diff --git a/bin/wasm-node/CHANGELOG.md b/bin/wasm-node/CHANGELOG.md
index 2c6ae370e8..272cfe2d86 100644
--- a/bin/wasm-node/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/bin/wasm-node/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- JSON-RPC requests without a `params` field are no longer invalid. ([#3090](https://github.com/paritytech/smoldot/pull/3090))
 - Fix Merkle proofs whose trie root node has a size inferior to 32 bytes being considered as invalid. ([#3046](https://github.com/paritytech/smoldot/pull/3046))
 
 ## 0.7.9 - 2022-11-28
diff --git a/src/json_rpc/methods.rs b/src/json_rpc/methods.rs
index 63be322252..75c6d5fe3a 100644
--- a/src/json_rpc/methods.rs
+++ b/src/json_rpc/methods.rs
@@ -219,11 +219,13 @@ macro_rules! define_methods {
                 parse::build_call(parse::Call {
                     id_json,
                     method: self.name(),
-                    params_json: &self.params_to_json_object(),
+                    // Note that we never skip the `params` field, even if empty. This is an
+                    // arbitrary choice.
+                    params_json: Some(&self.params_to_json_object()),
                 })
             }
 
-            fn from_defs(name: &'a str, params: &'a str) -> Result<Self, MethodError<'a>> {
+            fn from_defs(name: &'a str, params: Option<&'a str>) -> Result<Self, MethodError<'a>> {
                 #![allow(unused, unused_mut)]
 
                 $(
@@ -243,7 +245,7 @@ macro_rules! define_methods {
                             #[serde(borrow, skip)]
                             _dummy: core::marker::PhantomData<&'a ()>,
                         }
-                        if let Ok(params) = serde_json::from_str(params) {
+                        if let Some(Ok(params)) = params.as_ref().map(|p| serde_json::from_str(p)) {
                             let Params { _dummy: _, $($p_name),* } = params;
                             return Ok($rq_name::$name {
                                 $($p_name,)*
@@ -257,7 +259,7 @@ macro_rules! define_methods {
                         //
                         // The code below allocates a `Vec`, but at the time of writing there is
                         // no way to ask `serde_json` to parse an array without doing so.
-                        if let Ok(params) = serde_json::from_str::<Vec<&'a serde_json::value::RawValue>>(params) {
+                        if let Some(Ok(params)) = params.as_ref().map(|p| serde_json::from_str::<Vec<&'a serde_json::value::RawValue>>(p)) {
                             let mut n = 0;
                             $(
                                 // Missing parameters are implicitly equal to null.
diff --git a/src/json_rpc/parse.rs b/src/json_rpc/parse.rs
index cf63c01299..9c9ea5d28b 100644
--- a/src/json_rpc/parse.rs
+++ b/src/json_rpc/parse.rs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ pub fn parse_call(call_json: &str) -> Result<Call, ParseError> {
     Ok(Call {
         id_json: serde_call.id.map(|v| v.get()),
         method: serde_call.method,
-        params_json: serde_call.params.get(),
+        params_json: serde_call.params.map(|p| p.get()),
     })
 }
 
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ pub fn build_call(call: Call) -> String {
         jsonrpc: SerdeVersion::V2,
         id: call.id_json.map(|id| serde_json::from_str(id).unwrap()),
         method: call.method,
-        params: serde_json::from_str(call.params_json).unwrap(),
+        params: call.params_json.map(|p| serde_json::from_str(p).unwrap()),
     })
     .unwrap()
 }
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ pub struct Call<'a> {
     pub id_json: Option<&'a str>,
     /// Name of the method that is being called.
     pub method: &'a str,
-    /// JSON-formatted list of parameters.
-    pub params_json: &'a str,
+    /// JSON-formatted list of parameters. `None` iff the `params` field is missing.
+    pub params_json: Option<&'a str>,
 }
 
 /// Error while parsing a call.
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ struct SerdeCall<'a> {
     #[serde(borrow)]
     method: &'a str,
     #[serde(borrow)]
-    params: &'a serde_json::value::RawValue,
+    params: Option<&'a serde_json::value::RawValue>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Clone, Copy, Hash, Eq)]
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ mod tests {
         .unwrap();
         assert_eq!(call.id_json.unwrap(), "5");
         assert_eq!(call.method, "foo");
-        assert_eq!(call.params_json, "[5,true, \"hello\"]");
+        assert_eq!(call.params_json, Some("[5,true, \"hello\"]"));
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ mod tests {
         let call = super::parse_call(r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"foo","params":[]}"#).unwrap();
         assert!(call.id_json.is_none());
         assert_eq!(call.method, "foo");
-        assert_eq!(call.params_json, "[]");
+        assert_eq!(call.params_json, Some("[]"));
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ mod tests {
                 .unwrap();
         assert_eq!(call.id_json.unwrap(), "\"hello\"");
         assert_eq!(call.method, "foo");
-        assert_eq!(call.params_json, "[]");
+        assert_eq!(call.params_json, Some("[]"));
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -363,7 +363,15 @@ mod tests {
                 .unwrap();
         assert_eq!(call.id_json.unwrap(), r#""extern:\"health-checker:0\"""#);
         assert_eq!(call.method, "system_health");
-        assert_eq!(call.params_json, "[]");
+        assert_eq!(call.params_json, Some("[]"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_params() {
+        let call = super::parse_call(r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"foo"}"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(call.id_json.unwrap(), r#"2"#);
+        assert_eq!(call.method, "foo");
+        assert_eq!(call.params_json, None);
     }
 
     #[test]