diff --git a/fs/debugfs/file.c b/fs/debugfs/file.c
index 3376ab6a519d..a941d73251b0 100644
--- a/fs/debugfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/debugfs/file.c
@@ -1127,7 +1127,7 @@ static const struct file_operations fops_str_wo = {
  *          directory dentry if set.  If this parameter is %NULL, then the
  *          file will be created in the root of the debugfs filesystem.
  * @value: a pointer to the variable that the file should read to and write
- *         from.
+ *         from. This pointer and the string it points to must not be %NULL.
  *
  * This function creates a file in debugfs with the given name that
  * contains the value of the variable @value.  If the @mode variable is so
@@ -1136,6 +1136,9 @@ static const struct file_operations fops_str_wo = {
 void debugfs_create_str(const char *name, umode_t mode,
 			struct dentry *parent, char **value)
 {
+	if (WARN_ON(!value || !*value))
+		return;
+
 	debugfs_create_mode_unsafe(name, mode, parent, value, &fops_str,
 				   &fops_str_ro, &fops_str_wo);
 }