diff --git a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_context.c b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_context.c
index 580affac32..ba02afe776 100644
--- a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_context.c
+++ b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_context.c
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ int aeron_archive_context_init(aeron_archive_context_t **ctx)
     _ctx->idle_strategy_state = NULL;
     _ctx->owns_idle_strategy = false;
 
+    aeron_archive_context_set_credentials_supplier(_ctx, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+
     _ctx->error_handler = NULL;
     _ctx->error_handler_clientd = NULL;
 
diff --git a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_credentials_supplier.c b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_credentials_supplier.c
index 56febeee95..76f4a9e9f3 100644
--- a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_credentials_supplier.c
+++ b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_credentials_supplier.c
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@
 
 aeron_archive_encoded_credentials_t *aeron_archive_credentials_supplier_encoded_credentials(aeron_archive_credentials_supplier_t *supplier)
 {
+    if (NULL == supplier->encoded_credentials) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     return supplier->encoded_credentials(supplier->clientd);
 }
 
@@ -26,6 +30,10 @@ aeron_archive_encoded_credentials_t *aeron_archive_credentials_supplier_on_chall
     aeron_archive_credentials_supplier_t *supplier,
     aeron_archive_encoded_credentials_t *encoded_challenge)
 {
+    if (NULL == supplier->on_challenge) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     return supplier->on_challenge(encoded_challenge, supplier->clientd);
 }
 
diff --git a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_proxy.c b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_proxy.c
index 65c68c81ef..d13d530610 100644
--- a/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_proxy.c
+++ b/aeron-archive/src/main/c/client/aeron_archive_proxy.c
@@ -150,8 +150,8 @@ bool aeron_archive_proxy_try_connect(
         strlen(control_response_channel));
     aeron_archive_client_authConnectRequest_put_encodedCredentials(
         &codec,
-        encoded_credentials->data,
-        encoded_credentials->length);
+        NULL == encoded_credentials ? "" : encoded_credentials->data,
+        NULL == encoded_credentials ? 0 : encoded_credentials->length);
 
     return aeron_archive_proxy_offer_once(
         archive_proxy,
@@ -197,8 +197,8 @@ bool aeron_archive_proxy_challenge_response(
     aeron_archive_client_challengeResponse_set_correlationId(&codec, correlation_id);
     aeron_archive_client_challengeResponse_put_encodedCredentials(
         &codec,
-        encoded_credentials->data,
-        encoded_credentials->length);
+        NULL == encoded_credentials ? "" : encoded_credentials->data,
+        NULL == encoded_credentials ? 0 : encoded_credentials->length);
 
     return aeron_archive_proxy_offer_once(
         archive_proxy,