diff --git a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser.spec.ts b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser.spec.ts
index a6d35c004757f1db5291233974cc0609e34e8298..e120db42dbb08dab306f4cdafed73a8f4a4197bb 100644
--- a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser.spec.ts
@@ -721,6 +721,7 @@ describe('modules/manager/gradle/parser', () => {
       ${''}                                         | ${'library("foo", "bar", "baz", "qux").version("1.2.3")'}       | ${null}
       ${''}                                         | ${'library("foo.bar", "foo", "bar").version("1.2.3", "4.5.6")'} | ${null}
       ${''}                                         | ${'library("foo", bar, "baz").version("1.2.3")'}                | ${null}
+      ${''}                                         | ${'plugin("foo.bar", "foo")'}                                   | ${null}
       ${''}                                         | ${'plugin("foo.bar", "foo").version("1.2.3")'}                  | ${{ depName: 'foo', currentValue: '1.2.3' }}
       ${''}                                         | ${'alias("foo.bar").to("foo", "bar").version("1.2.3")'}         | ${{ depName: 'foo:bar', currentValue: '1.2.3' }}
       ${'version("baz", "1.2.3")'}                  | ${'alias("foo.bar").to("foo", "bar").versionRef("baz")'}        | ${{ depName: 'foo:bar', currentValue: '1.2.3' }}
diff --git a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser/version-catalogs.ts b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser/version-catalogs.ts
index 781183e99a70b28a59c6e565ae2e384ca1a03f2f..272688ee6084b1cf0104341cf014eb3d6d7711ac 100644
--- a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser/version-catalogs.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/parser/version-catalogs.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ const qVersionCatalogPlugins = q
       .handler((ctx) => storeInTokenMap(ctx, 'pluginName'))
       .end(),
   })
-  .opt(qVersionCatalogVersion)
+  .join(qVersionCatalogVersion)
   .handler(handlePlugin)
   .handler(cleanupTempVars);