diff --git a/.changeset/tidy-otters-roll.md b/.changeset/tidy-otters-roll.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13017e4b0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tidy-otters-roll.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-airbrake-backend': patch
+---
+
+Make config optional
diff --git a/plugins/airbrake-backend/config.d.ts b/plugins/airbrake-backend/config.d.ts
index af28d7e73e..9563121127 100644
--- a/plugins/airbrake-backend/config.d.ts
+++ b/plugins/airbrake-backend/config.d.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 export interface Config {
   /** Configuration options for the Airbrake plugin */
-  airbrake: {
+  airbrake?: {
     /**
      * The API Key to authenticate requests. More details on how to get this here: https://airbrake.io/docs/api/#authentication
      * @visibility secret