diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/BuiltinUsers.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/BuiltinUsers.java
index d1f0e7e1297..9421b02d8f2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/BuiltinUsers.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/BuiltinUsers.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.api;
 
+import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.Dataverse;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.UserNotification;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.actionlogging.ActionLogRecord;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.authorization.UserRecordIdentifier;
@@ -129,9 +130,20 @@ private Response internalSave(BuiltinUser user, String password, String key) {
              * @todo Move this to
              * AuthenticationServiceBean.createAuthenticatedUser
              */
-            userNotificationSvc.sendNotification(au,
-                    new Timestamp(new Date().getTime()),
-                    UserNotification.Type.CREATEACC, null);
+            boolean rootDataversePresent = false;
+            try {
+                Dataverse rootDataverse = dataverseSvc.findRootDataverse();
+                if (rootDataverse != null) {
+                    rootDataversePresent = true;
+                }
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                logger.info("The root dataverse is not present. Don't send a notification to dataverseAdmin.");
+            }
+            if (rootDataversePresent) {
+                userNotificationSvc.sendNotification(au,
+                        new Timestamp(new Date().getTime()),
+                        UserNotification.Type.CREATEACC, null);
+            }
 
             ApiToken token = new ApiToken();
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Dataverses.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Dataverses.java
index 639bdd6930b..bb13ced99c6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Dataverses.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/Dataverses.java
@@ -148,6 +148,9 @@ public Response addDataverse( String body, @PathParam("identifier") String paren
         } catch ( WrappedResponse ww ) {
                     Throwable cause = ww.getCause();
                     StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+                    if (cause == null) {
+                        return ww.refineResponse("cause was null!");
+                    }
                     while (cause.getCause() != null) {
                         cause = cause.getCause();
                         if (cause instanceof ConstraintViolationException) {