diff --git a/compiler/incremental-compilation-impl/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/IncrementalJvmCompilerRunner.kt b/compiler/incremental-compilation-impl/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/IncrementalJvmCompilerRunner.kt
index c464c5dd431..ef84622d137 100644
--- a/compiler/incremental-compilation-impl/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/IncrementalJvmCompilerRunner.kt
+++ b/compiler/incremental-compilation-impl/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/IncrementalJvmCompilerRunner.kt
@@ -452,5 +452,5 @@ var K2JVMCompilerArguments.destinationAsFile: File
         set(value) { destination = value.path }
 
 var K2JVMCompilerArguments.classpathAsList: List<File>
-    get() = classpath!!.split(File.pathSeparator).map(::File)
+    get() = classpath.orEmpty().split(File.pathSeparator).map(::File)
     set(value) { classpath = value.joinToString(separator = File.pathSeparator, transform = { it.path }) }