diff --git a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/websocket/javax-websocket-1.0/src/main/java/datadog/trace/instrumentation/websocket/jsr256/TracingSendHandler.java b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/websocket/javax-websocket-1.0/src/main/java/datadog/trace/instrumentation/websocket/jsr256/TracingSendHandler.java
index c5a582859a3..62712b15592 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/websocket/javax-websocket-1.0/src/main/java/datadog/trace/instrumentation/websocket/jsr256/TracingSendHandler.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/instrumentation/websocket/javax-websocket-1.0/src/main/java/datadog/trace/instrumentation/websocket/jsr256/TracingSendHandler.java
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ public TracingSendHandler(SendHandler delegate, HandlerContext handlerContext) {
   @Override
   public void onResult(SendResult sendResult) {
     final AgentSpan wsSpan = handlerContext.getWebsocketSpan();
-    try (final ContextScope ignored = activateSpan(wsSpan)) {
+    try (final ContextScope ignored = wsSpan != null ? activateSpan(wsSpan) : null) {
       delegate.onResult(sendResult);
     } finally {
       if (sendResult.getException() != null) {
diff --git a/dd-trace-core/src/main/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ContinuableScopeManager.java b/dd-trace-core/src/main/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ContinuableScopeManager.java
index 33e6580574e..56d36a180af 100644
--- a/dd-trace-core/src/main/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ContinuableScopeManager.java
+++ b/dd-trace-core/src/main/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ContinuableScopeManager.java
@@ -113,6 +113,11 @@ private AgentScope activate(
       final byte source,
       final boolean overrideAsyncPropagation,
       final boolean isAsyncPropagating) {
+    if (span == null) {
+      log.debug(SEND_TELEMETRY, "Attempted to activate a null span.  Returning NoopScope.");
+      return INVALID_SCOPE;
+    }
+
     ScopeStack scopeStack = scopeStack();
 
     final ContinuableScope top = scopeStack.top;
@@ -131,8 +136,6 @@ private AgentScope activate(
       }
     }
 
-    assert span != null;
-
     // Inherit the async propagation from the active scope unless the value is overridden
     boolean asyncPropagation =
         overrideAsyncPropagation
diff --git a/dd-trace-core/src/test/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ScopeManagerForkedTest.java b/dd-trace-core/src/test/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ScopeManagerForkedTest.java
index dc683942549..f3c4a101dce 100644
--- a/dd-trace-core/src/test/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ScopeManagerForkedTest.java
+++ b/dd-trace-core/src/test/java/datadog/trace/core/scopemanager/ScopeManagerForkedTest.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.AgentScope;
 import datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.AgentSpan;
 import datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.AgentTracer;
+import datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.NoopScope;
 import datadog.trace.bootstrap.instrumentation.api.ProfilingContextIntegration;
 import datadog.trace.common.writer.ListWriter;
 import datadog.trace.core.CoreTracer;
@@ -124,6 +125,27 @@ void nonDdspanActivationResultsInAContinuableScope() {
     assertNull(scopeManager.active());
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void activatingNullSpanReturnsNoopScopeAndDoesNotCorruptStack() {
+    AgentScope nullScope = scopeManager.activateSpan(null);
+
+    assertInstanceOf(NoopScope.class, nullScope);
+    assertNull(scopeManager.active());
+
+    nullScope.close();
+
+    // a subsequent activation on the same thread must not NPE, even though the noop
+    // activation above never pushed a scope with a null context onto the stack
+    AgentSpan span = tracer.buildSpan("test", "test").start();
+    AgentScope scope = tracer.activateSpan(span);
+
+    assertSame(scope, scopeManager.active());
+    assertSame(span, scope.span());
+
+    scope.close();
+    span.finish();
+  }
+
   @Test
   void noScopeIsActiveBeforeActivation() throws Exception {
     tracer.buildSpan("test", "test").start();