/common/test.js
index fa71158..a9b0caf 100644
--- a/test/common/test.js
+++ b/test/common/test.js
@@ -659,6 +659,14 @@ function run({ mode, basepath = '' }) {
 						]);
 					});
 			});
+
+			it('uses a fallback index component if none is provided', () => {
+				return nightmare.goto(`${base}/missing-index/ok`)
+					.page.title()
+					.then(title => {
+						assert.equal(title, 'it works');
+					});
+			});
 		});
 
 		describe('headers', () => {