diff --git a/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service.go b/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service.go
index 2ff9b4581..6e2ece318 100644
--- a/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service.go
+++ b/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service.go
@@ -782,14 +782,10 @@ func validateCreateRequest(req *pbs.CreateCredentialRequest) error {
 
 		case credential.JsonSubtype.String():
 			object := req.GetItem().GetJsonAttributes().GetObject()
-			if object == nil && len(object.AsMap()) <= 0 {
-				badFields[objectField] = "Field required for creating a json credential."
-			}
-			objectBytes, err := json.Marshal(object)
-			if err != nil {
+			if object == nil || len(object.AsMap()) <= 0 {
+				badFields[objectField] = "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty."
+			} else if _, err := json.Marshal(object); err != nil {
 				badFields[objectField] = "Unable to parse given json value"
-			} else if len(objectBytes) <= 0 {
-				badFields[objectField] = "Field required for creating a json credential."
 			}
 
 		default:
@@ -846,21 +842,13 @@ func validateUpdateRequest(req *pbs.UpdateCredentialRequest) error {
 			}
 
 		case credential.JsonSubtype:
-			object := req.GetItem().GetJsonAttributes().GetObject()
-			if object != nil {
-				_, err := json.Marshal(object.AsMap())
-				if err != nil {
+			if handlers.MaskContainsPrefix(req.GetUpdateMask().GetPaths(), objectField) {
+				object := req.GetItem().GetJsonAttributes().GetObject()
+				if object == nil || len(object.AsMap()) <= 0 {
+					badFields[objectField] = "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty"
+				} else if _, err := json.Marshal(object); err != nil {
 					badFields[objectField] = "Unable to parse given json value"
 				}
-				if !handlers.MaskContainsPrefix(req.GetUpdateMask().GetPaths(), objectField) {
-					badFields[objectField] = "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty."
-				}
-				if len(object.AsMap()) == 0 {
-					badFields[objectField] = "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty."
-				}
-			}
-			if handlers.MaskContainsPrefix(req.GetUpdateMask().GetPaths(), objectField) && object == nil {
-				badFields[objectField] = "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty."
 			}
 
 		default:
diff --git a/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service_test.go b/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service_test.go
index e632de40a..e0bddcdb1 100644
--- a/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service_test.go
+++ b/internal/daemon/controller/handlers/credentials/credential_service_test.go
@@ -1150,20 +1150,6 @@ func TestUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 				return out
 			},
 		},
-		{
-			name: "update-empty-json",
-			req: &pbs.UpdateCredentialRequest{
-				UpdateMask: fieldmask(),
-				Item: &pb.Credential{
-					Attrs: &pb.Credential_JsonAttributes{
-						JsonAttributes: &pb.JsonAttributes{
-							Object: &structpb.Struct{},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-			},
-			expErrorContains: "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty",
-		},
 		{
 			name: "update-empty-object-json",
 			req: &pbs.UpdateCredentialRequest{
@@ -1179,14 +1165,12 @@ func TestUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 			expErrorContains: "This is a required field and cannot be set to empty",
 		},
 		{
-			name: "update-empty-mask-json",
+			name: "update-nil-object-json",
 			req: &pbs.UpdateCredentialRequest{
-				UpdateMask: fieldmask(),
+				UpdateMask: fieldmask("attributes.object.password"),
 				Item: &pb.Credential{
 					Attrs: &pb.Credential_JsonAttributes{
-						JsonAttributes: &pb.JsonAttributes{
-							Object: secondSecret,
-						},
+						JsonAttributes: &pb.JsonAttributes{},
 					},
 				},
 			},