diff --git a/services/director/src/simcore_service_director/registry_proxy.py b/services/director/src/simcore_service_director/registry_proxy.py
index 216d8e4b5223..a1adfe977a0d 100644
--- a/services/director/src/simcore_service_director/registry_proxy.py
+++ b/services/director/src/simcore_service_director/registry_proxy.py
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ async def list_image_tags_gen(
         tags, headers = await registry_request(
             app, path=path, method="GET", use_cache=not update_cache
         )  # initial call
+        assert "tags" in tags  # nosec
         while True:
             if "Link" in headers:
                 next_path = (
@@ -331,11 +332,15 @@ async def list_image_tags_gen(
             else:
                 prefetch_task = None
 
-            yield list(
-                filter(
-                    VERSION_REG.match,
-                    tags["tags"],
+            yield (
+                list(
+                    filter(
+                        VERSION_REG.match,
+                        tags["tags"],
+                    )
                 )
+                if tags["tags"] is not None
+                else []
             )
             if prefetch_task:
                 tags, headers = await prefetch_task
diff --git a/services/director/tests/unit/test_registry_proxy.py b/services/director/tests/unit/test_registry_proxy.py
index 7861179323c5..538e4220f0d4 100644
--- a/services/director/tests/unit/test_registry_proxy.py
+++ b/services/director/tests/unit/test_registry_proxy.py
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@
 import asyncio
 import json
 import time
+from unittest import mock
 
 import pytest
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from pytest_benchmark.plugin import BenchmarkFixture
+from pytest_mock.plugin import MockerFixture
 from pytest_simcore.helpers.monkeypatch_envs import setenvs_from_dict
 from pytest_simcore.helpers.typing_env import EnvVarsDict
 from settings_library.docker_registry import RegistrySettings
@@ -228,9 +230,17 @@ def configure_registry_caching(
     )
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def with_disabled_auto_caching(mocker: MockerFixture) -> mock.Mock:
+    return mocker.patch(
+        "simcore_service_director.registry_proxy._list_all_services_task", autospec=True
+    )
+
+
 async def test_registry_caching(
     configure_registry_access: EnvVarsDict,
     configure_registry_caching: EnvVarsDict,
+    with_disabled_auto_caching: mock.Mock,
     app_settings: ApplicationSettings,
     app: FastAPI,
     push_services,