diff --git a/apps/renderer.c b/apps/renderer.c
index a8b4a067db622e77502307cf140f8656f1b15fa0..5eba07e534b184addf247fa96b992d8f9b817bd5 100644
--- a/apps/renderer.c
+++ b/apps/renderer.c
@@ -643,12 +643,27 @@ 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;
             }
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 5aaad2a9cb4344caf1e3cd682d2d17ee4fc34618..8c6fa03659248b57b60615c0768692f052ef4675 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@
 #define TMP_FIX_1119_SPLIT_RENDERING_VOIP               /* FhG: Add error check for unsupported config: split rendering with VoIP mode */
 #define FIX_1113_EXTREND_ISAR                           /* FhG: issue 1113: fix external renderer asserts for FOA/HOA2 and CLDFB config */
 #define FIX_938_COMPILER_WARNING                        /* FhG: Fix compiler warning in ivas_mdct_core_reconstruct() */
+#define FIX_1376_MISSING_ISM_METADATA                   /* FhG: IVAS_rend: throw error if there exists an ISM input without a corresponding metadata file path */
 
 /* #################### End BASOP porting switches ############################ */