diff --git a/apps/renderer.c b/apps/renderer.c
index 8ef8a988bddb356d6d3e31ce4c83210a13bf2e26..deda26e8ae45228a17661fbad7d7b0a9b2bdd4a4 100644
--- a/apps/renderer.c
+++ b/apps/renderer.c
@@ -564,12 +564,27 @@ static void setupWithSingleFormatInput(
         positionProvider->numObjects = args.inConfig.numAudioObjects;
         for ( int16_t i = 0; i < positionProvider->numObjects; ++i )
         {
+#ifdef FIX_1376_MISSING_ISM_METADATA
+            /* Check if path to metadata file was given */
+            if ( isEmptyString( args.inMetadataFilePaths[i] ) )
+            {
+                fprintf( stderr, "No metadata file was given for ISM input %d\n", i );
+                exit( -1 );
+            }
+
+            /* It is allowed on CLI to have no metadata for an ISM input - skip opening if string contains "NULL" */
+#else
             /* It is allowed on CLI to have no metadata for an ISM input - skip opening if string is empty or contains "NULL" */
+#endif
             char charBuf[FILENAME_MAX];
             strncpy( charBuf, args.inMetadataFilePaths[i], min( FILENAME_MAX, RENDERER_MAX_CLI_ARG_LENGTH ) - 1 );
             charBuf[min( FILENAME_MAX, RENDERER_MAX_CLI_ARG_LENGTH ) - 1] = '\0';
             to_upper( charBuf );
+#ifdef FIX_1376_MISSING_ISM_METADATA
+            if ( strncmp( charBuf, "NULL", 4 ) == 0 )
+#else
             if ( isEmptyString( args.inMetadataFilePaths[i] ) || strncmp( charBuf, "NULL", 4 ) == 0 )
+#endif
             {
                 continue;
             }
@@ -2595,7 +2610,11 @@ static CmdlnArgs defaultArgs(
     args.outConfig.outSetupCustom.num_lfe = 0;
     args.inConfig.ambisonicsBuses->audioConfig = IVAS_AUDIO_CONFIG_INVALID;
 
+#ifdef FIX_1376_MISSING_ISM_METADATA
+    for ( int32_t i = 0; i < RENDERER_MAX_ISM_INPUTS + RENDERER_MAX_MASA_INPUTS; ++i )
+#else
     for ( int32_t i = 0; i < RENDERER_MAX_ISM_INPUTS; ++i )
+#endif
     {
         clearString( args.inMetadataFilePaths[i] );
     }
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index e6081dee4f287d5e9ea6ccb79bcf223651998ea0..32c2722e32967161a6223c4ef0ec5d2dddf7d4fc 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@
 #define TMP_FIX_1119_SPLIT_RENDERING_VOIP               /* FhG: Add error check for unsupported config: split rendering with VoIP mode */
 #define FIX_1348_OVERFLOW                               /* FhG: fix BASOP overflow in hq_lr_dec(), brings floating-point code inline with FX */
 #define FIX_1369_HQ_LR_OVERFLOW                         /* FhG: fix BASOP overflow in hq_lr_enc(), brings floating-point code inline with FX */
+#define FIX_1376_MISSING_ISM_METADATA                   /* FhG: IVAS_rend: throw error if there exists an ISM input without a corresponding metadata file path */
 
 /* #################### End BE switches ################################## */
 
diff --git a/tests/renderer/utils.py b/tests/renderer/utils.py
index 29ee307fad470b1b3234fcda772250720dd255e4..657b1aa61627b13dee952d974ded3e7614afaec4 100644
--- a/tests/renderer/utils.py
+++ b/tests/renderer/utils.py
@@ -273,6 +273,13 @@ def run_renderer(
     if in_meta_files is None and in_fmt in format_to_metadata_files:
         in_meta_files = format_to_metadata_files[in_fmt]
 
+    # If metadata not given with ISM input, use default NULL
+    if in_meta_files is None and isinstance(in_fmt, str) and "ism" in in_fmt.lower():
+        match = re.search(r"ism(\d)", in_fmt.lower())
+        assert match is not None
+        num_obj = int(match[1])
+        in_meta_files = ["NULL"] * num_obj
+
     if out_file is None:
         out_file_stem = f"{in_name}_to_{out_name}{trj_name}{non_diegetic_pan}{refrot_name}{refvec_name}{refveclev_name}{config_name}{framing_name}{hrtf_file_name}{name_extension}{aeid_name}_{sr}.wav"
         out_file = str(output_path_base.joinpath(out_file_stem))