diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 2bf9b1cf..d2d834c4 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2024-09-27 Jan Kotanski <jankotan@gmail.com>
+	* fix for metadata parser of groups without NX_class (#718)
+	* tagged as v4.16.1
+
 2024-09-26 Jan Kotanski <jankotan@gmail.com>
 	* add enum as a valid secop type(#715)
 	* tagged as v4.16.0
diff --git a/man/nxscollect.1 b/man/nxscollect.1
index a4d4d88d..e2dbb360 100644
--- a/man/nxscollect.1
+++ b/man/nxscollect.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSCOLLECT" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSCOLLECT" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxscollect \- upload external images into NeXus/HDF5 file
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxsconfig.1 b/man/nxsconfig.1
index 13b04bed..8460757d 100644
--- a/man/nxsconfig.1
+++ b/man/nxsconfig.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSCONFIG" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSCONFIG" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxsconfig \- read NeXus Configuration Server settings
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxscreate.1 b/man/nxscreate.1
index d4a6791d..657e89bf 100644
--- a/man/nxscreate.1
+++ b/man/nxscreate.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSCREATE" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSCREATE" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxscreate \- create NeXus Configuration component
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxsdata.1 b/man/nxsdata.1
index 990142a0..111732ae 100644
--- a/man/nxsdata.1
+++ b/man/nxsdata.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSDATA" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSDATA" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxsdata \- run NeXus Data Writer
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxsetup.1 b/man/nxsetup.1
index 08ac0a40..3d2cb197 100644
--- a/man/nxsetup.1
+++ b/man/nxsetup.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSETUP" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSETUP" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxsetup \- set NeXDaTaS Tango Server environment up
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxsfileinfo.1 b/man/nxsfileinfo.1
index b06413a3..df20f4ef 100644
--- a/man/nxsfileinfo.1
+++ b/man/nxsfileinfo.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSFILEINFO" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSFILEINFO" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxsfileinfo \- show metadata of the NeXus file
 .SH DESCRIPTION
diff --git a/man/nxstools.1 b/man/nxstools.1
index 8d887c14..c0067e59 100644
--- a/man/nxstools.1
+++ b/man/nxstools.1
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ level margin: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .\" new: \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]
 .in \\n[rst2man-indent\\n[rst2man-indent-level]]u
 ..
-.TH "NXSTOOLS" "1" "Sep 11, 2024" "4.15" "NXSTools"
+.TH "NXSTOOLS" "1" "Sep 27, 2024" "4.16" "NXSTools"
 .SH NAME
 nxstools \- nxstools Documentation
 .sp
diff --git a/nxstools/nxsfileparser.py b/nxstools/nxsfileparser.py
index 9f78da40..1b52b2a1 100644
--- a/nxstools/nxsfileparser.py
+++ b/nxstools/nxsfileparser.py
@@ -604,10 +604,12 @@ def parseMeta(self):
         """
         for entry in self.__root:
             nm = entry.name
+            at = None
             try:
-                at = entry.attributes["NX_class"]
+                if "NX_class" in entry.attributes.names():
+                    at = entry.attributes["NX_class"]
             except Exception:
-                at = None
+                pass
             if len(self.entryclasses) == 0 or \
                at and (filewriter.first(at.read()) in self.entryclasses):
                 if len(self.entrynames) == 0 or \
diff --git a/nxstools/release.py b/nxstools/release.py
index 5c4bd422..bce9eec9 100644
--- a/nxstools/release.py
+++ b/nxstools/release.py
@@ -19,4 +19,4 @@
 """  NXS tools release version"""
 
 #: (:obj:`str`) package version
-__version__ = "4.16.0"
+__version__ = "4.16.1"