diff --git a/platform/configuration-store-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStateStorageManager.java b/platform/configuration-store-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStateStorageManager.java
index cf9fb545666d..8f9208612e36 100644
--- a/platform/configuration-store-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStateStorageManager.java
+++ b/platform/configuration-store-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/stores/ProjectStateStorageManager.java
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ public class ProjectStateStorageManager extends StateStorageManagerImpl {
     return fileSpec;
   }
 
-  private static boolean isWorkspace(final Map options) {
-    return options != null && Boolean.parseBoolean((String)options.get(ProjectStoreImpl.OPTION_WORKSPACE));
+  private static boolean isWorkspace(@Nullable Map<String, String> options) {
+    return options != null && Boolean.parseBoolean(options.get(ProjectStoreImpl.OPTION_WORKSPACE));
   }
 
   @NotNull
diff --git a/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/ComponentConfig.java b/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/ComponentConfig.java
index 3ddea986f3d4..e547c1f29144 100644
--- a/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/ComponentConfig.java
+++ b/platform/core-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/ComponentConfig.java
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.util.text.StringUtil;
 import com.intellij.util.xmlb.annotations.MapAnnotation;
 import com.intellij.util.xmlb.annotations.Property;
 import com.intellij.util.xmlb.annotations.Transient;
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 public class ComponentConfig {
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ public class ComponentConfig {
 
   @Property(surroundWithTag = false)
   @MapAnnotation(surroundWithTag = false, entryTagName = "option", keyAttributeName = "name", valueAttributeName = "value")
-  public Map<String,String> options = new HashMap<String, String>();
+  @Nullable
+  public Map<String, String> options;
 
   @Transient
   public PluginDescriptor pluginDescriptor;
diff --git a/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/ComponentManagerImpl.java b/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/ComponentManagerImpl.java
index 913b3166b1cb..85cadb2baf6b 100644
--- a/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/ComponentManagerImpl.java
+++ b/platform/core-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/components/impl/ComponentManagerImpl.java
@@ -269,12 +269,12 @@ public abstract class ComponentManagerImpl extends UserDataHolderBase implements
     return myComponentsRegistry.getComponentByName(name);
   }
 
-  protected boolean isComponentSuitable(Map<String, String> options) {
+  protected boolean isComponentSuitable(@Nullable Map<String, String> options) {
     return !isTrue(options, "internal") || ApplicationManager.getApplication().isInternal();
   }
 
-  private static boolean isTrue(Map<String, String> options, @NonNls @NotNull String option) {
-    return options != null && options.containsKey(option) && Boolean.valueOf(options.get(option)).booleanValue();
+  private static boolean isTrue(@Nullable Map<String, String> options, @NonNls @NotNull String option) {
+    return options != null && Boolean.parseBoolean(options.get(option));
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ public abstract class ComponentManagerImpl extends UserDataHolderBase implements
         final Class<?> interfaceClass = Class.forName(config.getInterfaceClass(), true, loader);
         final Class<?> implementationClass = Comparing.equal(config.getInterfaceClass(), config.getImplementationClass()) ?
                                              interfaceClass : StringUtil.isEmpty(config.getImplementationClass()) ? null : Class.forName(config.getImplementationClass(), true, loader);
-        boolean overrides = Boolean.parseBoolean(config.options.get("overrides"));
+        boolean overrides = config.options != null && Boolean.parseBoolean(config.options.get("overrides"));
         MutablePicoContainer picoContainer = getPicoContainer();
         if (overrides) {
           ComponentAdapter oldAdapter = picoContainer.getComponentAdapterOfType(interfaceClass);
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/xmlb/MapBinding.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/xmlb/MapBinding.java
index ece96e40d569..7017bcc2d6b5 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/xmlb/MapBinding.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/xmlb/MapBinding.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package com.intellij.util.xmlb;
 
 import com.intellij.util.ArrayUtil;
 import com.intellij.util.xmlb.annotations.MapAnnotation;
+import gnu.trove.THashMap;
 import org.jdom.Attribute;
 import org.jdom.Content;
 import org.jdom.Element;
@@ -124,6 +125,7 @@ class MapBinding extends Binding implements MultiNodeBinding, MainBinding {
   }
 
   @Override
+  @Nullable
   public Object deserialize(Object context, @NotNull Element element) {
     if (myMapAnnotation == null || myMapAnnotation.surroundWithTag()) {
       return deserialize(context, element.getChildren());
@@ -133,9 +135,12 @@ class MapBinding extends Binding implements MultiNodeBinding, MainBinding {
     }
   }
 
-  private Map deserialize(Object context, List<Element> childNodes) {
+  @Nullable
+  private Map deserialize(@Nullable Object context, @NotNull List<Element> childNodes) {
     Map map = (Map)context;
-    map.clear();
+    if (map != null) {
+      map.clear();
+    }
 
     for (Element childNode : childNodes) {
       if (!childNode.getName().equals(getEntryAttributeName())) {
@@ -143,6 +148,10 @@ class MapBinding extends Binding implements MultiNodeBinding, MainBinding {
         continue;
       }
 
+      if (map == null) {
+        map = new THashMap();
+      }
+
       //noinspection unchecked
       map.put(deserializeKeyOrValue(childNode, getKeyAttributeName(), context, keyBinding, keyClass),
               deserializeKeyOrValue(childNode, getValueAttributeName(), context, valueBinding, valueClass));