diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c26fedd..abfb62d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -61,6 +61,19 @@ per-file diff commands.
   Pinned by three new cases in `test_scrape_contract.py`, each verified to fail on the unfixed
   spec. Reported and diagnosed from a real run by @sandunwijerathne.
 
+- **`salary_lookup.py` no longer crashes on a `null` `metadata` or `categories`** - `--validate`
+  treats an explicit `"metadata": null` / `"categories": null` the same as an omitted key (the
+  shape checks are "...must be an object *when provided*" and skip `None`), but the renderer read
+  both through `dict.get(key, {})`, which only substitutes the default for an *absent* key - a
+  present-but-null value passed straight through. `format_entry` then hit `None.get("index_label",
+  ...)` (`AttributeError`) or, via the numeric-field fallback, `None[key] = value` (`TypeError`),
+  so a hand-maintained `salary_data.json` using `null` for "no value here" died with an uncaught
+  traceback right after printing `Found 1 match(es)`. `format_entry` now coerces both to `{}` up
+  front, so `null`, absent, and `{}` behave identically. Pinned by four cases in
+  `test_salary_lookup.py` - two unit calls into `format_entry` and two end-to-end (`main()
+  --validate` blesses the file, then the lookup path renders it), one per null shape, all verified
+  to fail on the unfixed renderer.
+
 ## [1.7.0] - 2026-08-29
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/salary_lookup.py b/salary_lookup.py
index 4d1bbcb..a49fa6e 100644
--- a/salary_lookup.py
+++ b/salary_lookup.py
@@ -291,6 +291,11 @@ def search_company(data, query, city=None):
 
 def format_entry(entry, metadata):
     """Format a single company entry for display."""
+    # `metadata` and `entry["categories"]` may be an explicit null: --validate
+    # treats a null the same as an omitted key ("...must be an object when
+    # provided"), but dict.get(key, default) only substitutes the default for an
+    # absent key, so a null reached `.get()`/`[]` here and crashed the lookup.
+    metadata = metadata or {}
     lines = []
     lines.append(f"\n{'='*60}")
     lines.append(f"  {entry['company']}")
@@ -298,8 +303,8 @@ def format_entry(entry, metadata):
         lines.append(f"  Location: {entry['city']}")
     lines.append(f"{'='*60}")
 
-    # Get category data (everything except company/city fields)
-    categories = entry.get("categories", {})
+    # Get category data (everything except company/city fields).
+    categories = entry.get("categories") or {}
     if not categories:
         # Fallback: treat any numeric fields as categories
         skip_keys = {"company", "city", "categories"}
diff --git a/tests/test_salary_lookup.py b/tests/test_salary_lookup.py
index 77f4de9..d5ac424 100644
--- a/tests/test_salary_lookup.py
+++ b/tests/test_salary_lookup.py
@@ -87,6 +87,34 @@ class FormatEntryTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("45000.0", rendered)
         self.assertIn("+12.5%", rendered)
 
+    def test_null_categories_with_sibling_dict_does_not_crash(self):
+        # --validate accepts "categories": null, so format_entry must not crash
+        # on it. entry.get("categories", {}) returns None (not {}) for an
+        # explicit null, and the numeric-field fallback then did None[key] = ....
+        entry = {
+            "company": "Example Corp",
+            "city": "",
+            "categories": None,
+            "engineering": {"count": 10, "index": 105.0},
+        }
+
+        rendered = format_entry(entry, {"index_baseline": 100, "index_label": "Index"})
+
+        self.assertRegex(rendered, r"Engineering\s+10\s+105\.0")
+
+    def test_null_metadata_does_not_crash(self):
+        # --validate accepts "metadata": null the same way; format_entry then did
+        # None.get("index_label", ...) -> AttributeError.
+        entry = {
+            "company": "Example Corp",
+            "city": "",
+            "categories": {"eng": {"count": 5, "index": 108.0}},
+        }
+
+        rendered = format_entry(entry, None)
+
+        self.assertRegex(rendered, r"Eng\s+5\s+108\.0")
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # match_score tests (from #106)
@@ -331,6 +359,70 @@ class ValidateFlagTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("Duplicate company name", out)
 
 
+class NullShapeEndToEndTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    """The disagreement in full: --validate blesses a file with a null
+    metadata/categories, then the lookup path must render it, not crash.
+
+    Both payloads pass --validate on master; the second command then dies
+    (TypeError in the categories fallback, AttributeError on metadata.get).
+    """
+
+    def _run_main(self, payload, *argv_tail):
+        """Run main() against `payload` with the given argv. Returns
+        (exit_code_or_None, stdout). main() returns normally on a successful
+        render, so a missing SystemExit is success, not an error."""
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
+            data_file = Path(tmpdir) / "salary_data.json"
+            data_file.write_text(payload, encoding="utf-8")
+            original_data_file = salary_lookup.DATA_FILE
+            salary_lookup.DATA_FILE = data_file
+            argv_patch = mock.patch("sys.argv", ["salary_lookup.py", *argv_tail])
+            argv_patch.start()
+            try:
+                stdout = io.StringIO()
+                try:
+                    with redirect_stdout(stdout):
+                        salary_lookup.main()
+                    return None, stdout.getvalue()
+                except SystemExit as exc:
+                    return exc.code, stdout.getvalue()
+            finally:
+                argv_patch.stop()
+                salary_lookup.DATA_FILE = original_data_file
+
+    def test_null_categories_passes_validate_then_renders(self):
+        payload = (
+            '{"metadata": {"index_label": "Index", "index_baseline": 100},'
+            ' "companies": [{"company": "Foo A/S", "city": "Aarhus",'
+            ' "categories": null,'
+            ' "engineering": {"count": 10, "index": 105}}]}'
+        )
+
+        code, out = self._run_main(payload, "--validate")
+        self.assertEqual(code, 0)
+        self.assertIn("OK", out)
+
+        code, out = self._run_main(payload, "Foo")
+        self.assertIsNone(code)
+        self.assertIn("Foo A/S", out)
+        self.assertRegex(out, r"Engineering\s+10\s+105")
+
+    def test_null_metadata_passes_validate_then_renders(self):
+        payload = (
+            '{"metadata": null,'
+            ' "companies": [{"company": "Foo A/S", "city": "Aarhus",'
+            ' "categories": {"engineering": {"count": 10, "index": 105}}}]}'
+        )
+
+        code, out = self._run_main(payload, "--validate")
+        self.assertEqual(code, 0)
+        self.assertIn("OK", out)
+
+        code, out = self._run_main(payload, "Foo")
+        self.assertIsNone(code)
+        self.assertRegex(out, r"Engineering\s+10\s+105")
+
+
 class UtilityTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_normalize_strips_suffix_and_noise(self):
         self.assertEqual(normalize("Novo Nordisk A/S"), "novonordisk")