diff --git a/include/rfl/yaml/Reader.hpp b/include/rfl/yaml/Reader.hpp
index 505339e2..12664522 100644
--- a/include/rfl/yaml/Reader.hpp
+++ b/include/rfl/yaml/Reader.hpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ struct Reader {
   }
 
   bool is_empty(const InputVarType& _var) const noexcept {
-    return !_var.node_ && true;
+    return !_var.node_ || _var.node_.IsNull();
   }
 
   template <class T>
diff --git a/tests/yaml/test_read_null.cpp b/tests/yaml/test_read_null.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b03fd1db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/yaml/test_read_null.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+
+#include <cmath>
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <optional>
+#include <rfl/yaml.hpp>
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace test_read_null {
+
+struct Person {
+  std::string first_name;
+  std::optional<std::string> last_name;
+  std::optional<int> age;
+  std::string city;
+  float weight;
+  double height;
+};
+
+TEST(yaml, test_read_null) {
+  const std::string yaml_str =
+      "first_name: Homer\n"
+      "last_name: null\n"
+      "age: ~\n"
+      "city: null\n"
+      "weight: .nan\n"
+      "height: .nan\n";
+
+  const auto res = rfl::yaml::read<Person>(yaml_str);
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(res && true) << "Test failed on read. Error: "
+                           << res.error().what();
+  EXPECT_EQ(res.value().first_name, "Homer");
+  EXPECT_FALSE(res.value().last_name.has_value());
+  EXPECT_FALSE(res.value().age.has_value());
+  EXPECT_TRUE(std::isnan(res.value().weight));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(std::isnan(res.value().height));
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_required_field_fails) {
+  const std::string yaml_str =
+      "first_name: Homer\n"
+      "last_name: null\n"
+      "age: ~\n"
+      "city: Springfield\n"
+      "weight: null\n"
+      "height: null\n";
+
+  const auto res = rfl::yaml::read<Person>(yaml_str);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(res.has_value());
+}
+
+// One struct per primitive type — each tested with a null value below.
+
+struct IntHolder { int value; };
+struct Int8Holder { int8_t value; };
+struct Int16Holder { int16_t value; };
+struct Int32Holder { int32_t value; };
+struct Int64Holder { int64_t value; };
+struct UInt8Holder { uint8_t value; };
+struct UInt16Holder { uint16_t value; };
+struct UInt32Holder { uint32_t value; };
+struct UInt64Holder { uint64_t value; };
+struct FloatHolder { float value; };
+struct DoubleHolder { double value; };
+struct BoolHolder { bool value; };
+
+struct OptionalIntHolder { std::optional<int> value; };
+struct OptionalStringHolder { std::optional<std::string> value; };
+
+static constexpr std::string_view kNullYaml = "value: null\n";
+static constexpr std::string_view kNaNYaml = "value: .nan\n";
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_int_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<IntHolder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_int8_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<Int8Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_int16_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<Int16Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_int32_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<Int32Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_int64_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<Int64Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_uint8_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<UInt8Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_uint16_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<UInt16Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_uint32_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<UInt32Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_uint64_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<UInt64Holder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_float_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<FloatHolder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_nan_for_float_succeeds) {
+  EXPECT_TRUE(std::isnan(rfl::yaml::read<FloatHolder>(kNaNYaml).value().value));
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_double_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<DoubleHolder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_nan_for_double_succeeds) {
+  EXPECT_TRUE(std::isnan(rfl::yaml::read<DoubleHolder>(kNaNYaml).value().value));
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_bool_fails) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(rfl::yaml::read<BoolHolder>(kNullYaml).has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_optional_int_is_nullopt) {
+  const auto res = rfl::yaml::read<OptionalIntHolder>(kNullYaml);
+  ASSERT_TRUE(res.has_value());
+  EXPECT_FALSE(res.value().value.has_value());
+}
+
+TEST(yaml, test_null_for_optional_string_is_nullopt) {
+  const auto res = rfl::yaml::read<OptionalStringHolder>(kNullYaml);
+  ASSERT_TRUE(res.has_value());
+  EXPECT_FALSE(res.value().value.has_value());
+}
+
+}  // namespace test_read_null