diff --git a/popt/src/popt.c b/popt/src/popt.c
index 2db2bbd..0e8fd62 100644
--- a/popt/src/popt.c
+++ b/popt/src/popt.c
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ static void prtcon(const char *msg, poptContext con)
 
 void poptSetExecPath(poptContext con, const char * path, int allowAbsolute)
 {
+    if (con == NULL) return;
     con->execPath = _free(con->execPath);
     con->execPath = xstrdup(path);
     con->execAbsolute = allowAbsolute;
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ void poptSetExecPath(poptContext con, const char * path, int allowAbsolute)
 
 static void invokeCallbacksPRE(poptContext con, const struct poptOption * opt)
 {
-    if (opt != NULL)
+    if (con == NULL || opt == NULL) return;
     for (; opt->longName || opt->shortName || opt->arg; opt++) {
 	poptArg arg = { .ptr = opt->arg };
 	if (arg.ptr)
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ static void invokeCallbacksPRE(poptContext con, const struct poptOption * opt)
 
 static void invokeCallbacksPOST(poptContext con, const struct poptOption * opt)
 {
-    if (opt != NULL)
+    if (con == NULL || opt == NULL) return;
     for (; opt->longName || opt->shortName || opt->arg; opt++) {
 	poptArg arg = { .ptr = opt->arg };
 	if (arg.ptr)
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ static void invokeCallbacksOPTION(poptContext con,
     const struct poptOption * cbopt = NULL;
     poptArg cbarg = { .ptr = NULL };
 
-    if (opt != NULL)
+    if (con == NULL || opt == NULL) return;
     for (; opt->longName || opt->shortName || opt->arg; opt++) {
 	poptArg arg = { .ptr = opt->arg };
 	switch (poptArgType(opt)) {
@@ -235,7 +236,7 @@ static int handleExec(poptContext con,
     poptItem item;
     int i;
 
-    if (con->execs == NULL || con->numExecs <= 0) /* XXX can't happen */
+    if (con == NULL || con->execs == NULL || con->numExecs <= 0) /* XXX can't happen */
 	return 0;
 
     for (i = con->numExecs - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
@@ -328,7 +329,7 @@ static int handleAlias(poptContext con,
 		char shortName,
 		const char * nextArg)
 {
-    poptItem item = con->os->currAlias;
+    poptItem item = (con && con->os) ? con->os->currAlias : NULL;
     int rc;
     int i;
 
@@ -341,7 +342,7 @@ static int handleAlias(poptContext con,
 	    return 0;
     }
 
-    if (con->aliases == NULL || con->numAliases <= 0) /* XXX can't happen */
+    if (con == NULL || con->aliases == NULL || con->numAliases <= 0) /* XXX can't happen */
 	return 0;
 
     for (i = con->numAliases - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
@@ -440,7 +441,7 @@ const char * findProgramPath(const char * argv0)
 
 static int execCommand(poptContext con)
 {
-    poptItem item = con->doExec;
+    poptItem item = con ? con->doExec : NULL;
     poptArgv argv = NULL;
     int argc = 0;
     int rc;
@@ -608,9 +609,11 @@ findOption(const struct poptOption * opt,
 static const char * findNextArg(poptContext con,
 		unsigned argx, int delete_arg)
 {
-    struct optionStackEntry * os = con->os;
+    struct optionStackEntry * os = con ? con->os : NULL;
     const char * arg;
 
+    if (os == NULL || con->optionStack == NULL) return NULL;
+
     do {
 	int i;
 	arg = NULL;
@@ -645,6 +648,8 @@ expandNextArg(poptContext con, const char * s)
     size_t tn = strlen(s) + 1;
     char c;
 
+    if (con == NULL) return NULL;
+
     te = t = malloc(tn);
     if (t == NULL) return NULL;		/* XXX can't happen */
     *t = '\0';
@@ -1544,6 +1549,9 @@ int poptAddAlias(poptContext con, struct poptAlias alias,
 {
     struct poptItem_s item_buf;
     poptItem item = &item_buf;
+
+    if (con == NULL) return 1;
+
     memset(item, 0, sizeof(*item));
     item->option.longName = alias.longName;
     item->option.shortName = alias.shortName;
@@ -1562,6 +1570,8 @@ int poptAddItem(poptContext con, poptItem newItem, int flags)
     poptItem * items, item;
     int * nitems;
 
+    if (con == NULL) return 1;
+
     switch (flags) {
     case 1:
 	items = &con->execs;
@@ -1643,6 +1653,8 @@ const char * poptStrerror(const int error)
 	return POPT_("config file failed sanity test");
       case POPT_ERROR_ERRNO:
 	return strerror(errno);
+      case POPT_ERROR_NOCONTEXT:
+	return POPT_("no context");
       default:
 	return POPT_("unknown error");
     }
@@ -1653,6 +1665,9 @@ int poptStuffArgs(poptContext con, const char ** argv)
     int argc;
     int rc;
 
+    if (con == NULL)
+	return POPT_ERROR_NOCONTEXT;
+
     if ((con->os - con->optionStack) == POPT_OPTION_DEPTH)
 	return POPT_ERROR_OPTSTOODEEP;
 
@@ -1673,7 +1688,7 @@ int poptStuffArgs(poptContext con, const char ** argv)
 
 const char * poptGetInvocationName(poptContext con)
 {
-    return (con->os->argv ? con->os->argv[0] : "");
+    return ((con && con->os->argv) ? con->os->argv[0] : "");
 }
 
 int poptStrippedArgv(poptContext con, int argc, char ** argv)
@@ -1682,14 +1697,14 @@ int poptStrippedArgv(poptContext con, int argc, char ** argv)
     int j = 1;
     int i;
     
