diff --git a/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/api/models/GithubCommit.java b/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/api/models/GithubCommit.java
index 3cb2ea3e279af8110a9dce9a63115d6b32440a08..631c78cf6bb1ce3248afca34b9007921bf88ded2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/api/models/GithubCommit.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/api/models/GithubCommit.java
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
 
     public abstract CommitData getCommit();
 
-    public abstract CommitUser getCommitter();
+    public abstract GithubCommitUser getCommitter();
 
-    public abstract CommitUser getAuthor();
+    public abstract GithubCommitUser getAuthor();
 
     public abstract List<ParentCommit> getParents();
 
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
 
         public abstract Builder setCommit(CommitData commit);
 
-        public abstract Builder setCommitter(CommitUser committer);
+        public abstract Builder setCommitter(GithubCommitUser committer);
 
-        public abstract Builder setAuthor(CommitUser author);
+        public abstract Builder setAuthor(GithubCommitUser author);
 
         public abstract Builder setParents(List<ParentCommit> parents);
 
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
     @AutoValue
     @JsonDeserialize(builder = AutoValue_GithubCommit_CommitData.Builder.class)
     public abstract static class CommitData {
-        public abstract BriefCommitUser getAuthor();
+        public abstract GitCommitUser getAuthor();
 
-        public abstract BriefCommitUser getCommitter();
+        public abstract GitCommitUser getCommitter();
 
         public static Builder builder() {
             return new AutoValue_GithubCommit_CommitData.Builder();
@@ -68,23 +68,23 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
         @AutoValue.Builder
         @JsonPOJOBuilder(withPrefix = "set")
         public abstract static class Builder {
-            public abstract Builder setAuthor(BriefCommitUser author);
+            public abstract Builder setAuthor(GitCommitUser author);
 
-            public abstract Builder setCommitter(BriefCommitUser committer);
+            public abstract Builder setCommitter(GitCommitUser committer);
 
             public abstract CommitData build();
         }
     }
 
     @AutoValue
-    @JsonDeserialize(builder = AutoValue_GithubCommit_BriefCommitUser.Builder.class)
-    public abstract static class BriefCommitUser {
+    @JsonDeserialize(builder = AutoValue_GithubCommit_GitCommitUser.Builder.class)
+    public abstract static class GitCommitUser {
         public abstract String getName();
 
         public abstract String getEmail();
 
         public static Builder builder() {
-            return new AutoValue_GithubCommit_BriefCommitUser.Builder();
+            return new AutoValue_GithubCommit_GitCommitUser.Builder();
         }
 
         @AutoValue.Builder
@@ -94,17 +94,17 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
 
             public abstract Builder setEmail(String email);
 
-            public abstract BriefCommitUser build();
+            public abstract GitCommitUser build();
         }
     }
 
     @AutoValue
-    @JsonDeserialize(builder = AutoValue_GithubCommit_CommitUser.Builder.class)
-    public abstract static class CommitUser {
+    @JsonDeserialize(builder = AutoValue_GithubCommit_GithubCommitUser.Builder.class)
+    public abstract static class GithubCommitUser {
         public abstract String getLogin();
 
         public static Builder builder() {
-            return new AutoValue_GithubCommit_CommitUser.Builder();
+            return new AutoValue_GithubCommit_GithubCommitUser.Builder();
         }
 
         @AutoValue.Builder
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ public abstract class GithubCommit {
         public abstract static class Builder {
             public abstract Builder setLogin(String login);
 
-            public abstract CommitUser build();
+            public abstract GithubCommitUser build();
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/resource/GithubAdjacentResource.java b/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/resource/GithubAdjacentResource.java
index 5fc19e286cbe1327e1278844f9df4c8ed075ce68..f1fc549635a92b590695ab70c033d920ce1b09c7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/resource/GithubAdjacentResource.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/eclipsefoundation/git/eca/resource/GithubAdjacentResource.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.function.Supplier;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
@@ -100,6 +101,7 @@ public abstract class GithubAdjacentResource {
      * @param repositoryUrl the URL of the repository that contains the commits to validate
      * @return the populated validation request for the Github request information
      */
+    @SuppressWarnings("null")
     ValidationRequest generateRequest(String installationId, String repositoryFullName, int pullRequestNumber, String repositoryUrl) {
         checkRequestParameters(installationId, repositoryFullName, pullRequestNumber);
         // get the commits that will be validated, don't cache as changes can come in too fast for it to be useful
@@ -121,15 +123,15 @@ public abstract class GithubAdjacentResource {
                                 .setHash(c.getSha())
                                 .setAuthor(GitUser
                                         .builder()
-                                        .setMail(c.getCommit().getAuthor().getEmail())
-                                        .setName(c.getCommit().getAuthor().getName())
-                                        .setExternalId(c.getAuthor().getLogin())
+                                        .setMail(getNullableString(() -> c.getCommit().getAuthor().getEmail()))
+                                        .setName(getNullableString(() -> c.getCommit().getAuthor().getName()))
+                                        .setExternalId(getNullableString(() -> c.getAuthor().getLogin()))
                                         .build())
                                 .setCommitter(GitUser
                                         .builder()
-                                        .setMail(c.getCommit().getCommitter().getEmail())
-                                        .setName(c.getCommit().getCommitter().getName())
-                                        .setExternalId(c.getCommitter().getLogin())
+                                        .setMail(getNullableString(() -> c.getCommit().getCommitter().getEmail()))
+                                        .setName(getNullableString(() -> c.getCommit().getCommitter().getName()))
+                                        .setExternalId(getNullableString(() -> c.getCommitter().getLogin()))
                                         .build())
                                 .setParents(c.getParents().stream().map(ParentCommit::getSha).collect(Collectors.toList()))
                                 .build())
@@ -272,6 +274,21 @@ public abstract class GithubAdjacentResource {
                                 .build());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Wraps a nullable value fetch to handle errors and will return null if the value can't be retrieved.
+     * 
+     * @param supplier the method with potentially nullable values
+     * @return the value if it can be found, or null
+     */
+    private String getNullableString(Supplier<String> supplier) {
+        try {
+            return supplier.get();
+        } catch (NullPointerException e) {
+            // suppress, as we don't care at this point if its null
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Validates required fields for processing requests.
      *