diff --git a/spring-cloud-contract-tools/spring-cloud-contract-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/plugin/ContractsCopyTask.java b/spring-cloud-contract-tools/spring-cloud-contract-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/plugin/ContractsCopyTask.java
index 289dcd1b24..d9daf1962b 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-contract-tools/spring-cloud-contract-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/plugin/ContractsCopyTask.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-contract-tools/spring-cloud-contract-gradle-plugin/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/plugin/ContractsCopyTask.java
@@ -249,8 +249,8 @@ class ContractsCopyTask extends DefaultTask {
 			}
 			return;
 		}
-		if (failOnNoContracts.get() && (!file.exists() || file.listFiles().length == 0)) {
-			String path = file.getAbsolutePath();
+		if (failOnNoContracts.get() && (file == null || !file.exists() || file.listFiles().length == 0)) {
+			String path = file != null file.getAbsolutePath() : "";
 			throw new GradleException("Contracts could not be found: [" + path
 					+ "]\nPlease make sure that the contracts were defined, or set the [failOnNoContracts] flag to [false]");
 		}
@@ -541,4 +541,4 @@ class ContractsCopyTask extends DefaultTask {
 		return str;
 	}
 
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}