diff --git a/src/server/project.ts b/src/server/project.ts
index 8a8c804ee18db..5eda7961c693f 100644
--- a/src/server/project.ts
+++ b/src/server/project.ts
@@ -1581,7 +1581,7 @@ namespace ts.server {
 
         protected enablePlugin(pluginConfigEntry: PluginImport, searchPaths: string[], pluginConfigOverrides: Map<any> | undefined) {
             this.projectService.logger.info(`Enabling plugin ${pluginConfigEntry.name} from candidate paths: ${searchPaths.join(",")}`);
-            if (parsePackageName(pluginConfigEntry.name).rest) {
+            if (!pluginConfigEntry.name || parsePackageName(pluginConfigEntry.name).rest) {
                 this.projectService.logger.info(`Skipped loading plugin ${pluginConfigEntry.name} because only package name is allowed plugin name`);
                 return;
             }
diff --git a/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/plugins.ts b/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/plugins.ts
index 4b45b24f9a5b2..68833409a4b6f 100644
--- a/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/plugins.ts
+++ b/src/testRunner/unittests/tsserver/plugins.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,12 @@ namespace ts.projectSystem {
             const tsconfig: File = {
                 path: "/tsconfig.json",
                 content: JSON.stringify({
-                    compilerOptions: { plugins: [...expectedToLoad, ...notToLoad].map(name => ({ name })) }
+                    compilerOptions: {
+                        plugins: [
+                            ...[...expectedToLoad, ...notToLoad].map(name => ({ name })),
+                            { transform: "some-transform" }
+                        ]
+                    }
                 })
             };
             const { host, pluginsLoaded } = createHostWithPlugin([aTs, tsconfig, libFile]);