diff --git a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/lang/psi/impl/types/GrCodeReferenceElementImpl.java b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/lang/psi/impl/types/GrCodeReferenceElementImpl.java
index 12e6e2cb13a9..a29c26862687 100644
--- a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/lang/psi/impl/types/GrCodeReferenceElementImpl.java
+++ b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/lang/psi/impl/types/GrCodeReferenceElementImpl.java
@@ -466,7 +466,9 @@ public class GrCodeReferenceElementImpl extends GrReferenceElementImpl<GrCodeRef
     }
 
     @NotNull
-    private static GroovyResolveResult[] _resolve(GrCodeReferenceElementImpl ref, PsiManager manager, ReferenceKind kind) {
+    private static GroovyResolveResult[] _resolve(@NotNull GrCodeReferenceElementImpl ref,
+                                                  @NotNull PsiManager manager,
+                                                  @NotNull ReferenceKind kind) {
       final String refName = ref.getReferenceName();
       if (refName == null) {
         return GroovyResolveResult.EMPTY_ARRAY;
@@ -515,9 +517,11 @@ public class GrCodeReferenceElementImpl extends GrReferenceElementImpl<GrCodeRef
             // if ref is an annotation name reference we should not process declarations of annotated elements
             // because inner annotations are not permitted and it can cause infinite recursion
             PsiElement placeToStartWalking = isAnnotationRef(ref) ? FileContextUtil.getContextFile(ref) : ref;
-            ResolveUtil.treeWalkUp(placeToStartWalking, processor, false);
-            GroovyResolveResult[] candidates = processor.getCandidates();
-            if (candidates.length > 0) return candidates;
+            if (placeToStartWalking != null) {
+              ResolveUtil.treeWalkUp(placeToStartWalking, processor, false);
+              GroovyResolveResult[] candidates = processor.getCandidates();
+              if (candidates.length > 0) return candidates;
+            }
 
             if (kind == CLASS_OR_PACKAGE) {
               PsiPackage pkg = JavaPsiFacade.getInstance(ref.getProject()).findPackage(refName);