--- a/ninja/conf.py
+++ b/ninja/conf.py
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Set, Tuple
 
 from django.conf import settings as django_settings
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django.test.signals import setting_changed
-from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field
+from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field, ValidationError
 
 
 class Settings(BaseModel):
@@ -37,7 +38,15 @@
     )
 
 
-settings = Settings.model_validate(django_settings)
+try:
+    settings = Settings.model_validate(django_settings)
+except (ImproperlyConfigured, ValidationError):
+    # Django settings not configured (e.g. import-time tooling such as
+    # scikit-build-core probing for the ninja build tool, Sphinx, static
+    # analysis): fall back to the documented defaults instead of crashing
+    # the import. Real runtime use always has settings configured before
+    # ninja is imported.
+    settings = Settings()
 
 
 @receiver(setting_changed)
@@ -50,7 +59,7 @@
         setattr(settings, field_name, getattr(updated_settings, field_name))
 
 
-if hasattr(django_settings, "NINJA_DOCS_VIEW"):
+if django_settings.configured and hasattr(django_settings, "NINJA_DOCS_VIEW"):
     raise Exception(
         "NINJA_DOCS_VIEW is removed. Use NinjaAPI(docs=...) instead"
     )  # pragma: no cover