diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/index.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/index.ts
index 3e6ef7c945..8e0fc48e72 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/index.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,14 @@ export {
   useEntityFromUrl,
   EntityProvider,
   AsyncEntityProvider,
+  useAsyncEntity,
 } from './useEntity';
 export type {
   EntityLoadingStatus,
   EntityProviderProps,
   AsyncEntityProviderProps,
+  UseEntityResponse,
+  UseAsyncEntityResponse,
 } from './useEntity';
 export { useEntityCompoundName } from './useEntityCompoundName';
 export {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntity.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntity.tsx
index 5cb67cb79a..1db14adc22 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntity.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/hooks/useEntity.tsx
@@ -128,26 +128,35 @@ export const useEntityFromUrl = (): EntityLoadingStatus => {
 
   return { entity, loading, error, refresh };
 };
+export interface UseEntityResponse<T> {
+  entity: T;
+  /** @deprecated use useAsyncEntity instead */
+  loading: boolean;
+  /** @deprecated use useAsyncEntity instead */
+  error?: Error;
+  /** @deprecated use useAsyncEntity instead */
+  refresh?: VoidFunction;
+}
+
+export interface UseAsyncEntityResponse<T> {
+  entity?: T;
+  loading: boolean;
+  error?: Error;
+  refresh?: VoidFunction;
+}
 
 /**
- * Grab the current entity from the context and its current loading state.
+ * Grab the current entity from the context, throws if the entity has not yet been loaded
+ * or is not available.
  *
  * @public
  */
-export function useEntity<T extends Entity = Entity>() {
+export function useEntity<T extends Entity = Entity>(): UseEntityResponse<T> {
   const versionedHolder =
     useVersionedContext<{ 1: EntityLoadingStatus }>('entity-context');
 
   if (!versionedHolder) {
-    // TODO(Rugvip): Throw this once we fully migrate to the new context
-    // throw new Error('Entity context is not available');
-
-    return {
-      entity: undefined as unknown as T,
-      loading: true,
-      error: undefined,
-      refresh: () => {},
-    };
+    throw new Error('Entity context is not available');
   }
 
   const value = versionedHolder.atVersion(1);
@@ -155,6 +164,33 @@ export function useEntity<T extends Entity = Entity>() {
     throw new Error('EntityContext v1 not available');
   }
 
+  if (!value.entity) {
+    throw new Error('Entity has not been loaded yet');
+  }
+
+  const { entity, loading, error, refresh } = value;
+  return { entity: entity as T, loading, error, refresh };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Grab the current entity from the context, provides loading state and errors, and the ability to refresh.
+ *
+ * @public
+ */
+export function useAsyncEntity<
+  T extends Entity = Entity,
+>(): UseAsyncEntityResponse<T> {
+  const versionedHolder =
+    useVersionedContext<{ 1: EntityLoadingStatus }>('entity-context');
+
+  if (!versionedHolder) {
+    throw new Error('Entity context is not available');
+  }
+  const value = versionedHolder.atVersion(1);
+  if (!value) {
+    throw new Error('EntityContext v1 not available');
+  }
+
   const { entity, loading, error, refresh } = value;
   return { entity: entity as T, loading, error, refresh };
 }
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/EntitySwitch.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/EntitySwitch.tsx
index 4433517247..1b8667ce2a 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/EntitySwitch.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/EntitySwitch.tsx
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import { useEntity } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-react';
+import { useAsyncEntity } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-react';
 import React, { ReactNode, ReactElement } from 'react';
 import {
   attachComponentData,
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export interface EntitySwitchProps {
 
 /** @public */
 export const EntitySwitch = (props: EntitySwitchProps) => {
-  const { entity } = useEntity();
+  const { entity } = useAsyncEntity();
   const apis = useApiHolder();
   const results = useElementFilter(
     props.children,
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ export const EntitySwitch = (props: EntitySwitchProps) => {
         })
         .getElements()
         .flatMap<SwitchCaseResult>((element: ReactElement) => {
+          if (!entity) {
+            return [];
+          }
           const { if: condition, children: elementsChildren } =
             element.props as EntitySwitchCase;
           return [
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/conditions.ts b/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/conditions.ts
index a02170cc6f..907aa45afe 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/conditions.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/EntitySwitch/conditions.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ function strCmp(a: string | undefined, b: string | undefined): boolean {
  * @public
  */
 export function isKind(kind: string) {
-  return (entity: Entity) => strCmp(entity?.kind, kind);
+  return (entity: Entity) => strCmp(entity.kind, kind);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export function isKind(kind: string) {
  */
 export function isComponentType(type: string) {
   return (entity: Entity) => {
-    if (!strCmp(entity?.kind, 'component')) {
+    if (!strCmp(entity.kind, 'component')) {
       return false;
     }
     const componentEntity = entity as ComponentEntity;
@@ -49,5 +49,5 @@ export function isComponentType(type: string) {
  * @public
  */
 export function isNamespace(namespace: string) {
-  return (entity: Entity) => strCmp(entity?.metadata?.namespace, namespace);
+  return (entity: Entity) => strCmp(entity.metadata?.namespace, namespace);
 }