diff --git a/src/common/logging/vst3.cpp b/src/common/logging/vst3.cpp
index d75c4e8a..9a73988a 100644
--- a/src/common/logging/vst3.cpp
+++ b/src/common/logging/vst3.cpp
@@ -342,13 +342,7 @@ bool Vst3Logger::log_request(bool is_host_vst,
 bool Vst3Logger::log_request(bool is_host_vst,
                              const YaPluginFactory::SetHostContext& request) {
     return log_request_base(is_host_vst, [&](auto& message) {
-        message << "IPluginFactory3::setHostContext(";
-        if (request.host_context_args) {
-            message << "<FUnknown*>";
-        } else {
-            message << "<nullptr>";
-        }
-        message << ")";
+        message << "IPluginFactory3::setHostContext(<FUnknown*>)";
     });
 }
 
diff --git a/src/common/serialization/vst3/plugin-factory.h b/src/common/serialization/vst3/plugin-factory.h
index ac78342e..fdc572c7 100644
--- a/src/common/serialization/vst3/plugin-factory.h
+++ b/src/common/serialization/vst3/plugin-factory.h
@@ -162,15 +162,11 @@ class YaPluginFactory : public Steinberg::IPluginFactory3 {
     struct SetHostContext {
         using Response = UniversalTResult;
 
-        /**
-         * Arguments for creating a proxy host context object. If we got passed
-         * an null pointer we'll reflect that.
-         */
-        std::optional<Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs> host_context_args;
+        Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs host_context_args;
 
         template <typename S>
         void serialize(S& s) {
-            s.ext(host_context_args, bitsery::ext::StdOptional{});
+            s.object(host_context_args);
         }
     };
 
diff --git a/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-factory.cpp b/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-factory.cpp
index 988bf06a..a795a5fe 100644
--- a/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-factory.cpp
+++ b/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-factory.cpp
@@ -100,25 +100,24 @@ YaPluginFactoryImpl::createInstance(Steinberg::FIDString cid,
 
 tresult PLUGIN_API
 YaPluginFactoryImpl::setHostContext(Steinberg::FUnknown* context) {
-    // We will create a proxy object that that supports all the same interfaces
-    // as `context`, and then we'll store `context` in this object. We can then
-    // use it to handle callbacks made by the Windows VST3 plugin to this
-    // context.
-    host_context = context;
+    if (context) {
+        // We will create a proxy object that that supports all the same
+        // interfaces as `context`, and then we'll store `context` in this
+        // object. We can then use it to handle callbacks made by the Windows
+        // VST3 plugin to this context.
+        host_context = context;
 
-    // Automatically converted smart pointers for when the plugin performs a
-    // callback later
-    host_application = host_context;
+        // Automatically converted smart pointers for when the plugin performs a
+        // callback later
+        host_application = host_context;
 
-    std::optional<Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs> host_context_args{};
-    if (host_context) {
-        host_context_args =
-            Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs(host_context, std::nullopt);
+        return bridge.send_message(YaPluginFactory::SetHostContext{
+            .host_context_args = Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs(
+                host_context, std::nullopt)});
     } else {
         bridge.logger.log(
-            "Null pointer passed to 'IPluginFactory3::setHostContext()'");
+            "WARNING: Null pointer passed to "
+            "'IPluginFactory3::setHostContext()'");
+        return Steinberg::kInvalidArgument;
     }
-
-    return bridge.send_message(YaPluginFactory::SetHostContext{
-        .host_context_args = std::move(host_context_args)});
 }
diff --git a/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-proxy.cpp b/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-proxy.cpp
index 6f2c2ed6..2b196590 100644
--- a/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-proxy.cpp
+++ b/src/plugin/bridges/vst3-impls/plugin-proxy.cpp
@@ -406,7 +406,8 @@ tresult PLUGIN_API Vst3PluginProxyImpl::initialize(FUnknown* context) {
             .host_context_args = Vst3HostContextProxy::ConstructArgs(
                 host_context, instance_id())});
     } else {
-        bridge.logger.log("Null pointer passed to 'IPluginBase::initialize()'");
+        bridge.logger.log(
+            "WARNING: Null pointer passed to 'IPluginBase::initialize()'");
         return Steinberg::kInvalidArgument;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/wine-host/bridges/vst3.cpp b/src/wine-host/bridges/vst3.cpp
index 8a289086..261e274e 100644
--- a/src/wine-host/bridges/vst3.cpp
+++ b/src/wine-host/bridges/vst3.cpp
@@ -443,18 +443,14 @@ void Vst3Bridge::run() {
             },
             [&](YaPluginFactory::SetHostContext& request)
                 -> YaPluginFactory::SetHostContext::Response {
-                if (request.host_context_args) {
-                    plugin_factory_host_context =
-                        Steinberg::owned(new Vst3HostContextProxyImpl(
-                            *this, std::move(*request.host_context_args)));
-                } else {
-                    plugin_factory_host_context = nullptr;
-                }
+                plugin_factory_host_context =
+                    Steinberg::owned(new Vst3HostContextProxyImpl(
+                        *this, std::move(request.host_context_args)));
 
                 Steinberg::FUnknownPtr<Steinberg::IPluginFactory3> factory_3(
                     module->getFactory().get());
-
                 assert(factory_3);
+
                 return factory_3->setHostContext(plugin_factory_host_context);
             }});
 }