diff --git a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/system/ApiProvider.test.tsx b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/system/ApiProvider.test.tsx
index c80b0c117f..f3a0a67263 100644
--- a/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/system/ApiProvider.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/core-app-api/src/apis/system/ApiProvider.test.tsx
@@ -115,11 +115,11 @@ describe('ApiProvider', () => {
       withLogCollector(['error'], () => {
         expect(() => {
           render(<MyHookConsumer />);
-        }).toThrow(/^No provider available for api-context context/);
+        }).toThrow(/^API context is not available/);
       }).error,
     ).toEqual([
       expect.stringMatching(
-        /^Error: Uncaught \[Error: No provider available for api-context context/,
+        /^Error: Uncaught \[Error: API context is not available/,
       ),
       expect.stringMatching(
         /^The above error occurred in the <MyHookConsumer> component/,
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@ describe('ApiProvider', () => {
       withLogCollector(['error'], () => {
         expect(() => {
           render(<MyHocConsumer />);
-        }).toThrow(/^No provider available for api-context context/);
+        }).toThrow(/^API context is not available/);
       }).error,
     ).toEqual([
       expect.stringMatching(
-        /^Error: Uncaught \[Error: No provider available for api-context context/,
+        /^Error: Uncaught \[Error: API context is not available/,
       ),
       expect.stringMatching(
         /^The above error occurred in the <withApis\(Component\)> component/,
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/apis/system/useApi.tsx b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/apis/system/useApi.tsx
index 10fe1df4a7..ef598a4c0e 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/apis/system/useApi.tsx
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/apis/system/useApi.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ import { useVersionedContext } from '@backstage/version-bridge';
 
 export function useApiHolder(): ApiHolder {
   const versionedHolder = useVersionedContext<{ 1: ApiHolder }>('api-context');
+  if (!versionedHolder) {
+    throw new Error('API context is not available');
+  }
 
   const apiHolder = versionedHolder.atVersion(1);
   if (!apiHolder) {
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/app/useApp.tsx b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/app/useApp.tsx
index d4615eb532..05d2e1c5c0 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/app/useApp.tsx
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/app/useApp.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ import { AppContext as AppContextV1 } from './types';
 export const useApp = (): AppContextV1 => {
   const versionedContext =
     useVersionedContext<{ 1: AppContextV1 }>('app-context');
+  if (!versionedContext) {
+    throw new Error('App context is not available');
+  }
+
   const appContext = versionedContext.atVersion(1);
   if (!appContext) {
     throw new Error('AppContext v1 not available');
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/useRouteRef.tsx b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/useRouteRef.tsx
index 56c5baff8e..ea05cc14fd 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/useRouteRef.tsx
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/useRouteRef.tsx
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ export function useRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams>(
   const sourceLocation = useLocation();
   const versionedContext =
     useVersionedContext<{ 1: RouteResolver }>('routing-context');
+  if (!versionedContext) {
+    throw new Error('Routing context is not available');
+  }
+
   const resolver = versionedContext.atVersion(1);
   const routeFunc = useMemo(
     () => resolver && resolver.resolve(routeRef, sourceLocation),
diff --git a/packages/version-bridge/api-report.md b/packages/version-bridge/api-report.md
index 9f653a11d9..367c2da102 100644
--- a/packages/version-bridge/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/version-bridge/api-report.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export function useVersionedContext<
   Versions extends {
     [version in number]: any;
   },
->(key: string): VersionedValue<Versions>;
+>(key: string): VersionedValue<Versions> | undefined;
 
 // @public
 export type VersionedValue<
diff --git a/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.test.tsx b/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.test.tsx
index bbd924780d..659fd9b5b9 100644
--- a/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.test.tsx
@@ -65,13 +65,9 @@ describe('VersionedContext', () => {
 
     const rendered = renderHook(() => useVersionedContext('test-context-3'));
 
-    expect(() => rendered.result.current).toThrow(
-      'Global test-context-3 is not set',
-    );
+    expect(rendered.result.current).toBeUndefined();
     context.set({ 1: '3v1' });
-    expect(() => rendered.result.current).toThrow(
-      'Global test-context-3 is not set',
-    );
+    expect(rendered.result.current).toBeUndefined();
     // should need a rerender before update
     rendered.rerender();
 
@@ -86,9 +82,7 @@ describe('VersionedContext', () => {
 
     context.reset();
     rendered.rerender();
-    expect(() => rendered.result.current).toThrow(
-      'Global test-context-3 is not set',
-    );
+    expect(rendered.result.current).toBeUndefined();
 
     context.set({ 1: '3v1', 2: '3v2' });
 
diff --git a/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.ts b/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.ts
index 4a08739c16..ecf7ab46e6 100644
--- a/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.ts
+++ b/packages/version-bridge/src/lib/VersionedContext.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { createContext, useContext, Context } from 'react';
-import { getGlobalSingleton, getOrCreateGlobalSingleton } from './globalObject';
+import { getOrCreateGlobalSingleton } from './globalObject';
 import { createVersionedValueMap, VersionedValue } from './VersionedValue';
 
 /**
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ export function createVersionedContext<
  * ```ts
  * const versionedHolder = useVersionedContext<{ 1: string }>('my-context');
  *
+ * if (!versionedHolder) {
+ *   throw new Error('My context is not available!')
+ * }
+ *
  * const myValue = versionedHolder.atVersion(1);
  *
  * // ...
@@ -62,14 +66,8 @@ export function createVersionedContext<
  */
 export function useVersionedContext<
   Versions extends { [version in number]: any },
->(key: string): VersionedValue<Versions> {
-  const versionedValue = useContext(
-    getGlobalSingleton<Context<VersionedValue<Versions>>>(key),
-  );
-  if (!versionedValue) {
-    throw new Error(`No provider available for ${key} context`);
-  }
-  return versionedValue;
+>(key: string): VersionedValue<Versions> | undefined {
+  return useContext(createVersionedContext<Versions>(key));
 }
 
 /**