diff --git a/src/docker.js b/src/docker.js
index 7f2c2c8fb..8a6afece6 100644
--- a/src/docker.js
+++ b/src/docker.js
@@ -59,11 +59,13 @@ const CLEARVOLUME_CMD = path.join(__dirname, 'scripts/clearvolume.sh'),
 const DOCKER_SOCKET_PATH = '/var/run/docker.sock';
 const gConnection = new Docker({ socketPath: DOCKER_SOCKET_PATH });
 
-function testRegistryConfig(auth, callback) {
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof auth, 'object');
+function testRegistryConfig(config, callback) {
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof config, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    gConnection.checkAuth(auth, function (error /*, data */) { // this returns a 500 even for auth errors
+    if (config.provider === 'noop') return callback();
+
+    gConnection.checkAuth(config, function (error /*, data */) { // this returns a 500 even for auth errors
         if (error) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.BAD_FIELD, error, { field: 'serverAddress' }));
 
         callback();
@@ -82,14 +84,14 @@ function removePrivateFields(registryConfig) {
     return registryConfig;
 }
 
-function setRegistryConfig(auth, callback) {
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof auth, 'object');
+function setRegistryConfig(config, callback) {
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof config, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    const isLogin = !!auth.password;
+    const isLogin = !!config.password;
 
     // currently, auth info is not stashed in the db but maybe it should for restore to work?
-    const cmd = isLogin ? `docker login ${auth.serverAddress} --username ${auth.username} --password ${auth.password}` : `docker logout ${auth.serverAddress}`;
+    const cmd = isLogin ? `docker login ${config.serverAddress} --username ${config.username} --password ${config.password}` : `docker logout ${config.serverAddress}`;
 
     child_process.exec(cmd, { }, function (error /*, stdout, stderr */) {
         if (error) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.ACCESS_DENIED, error.message));
@@ -135,12 +137,12 @@ function getRegistryConfig(image, callback) {
 }
 
 function pullImage(manifest, callback) {
-    getRegistryConfig(manifest.dockerImage, function (error, authConfig) {
+    getRegistryConfig(manifest.dockerImage, function (error, config) {
         if (error) return callback(error);
 
-        debug(`pullImage: will pull ${manifest.dockerImage}. auth: ${authConfig ? 'yes' : 'no'}`);
+        debug(`pullImage: will pull ${manifest.dockerImage}. auth: ${config ? 'yes' : 'no'}`);
 
-        gConnection.pull(manifest.dockerImage, { authconfig: authConfig }, function (error, stream) {
+        gConnection.pull(manifest.dockerImage, { authconfig: config }, function (error, stream) {
             if (error && error.statusCode === 404) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.NOT_FOUND, `Unable to pull image ${manifest.dockerImage}. message: ${error.message} statusCode: ${error.statusCode}`));
             if (error) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.DOCKER_ERROR, `Unable to pull image ${manifest.dockerImage}. Please check the network or if the image needs authentication. statusCode: ${error.statusCode}`));
 
diff --git a/src/routes/settings.js b/src/routes/settings.js
index 565579247..38ba3b352 100644
--- a/src/routes/settings.js
+++ b/src/routes/settings.js
@@ -194,11 +194,13 @@ function getRegistryConfig(req, res, next) {
 function setRegistryConfig(req, res, next) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof req.body, 'object');
 
-    if (typeof req.body.provider !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'provider is required'));
-    if (typeof req.body.serverAddress !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'serverAddress is required'));
-    if ('username' in req.body && typeof req.body.username !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'username is required'));
-    if ('email' in req.body && typeof req.body.email !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'email is required'));
-    if ('password' in req.body && typeof req.body.password !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'password is required'));
+    if (!req.body.provider || typeof req.body.provider !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'provider is required'));
+    if (req.body.provider !== 'noop') {
+        if (typeof req.body.serverAddress !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'serverAddress is required'));
+        if ('username' in req.body && typeof req.body.username !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'username is required'));
+        if ('email' in req.body && typeof req.body.email !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'email is required'));
+        if ('password' in req.body && typeof req.body.password !== 'string') return next(new HttpError(400, 'password is required'));
+    }
 
     settings.setRegistryConfig(req.body, function (error) {
         if (error) return next(BoxError.toHttpError(error));
diff --git a/src/settings.js b/src/settings.js
index 0dae6b9d2..f80af8d62 100644
--- a/src/settings.js
+++ b/src/settings.js
@@ -159,7 +159,9 @@ let gDefaults = (function () {
         provider: 'noop',
         autoCreate: false
     };
-    result[exports.REGISTRY_CONFIG_KEY] = {};
+    result[exports.REGISTRY_CONFIG_KEY] = {
+        provider: 'noop'
+    };
     result[exports.SYSINFO_CONFIG_KEY] = {
         provider: 'generic'
     };