diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.spec.ts b/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.spec.ts
index 054eef3f32be5597ad5074c79f9b7a0da85fabdc..659ee4daafeca085d505bf64c207f02158979df7 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.spec.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,26 @@ async function dryRun(
 
 describe('workers/repository/dependency-dashboard', () => {
   describe('readDashboardBody()', () => {
+    it('parses invalid dashboard body without throwing error', async () => {
+      const conf: RenovateConfig = {};
+      conf.prCreation = 'approval';
+      platform.findIssue.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        title: '',
+        number: 1,
+        body: null as never,
+      });
+      await dependencyDashboard.readDashboardBody(conf);
+      expect(conf).toEqual({
+        dependencyDashboardChecks: {},
+        dependencyDashboardAllPending: false,
+        dependencyDashboardAllRateLimited: false,
+        dependencyDashboardIssue: 1,
+        dependencyDashboardRebaseAllOpen: false,
+        dependencyDashboardTitle: 'Dependency Dashboard',
+        prCreation: 'approval',
+      });
+    });
+
     it('reads dashboard body', async () => {
       const conf: RenovateConfig = {};
       conf.prCreation = 'approval';
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.ts b/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.ts
index e3ceff94865e8e71e150c47b5549b521f5952fdc..54ff00693f23f00df873d87ebb9d5b2fc1ef9b49 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/dependency-dashboard.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ function getAllSelectedBranches(
 
 function getCheckedBranches(issueBody: string): Record<string, string> {
   let dependencyDashboardChecks: Record<string, string> = {};
-  for (const [, type, branchName] of issueBody.matchAll(markedBranchesRe)) {
+  for (const [, type, branchName] of issueBody?.matchAll(markedBranchesRe) ??
+    []) {
     dependencyDashboardChecks[branchName] = type;
   }
   dependencyDashboardChecks = getAllSelectedBranches(
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ export async function readDashboardBody(
     const issue = await platform.findIssue(config.dependencyDashboardTitle);
     if (issue) {
       config.dependencyDashboardIssue = issue.number;
-      const dashboardChecks = parseDashboardIssue(issue.body!);
+      const dashboardChecks = parseDashboardIssue(issue.body ?? '');
 
       if (config.checkedBranches) {
         const checkedBranchesRec: Record<string, string> = Object.fromEntries(
@@ -436,7 +437,7 @@ export async function ensureDependencyDashboard(
     );
     if (updatedIssue) {
       const { dependencyDashboardChecks } = parseDashboardIssue(
-        updatedIssue.body!
+        updatedIssue.body ?? ''
       );
       for (const branchName of Object.keys(config.dependencyDashboardChecks!)) {
         delete dependencyDashboardChecks[branchName];