-    if (con->arg_strip)
+    if (con && con->arg_strip)
     for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
 	if (PBM_ISSET(i, con->arg_strip))
 	    numargs--;
     }
     
     for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
-	if (con->arg_strip && PBM_ISSET(i, con->arg_strip))
+	if (con && con->arg_strip && PBM_ISSET(i, con->arg_strip))
 	    continue;
 	argv[j] = (j < numargs) ? argv[i] : NULL;
 	j++;
diff --git a/popt/src/popt.h b/popt/src/popt.h
index 38a5478..edc1946 100644
--- a/popt/src/popt.h
+++ b/popt/src/popt.h
@@ -100,7 +100,9 @@
 #define	POPT_ERROR_BADOPERATION	-19	/*!< mutually exclusive logical operations requested */
 #define	POPT_ERROR_NULLARG	-20	/*!< opt->arg should not be NULL */
 #define	POPT_ERROR_MALLOC	-21	/*!< memory allocation failed */
-#define	POPT_ERROR_BADCONFIG	-22	/*!< config file failed sanity test */
+#define POPT_ERROR_NOCONTEXT    -22     /*!< no context */
+#define	POPT_ERROR_BADCONFIG	-23	/*!< config file failed sanity test */
+
 /*@}*/
 
 /** \ingroup popt
diff --git a/popt/src/poptconfig.c b/popt/src/poptconfig.c
index 9d97ccd..d846bb9 100644
--- a/popt/src/poptconfig.c
+++ b/popt/src/poptconfig.c
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ static int configAppMatch(poptContext con, const char * s)
 {
     int rc = 1;
 
-    if (con->appName == NULL)	/* XXX can't happen. */
+    if (con == NULL || con->appName == NULL)	/* XXX can't happen. */
 	return rc;
 
 #if defined(HAVE_GLOB_H) && defined(HAVE_FNMATCH_H)
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ static int poptConfigLine(poptContext con, char * line)
     int i, j;
     int rc = POPT_ERROR_BADCONFIG;
 
-    if (con->appName == NULL)
+    if (con == NULL || con->appName == NULL)
 	goto exit;
     
     memset(item, 0, sizeof(*item));
@@ -343,6 +343,8 @@ int poptReadConfigFile(poptContext con, const char * fn)
     char *t, *te;
     int rc;
 
+    if (con == NULL) return POPT_ERROR_NOCONTEXT;
+
     if ((rc = poptReadFile(fn, &b, &nb, POPT_READFILE_TRIMNEWLINES)) != 0)
 	return (errno == ENOENT ? 0 : rc);
     if (b == NULL || nb == 0)
@@ -434,7 +436,7 @@ int poptReadDefaultConfig(poptContext con, UNUSED(int useEnv))
     struct stat sb;
     int rc = 0;		/* assume success */
 
-    if (con->appName == NULL) goto exit;
+    if (con == NULL || con->appName == NULL) goto exit;
 
     rc = poptReadConfigFile(con, POPT_SYSCONFDIR "/popt");
     if (rc) goto exit;
diff --git a/popt/src/popthelp.c b/popt/src/popthelp.c
index 3c05acb..ede202d 100644
--- a/popt/src/popthelp.c
+++ b/popt/src/popthelp.c
@@ -571,6 +571,8 @@ static void singleTableHelp(poptContext con, FILE * fp,
     const struct poptOption * opt;
     const char *sub_transdom;
 
+    if (con == NULL) return;
+
     if (table == poptAliasOptions) {
 	itemHelp(fp, con->aliases, con->numAliases, columns, NULL);
 	itemHelp(fp, con->execs, con->numExecs, columns, NULL);
@@ -631,6 +633,8 @@ void poptPrintHelp(poptContext con, FILE * fp, UNUSED(int flags))
 {
     columns_t columns = calloc((size_t)1, sizeof(*columns));
 
+    if (con == NULL) return;
+
     (void) showHelpIntro(con, fp);
     if (con->otherHelp)
 	POPT_fprintf(fp, " %s\n", con->otherHelp);
@@ -761,7 +765,7 @@ static size_t singleTableUsage(poptContext con, FILE * fp, columns_t columns,
 		const char * translation_domain,
 		poptDone done)
 {
-    if (opt != NULL)
+    if (con != NULL && opt != NULL)
     for (; (opt->longName || opt->shortName || opt->arg) ; opt++) {
         if (poptArgType(opt) == POPT_ARG_INTL_DOMAIN) {
 	    translation_domain = (const char *)opt->arg;
@@ -850,6 +854,8 @@ void poptPrintUsage(poptContext con, FILE * fp, UNUSED(int flags))
     struct poptDone_s done_buf;
     poptDone done = &done_buf;
 
+    if (con == NULL) return;
+
     memset(done, 0, sizeof(*done));
     done->nopts = 0;
     done->maxopts = 64;
@@ -881,6 +887,8 @@ void poptPrintUsage(poptContext con, FILE * fp, UNUSED(int flags))
 
 void poptSetOtherOptionHelp(poptContext con, const char * text)
 {
+    if (con == NULL) return;
+
     con->otherHelp = _free(con->otherHelp);
     con->otherHelp = xstrdup(text);
 }