diff --git a/builtin/blame.c b/builtin/blame.c
index 9c987d6567..2433b7da5c 100644
--- a/builtin/blame.c
+++ b/builtin/blame.c
@@ -748,6 +748,8 @@ static int git_blame_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "blame.coloring")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		if (!strcmp(value, "repeatedLines")) {
 			coloring_mode |= OUTPUT_COLOR_LINE;
 		} else if (!strcmp(value, "highlightRecent")) {
diff --git a/builtin/checkout.c b/builtin/checkout.c
index f02434bc15..d5c784854f 100644
--- a/builtin/checkout.c
+++ b/builtin/checkout.c
@@ -1202,6 +1202,8 @@ static int git_checkout_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	struct checkout_opts *opts = cb;
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.ignoresubmodules")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		handle_ignore_submodules_arg(&opts->diff_options, value);
 		return 0;
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index c6357af949..54d9b9976a 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -791,6 +791,8 @@ static int git_clone_config(const char *k, const char *v,
 			    const struct config_context *ctx, void *cb)
 {
 	if (!strcmp(k, "clone.defaultremotename")) {
+		if (!v)
+			return config_error_nonbool(k);
 		free(remote_name);
 		remote_name = xstrdup(v);
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index ba775d7b5c..3ce41c4856 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -594,8 +594,11 @@ static int git_log_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 			decoration_style = 0; /* maybe warn? */
 		return 0;
 	}
-	if (!strcmp(var, "log.diffmerges"))
+	if (!strcmp(var, "log.diffmerges")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		return diff_merges_config(value);
+	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "log.showroot")) {
 		default_show_root = git_config_bool(var, value);
 		return 0;
diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
index 89a8b5a976..62c540b4db 100644
--- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
@@ -3204,14 +3204,18 @@ static int git_pack_config(const char *k, const char *v,
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(k, "uploadpack.blobpackfileuri")) {
-		struct configured_exclusion *ex = xmalloc(sizeof(*ex));
+		struct configured_exclusion *ex;
 		const char *oid_end, *pack_end;
 		/*
 		 * Stores the pack hash. This is not a true object ID, but is
 		 * of the same form.
 		 */
 		struct object_id pack_hash;
 
+		if (!v)
+			return config_error_nonbool(k);
+
+		ex = xmalloc(sizeof(*ex));
 		if (parse_oid_hex(v, &ex->e.oid, &oid_end) ||
 		    *oid_end != ' ' ||
 		    parse_oid_hex(oid_end + 1, &pack_hash, &pack_end) ||
diff --git a/compat/mingw.c b/compat/mingw.c
index ec5280da16..42053c1f65 100644
--- a/compat/mingw.c
+++ b/compat/mingw.c
@@ -255,6 +255,8 @@ int mingw_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.unsetenvvars")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		free(unset_environment_variables);
 		unset_environment_variables = xstrdup(value);
 		return 0;
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index b330c7adb4..18085c7e38 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -1386,6 +1386,8 @@ static int git_default_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.checkstat")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		if (!strcasecmp(value, "default"))
 			check_stat = 1;
 		else if (!strcasecmp(value, "minimal"))
@@ -1547,11 +1549,15 @@ static int git_default_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.checkroundtripencoding")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		check_roundtrip_encoding = xstrdup(value);
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.notesref")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		notes_ref_name = xstrdup(value);
 		return 0;
 	}
@@ -1619,6 +1625,8 @@ static int git_default_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.createobject")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		if (!strcmp(value, "rename"))
 			object_creation_mode = OBJECT_CREATION_USES_RENAMES;
 		else if (!strcmp(value, "link"))
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 2c602df10a..5b213a4b44 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -372,7 +372,10 @@ int git_diff_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.colormovedws")) {
-		unsigned cm = parse_color_moved_ws(value);
+		unsigned cm;
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
+		cm = parse_color_moved_ws(value);
 		if (cm & COLOR_MOVED_WS_ERROR)
 			return -1;
 		diff_color_moved_ws_default = cm;
@@ -426,10 +429,15 @@ int git_diff_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.orderfile"))
 		return git_config_pathname(&diff_order_file_cfg, var, value);
 
-	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.ignoresubmodules"))
+	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.ignoresubmodules")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		handle_ignore_submodules_arg(&default_diff_options, value);
+	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.submodule")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		if (parse_submodule_params(&default_diff_options, value))
 			warning(_("Unknown value for 'diff.submodule' config variable: '%s'"),
 				value);
@@ -473,7 +481,10 @@ int git_diff_basic_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.wserrorhighlight")) {
-		int val = parse_ws_error_highlight(value);
+		int val;
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
+		val = parse_ws_error_highlight(value);
 		if (val < 0)
 			return -1;
 		ws_error_highlight_default = val;
@@ -490,6 +501,8 @@ int git_diff_basic_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "diff.dirstat")) {
 		struct strbuf errmsg = STRBUF_INIT;
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		default_diff_options.dirstat_permille = diff_dirstat_permille_default;
 		if (parse_dirstat_params(&default_diff_options, value, &errmsg))
 			warning(_("Found errors in 'diff.dirstat' config variable:\n%s"),
diff --git a/mailinfo.c b/mailinfo.c
index a07d2da16d..093bed5d8f 100644
--- a/mailinfo.c
+++ b/mailinfo.c
@@ -1253,6 +1253,8 @@ static int git_mailinfo_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "mailinfo.quotedcr")) {
+		if (!value)
+			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		if (mailinfo_parse_quoted_cr_action(value, &mi->quoted_cr) != 0)
 			return error(_("bad action '%s' for '%s'"), value, var);
 		return 0;
diff --git a/notes-utils.c b/notes-utils.c
index 97c031c26e..01f4f5b424 100644
--- a/notes-utils.c
+++ b/notes-utils.c
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ static int notes_rewrite_config(const char *k, const char *v,
 		}
 		return 0;
 	} else if (!c->refs_from_env && !strcmp(k, "notes.rewriteref")) {
+		if (!v)
+			return config_error_nonbool(k);
 		/* note that a refs/ prefix is implied in the
 		 * underlying for_each_glob_ref */
 		if (starts_with(v, "refs/notes/"))
diff --git a/trailer.c b/trailer.c
index b6de5d9cb2..b0e2ec224a 100644
--- a/trailer.c
+++ b/trailer.c
@@ -507,6 +507,8 @@ static int git_trailer_default_config(const char *conf_key, const char *value,
 				warning(_("unknown value '%s' for key '%s'"),
 					value, conf_key);
 		} else if (!strcmp(trailer_item, "separators")) {
+			if (!value)
+				return config_error_nonbool(conf_key);
 			separators = xstrdup(value);
 		}
 	}
