diff --git a/main/channel.c b/main/channel.c
index df0a67b3ba11aac983a22d599a5e00b91795fae8..3289edaa43eff4b8c7cf692d8c58cb786f01d394 100644
--- a/main/channel.c
+++ b/main/channel.c
@@ -1283,6 +1283,8 @@ struct ast_channel *ast_dummy_channel_alloc(void)
 	ast_channel_epfd_set(tmp, -1);
 #endif
 
+	ast_channel_internal_setup_topics(tmp);
+
 	headp = ast_channel_varshead(tmp);
 	AST_LIST_HEAD_INIT_NOLOCK(headp);
 
diff --git a/main/channel_internal_api.c b/main/channel_internal_api.c
index 8cc2e6c6247d3202e6047db439ce4c164ea0e71c..d646d8485e27414403374d2d40bdebbc0260596e 100644
--- a/main/channel_internal_api.c
+++ b/main/channel_internal_api.c
@@ -1391,8 +1391,14 @@ struct stasis_topic *ast_channel_topic(struct ast_channel *chan)
 
 void ast_channel_internal_setup_topics(struct ast_channel *chan)
 {
+	const char *topic_name = chan->uniqueid;
 	ast_assert(chan->topic == NULL);
 	ast_assert(chan->forwarder == NULL);
-	chan->topic = stasis_topic_create(chan->uniqueid);
+
+	if (ast_strlen_zero(topic_name)) {
+		topic_name = "<dummy-channel>";
+	}
+
+	chan->topic = stasis_topic_create(topic_name);
 	chan->forwarder = stasis_forward_all(chan->topic, ast_channel_topic_all());
 }
diff --git a/main/stasis.c b/main/stasis.c
index f94736bf1e6e5ea6b981cb141424104ce6548771..d1f11537ede74f3c7a24c6c0b22879f285e2e627 100644
--- a/main/stasis.c
+++ b/main/stasis.c
@@ -337,6 +337,10 @@ void stasis_forward_message(struct stasis_topic *topic, struct stasis_topic *pub
 	struct stasis_subscription **subscribers = NULL;
 	size_t num_subscribers, i;
 
+	ast_assert(topic != NULL);
+	ast_assert(publisher_topic != NULL);
+	ast_assert(message != NULL);
+
 	/* Copy the subscribers, so we don't have to hold the mutex for long */
 	{
 		SCOPED_AO2LOCK(lock, topic);