diff --git a/.changeset/cyan-ducks-sin.md b/.changeset/cyan-ducks-sin.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b69fabcc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/cyan-ducks-sin.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-common': minor
+---
+
+**BREAKING**: `A gitilesBaseUrl` must be provided for the Gerrit integration to work.
+You can disable this check by setting `DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT=1` but
+this will be removed in a future release. If you are not able to use the Gitiles
+Gerrit plugin, please open an issue towards `https://github.com/backstage/backstage`
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
index 4a3b0a5de6..66943cac51 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -32,10 +32,15 @@ import path from 'path';
 import { getVoidLogger } from '../logging';
 import { UrlReaderPredicateTuple } from './types';
 import { DefaultReadTreeResponseFactory } from './tree';
-import { GerritUrlReader } from './GerritUrlReader';
+import {
+  GITILES_BASE_URL_DEPRECATION_MESSSAGE,
+  GerritUrlReader,
+} from './GerritUrlReader';
 import getRawBody from 'raw-body';
 
 const mockDir = createMockDirectory({ mockOsTmpDir: true });
+const env = process.env;
+process.env = { ...env, DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT: '1' };
 
 const treeResponseFactory = DefaultReadTreeResponseFactory.create({
   config: new ConfigReader({}),
@@ -93,10 +98,14 @@ describe.skip('GerritUrlReader', () => {
   const worker = setupServer();
   setupRequestMockHandlers(worker);
 
-  beforeEach(mockDir.clear);
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    mockDir.clear();
+    process.env = { ...env, DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT: '1' };
+  });
 
   afterAll(() => {
     jest.clearAllMocks();
+    process.env = env;
   });
 
   describe('reader factory', () => {
@@ -117,6 +126,29 @@ describe.skip('GerritUrlReader', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('handle optional gitilesBaseUrl deprecation', () => {
+    it('should throw if gitilesBaseUrl is not set.', () => {
+      process.env = env;
+      expect(() =>
+        createReader({
+          integrations: {
+            gerrit: [{ host: 'gerrit.com' }],
+          },
+        }),
+      ).toThrow(GITILES_BASE_URL_DEPRECATION_MESSSAGE);
+    });
+    it('should not throw if gitilesBaseUrl requirement is overridden.', () => {
+      process.env = { ...env, DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT: '1' };
+      expect(() =>
+        createReader({
+          integrations: {
+            gerrit: [{ host: 'gerrit.com' }],
+          },
+        }),
+      ).not.toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('predicates without Gitiles', () => {
     const readers = createReader({
       integrations: {
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.ts
index 665770815f..76de711dec 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/GerritUrlReader.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ import {
 
 const pipeline = promisify(pipelineCb);
 
+export const GITILES_BASE_URL_DEPRECATION_MESSSAGE = `A gitilesBaseUrl must be provided \
+for the gerrit integration to work. You can disable this check by setting \
+DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT=1 but this will be removed in a future release. If you \
+are not able to use the gitiles gerrit plugin, please open an issue towards \
+https://github.com/backstage/backstage`;
+
 const createTemporaryDirectory = async (workDir: string): Promise<string> =>
   await fs.mkdtemp(joinPath(workDir, '/gerrit-clone-'));
 
@@ -81,6 +87,12 @@ export class GerritUrlReader implements UrlReader {
     const workDir =
       config.getOptionalString('backend.workingDirectory') ?? os.tmpdir();
     return integrations.gerrit.list().map(integration => {
+      if (
+        integration.config.gitilesBaseUrl === integration.config.baseUrl &&
+        process.env.DISABLE_GERRIT_GITILES_REQUIREMENT === undefined
+      ) {
+        throw new Error(GITILES_BASE_URL_DEPRECATION_MESSSAGE);
+      }
       const reader = new GerritUrlReader(
         integration,
         { treeResponseFactory },