diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelper.java b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelper.java
index 862624b05..cd7c564c7 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelper.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelper.java
@@ -21,47 +21,49 @@ public static void updateOpenSamlMetadataResolverFromDynamicMetadataResolverAttr
                                                                                            ParserPool parserPool) {
         AbstractDynamicMetadataResolver dynamicMetadataResolver = (AbstractDynamicMetadataResolver) metadataResolver;
 
-        if (attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver
-                    .setBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                            .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay())));
-        }
+        if (attributes != null) {
+            if (attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver
+                        .setBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                                .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getCleanupTaskInterval() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setCleanupTaskInterval(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                    .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getCleanupTaskInterval())));
-        }
+            if (attributes.getCleanupTaskInterval() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setCleanupTaskInterval(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                        .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getCleanupTaskInterval())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground()) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground(attributes.getInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground());
-        }
+            if (attributes.getInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground()) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground(attributes.getInitializeFromPersistentCacheInBackground());
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getMaxCacheDuration() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setMaxCacheDuration(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                    .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMaxCacheDuration())));
-        }
+            if (attributes.getMaxCacheDuration() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setMaxCacheDuration(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                        .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMaxCacheDuration())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getMaxIdleEntityData() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setMaxIdleEntityData(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                    .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMaxIdleEntityData())));
-        }
+            if (attributes.getMaxIdleEntityData() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setMaxIdleEntityData(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                        .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMaxIdleEntityData())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getMinCacheDuration() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setMinCacheDuration(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                    .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMinCacheDuration())));
-        }
+            if (attributes.getMinCacheDuration() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setMinCacheDuration(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                        .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getMinCacheDuration())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
-                    .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay())));
-        }
+            if (attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay(toMillis(placeholderResolverService()
+                        .resolveValueFromPossibleTokenPlaceholder(attributes.getBackgroundInitializationFromCacheDelay())));
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getRefreshDelayFactor() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setRefreshDelayFactor(attributes.getRefreshDelayFactor());
-        }
+            if (attributes.getRefreshDelayFactor() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setRefreshDelayFactor(attributes.getRefreshDelayFactor());
+            }
 
-        if (attributes.getRemoveIdleEntityData() != null) {
-            dynamicMetadataResolver.setRemoveIdleEntityData(attributes.getRemoveIdleEntityData());
+            if (attributes.getRemoveIdleEntityData() != null) {
+                dynamicMetadataResolver.setRemoveIdleEntityData(attributes.getRemoveIdleEntityData());
+            }
         }
 
         //TODO: This takes a XMLObjectLoadSaveManager. Do we have what we need to create one?
diff --git a/backend/src/test/groovy/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelperSpec.groovy b/backend/src/test/groovy/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelperSpec.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4bf01305
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/test/groovy/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/resolvers/opensaml/OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelperSpec.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package edu.internet2.tier.shibboleth.admin.ui.domain.resolvers.opensaml
+
+import org.opensaml.saml.metadata.resolver.impl.AbstractDynamicMetadataResolver
+import spock.lang.Specification
+
+//TODO: we need to fill this out
+class OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelperSpec extends Specification {
+    def "SHIBUI-2163: make sure that we don't get a NPE if attributes are null"() {
+        given:
+        def x = Mock(AbstractDynamicMetadataResolver)
+
+        when:
+        OpenSamlMetadataResolverConstructorHelper.updateOpenSamlMetadataResolverFromDynamicMetadataResolverAttributes(
+                x,
+                null,
+                null
+        )
+
+        then:
+        noExceptionThrown()
+    }
+}