diff --git a/connect/runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerder.java b/connect/runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerder.java
index d5d6edf703e40..f0f209c631806 100644
--- a/connect/runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerder.java
+++ b/connect/runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerder.java
@@ -1074,6 +1074,9 @@ protected final boolean maybeAddConfigErrors(
             messages.append("Connector configuration is invalid and contains the following ")
                 .append(errors).append(" error(s):");
             for (ConfigInfo configInfo : configInfos.configs()) {
+                if (configInfo == null || configInfo.configValue() == null) {
+                    continue;
+                }
                 for (String msg : configInfo.configValue().errors()) {
                     messages.append('\n').append(msg);
                 }
diff --git a/connect/runtime/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerderTest.java b/connect/runtime/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerderTest.java
index 02caa21812f6b..2001b145c2714 100644
--- a/connect/runtime/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerderTest.java
+++ b/connect/runtime/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/connect/runtime/AbstractHerderTest.java
@@ -1061,6 +1061,41 @@ public void testGenerateResultWithConfigValuesWithNoConfigKeysAndWithSomeErrors(
         assertInfoValue(infos, "config.extra2", "value.extra2", "error extra2");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testMaybeAddConfigErrorsWithNullConfigInfoAndNullConfigValue() throws Exception {
+        AbstractHerder herder = testHerder();
+        Map<String, ConfigDef.ConfigKey> keys = new HashMap<>();
+        addConfigKey(keys, "config.a1", null);
+        addConfigKey(keys, "config.b1", "group B");
+
+        List<ConfigValue> values = new ArrayList<>();
+        addValue(values, "config.b1", "value.b1", "error b1");
+
+        ConfigInfos infos = AbstractHerder.generateResult(
+                "com.acme.connector.MyConnector", keys, values, List.of("group B"));
+        infos.configs().add(null);
+
+        FutureCallback<Herder.Created<ConnectorInfo>> callback = new FutureCallback<>();
+        assertTrue(herder.maybeAddConfigErrors(infos, callback));
+        ExecutionException e = assertThrows(ExecutionException.class, callback::get);
+        assertTrue(e.getCause() instanceof BadRequestException);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testMaybeAddConfigErrorsWithNullConfigValueAndNoErrors() {
+        AbstractHerder herder = testHerder();
+        Map<String, ConfigDef.ConfigKey> keys = new HashMap<>();
+        addConfigKey(keys, "config.a1", null);
+        addConfigKey(keys, "config.b1", "group B");
+
+        List<ConfigValue> values = new ArrayList<>();
+        addValue(values, "config.b1", "value.b1");
+
+        ConfigInfos infos = AbstractHerder.generateResult(
+                "com.acme.connector.MyConnector", keys, values, List.of("group B"));
+        assertFalse(herder.maybeAddConfigErrors(infos, new FutureCallback<>()));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testSinkConnectorPluginConfig() throws ClassNotFoundException {
         testConnectorPluginConfig(