diff --git a/.changeset/fast-heads-brake.md b/.changeset/fast-heads-brake.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bc9f525520
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fast-heads-brake.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend': patch
+---
+
+Moved catalog processor and provider disabling and priorities under own config objects.
+
+This is due to issue with some existing providers, such as GitHub, using array syntax for the provider configuration.
+
+The new config format is not backwards compatible, so users will need to update their config files. The new format
+is as follows:
+
+```yaml
+catalog:
+  providerOptions:
+    providerA:
+      disabled: false
+    providerB:
+      disabled: true
+  processorOptions:
+    processorA:
+      disabled: false
+      priority: 10
+    processorB:
+      disabled: true
+```
diff --git a/docs/features/software-catalog/configuration.md b/docs/features/software-catalog/configuration.md
index f8de3034fd..5b293cce1c 100644
--- a/docs/features/software-catalog/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/features/software-catalog/configuration.md
@@ -90,6 +90,35 @@ also write a _custom processor_ to convert between the existing system and
 Backstage's descriptor format. This is documented in
 [External Integrations](external-integrations.md).
 
+### Processor configuration
+
+You can configure processors under the `catalog.processorOptions` key. You can define
+options for each processor by its name. With the processor options you can disable
+a processor or set its priority.
+
+```yaml
+catalog:
+  processorOptions:
+    processorName:
+      disabled: false # Defaults to false
+      priority: 100
+```
+
+The priority is a number defining the order in which processors are executed. The lower the number,
+the higher the priority. The default priority is `20`.
+
+## Provider configuration
+
+It's possible to also disable entity providers using the config. You can configure providers
+under the `catalog.providerOptions` key. The key is the provider name.
+
+```yaml
+catalog:
+  providerOptions:
+    providerName:
+      disabled: true
+```
+
 ## Catalog Rules
 
 By default, the catalog will only allow the ingestion of entities with the kind
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/config.d.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/config.d.ts
index f1b72e5b45..95d28d1eae 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/config.d.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/config.d.ts
@@ -223,38 +223,36 @@ export interface Config {
     processingInterval?: HumanDuration | false;
 
     /**
-     * Catalog provide specific configuration.
-     * Additional configuration for providers are specified in the catalog
-     * modules.
+     * Provider-specific additional configuration options.
      */
-    providers?: {
+    providerOptions?: {
       /**
-       * Name is the provider ID, e.g. "bitbucketServer"
+       * Key is the provider name, value is an object with additional configuration
        */
       [name: string]: {
         /**
-         * Whether the provider is enabled or not. Defaults to true.
+         * Determines whether this provider is disabled or not. If not specified,
+         * defaults to false.
          */
-        enabled?: boolean;
+        disabled?: boolean;
       };
     };
+
     /**
-     * Configuration for entity processors. Additional configuration for
-     * processors are specified in the catalog modules.
+     * Processor-specific additional configuration options.
      */
-    processors?: {
+    processorOptions?: {
       /**
-       * Name is the processor ID, e.g. "catalog-processor"
+       * Key is the processor name, value is an object with additional configuration
        */
       [name: string]: {
         /**
-         * Whether the processor is enabled or not. Defaults to true.
+         * Determines whether this processor is disabled or not. If not specified,
+         * defaults to false.
          */
-        enabled?: boolean;
+        disabled?: boolean;
         /**
-         * The priority of the processor, which is used to determine the order in which
-         * processors are run. The default priority is 20, and lower value means
-         * that the processor runs earlier.
+         * The default priority is 20, and lower value means that the processor runs earlier.
          */
         priority?: number;
       };
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
index 0b35e84102..35997c03c5 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
@@ -693,13 +693,13 @@ export class CatalogBuilder {
         try {
           return (
             config.getOptionalNumber(
-              `catalog.processors.${processor.getProcessorName()}.priority`,
+              `catalog.processorOptions.${processor.getProcessorName()}.priority`,
             ) ??
             processor.getPriority?.() ??
             20
           );
         } catch (_) {
-          // In case the processor config is not an object, just return default priority
+          // In case the processor config throws, just return default priority
           return 20;
         }
       };
@@ -714,22 +714,12 @@ export class CatalogBuilder {
 
   private filterProcessors(processors: CatalogProcessor[]) {
     const { config } = this.env;
-    const processorsConfig = config.getOptionalConfig('catalog.processors');
-    if (!processorsConfig) {
-      return processors;
-    }
-
-    return processors.filter(p => {
-      try {
-        const processorConfig = processorsConfig.getOptionalConfig(
-          p.getProcessorName(),
-        );
-        return processorConfig?.getOptionalBoolean('enabled') ?? true;
-      } catch (_) {
-        // In case the processor config is not an object, just include the processor
-        return true;
-      }
-    });
+    return processors.filter(
+      p =>
+        config.getOptionalBoolean(
+          `catalog.processorOptions.${p.getProcessorName()}.disabled`,
+        ) !== true,
+    );
   }
 
   // TODO(Rugvip): These old processors are removed, for a while we'll be throwing
@@ -844,22 +834,12 @@ export class CatalogBuilder {
 
   private filterProviders(providers: EntityProvider[]) {
     const { config } = this.env;
-    const providersConfig = config.getOptionalConfig('catalog.providers');
-    if (!providersConfig) {
-      return providers;
-    }
-
-    return providers.filter(p => {
-      try {
-        const providerConfig = providersConfig.getOptionalConfig(
-          p.getProviderName(),
-        );
-        return providerConfig?.getOptionalBoolean('enabled') ?? true;
-      } catch (_) {
-        // In case the provider config is not an object, just include the provider
-        return true;
-      }
-    });
+    return providers.filter(
+      p =>
+        config.getOptionalBoolean(
+          `catalog.providerOptions.${p.getProviderName()}.disabled`,
+        ) !== true,
+    );
   }
 
   private static getDefaultProcessingInterval(