diff --git a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/plugins.ts b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/plugins.ts
index 03a377c2b38..1e10560be7d 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/plugins.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/services/plugins.ts
@@ -23,8 +23,13 @@ export function getAppPluginMetas(): AppPluginMetas {
   return cloneDeep(apps);
 }
 
-export function getAppPluginMeta(id: string): AppPluginConfig {
-  return getAppPluginMetas()[id];
+export function getAppPluginMeta(id: string): AppPluginConfig | undefined {
+  if (!apps[id]) {
+    console.error(`Plugin meta missing for plugin with id: ${id}`);
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  return cloneDeep(apps[id]);
 }
 
 export function setAppPluginMetas(override: AppPluginMetas) {
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedComponentsRegistry.test.ts b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
index 9fe21b37eae..bdd0e49a8ba 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
@@ -449,8 +449,10 @@ describe('AddedComponentsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedComponents: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedComponents: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -500,8 +502,10 @@ describe('AddedComponentsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedComponents: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedComponents: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -528,8 +532,10 @@ describe('AddedComponentsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedFunctionsRegistry.test.ts b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedFunctionsRegistry.test.ts
index 158ea38f874..2f05570f1b0 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedFunctionsRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedFunctionsRegistry.test.ts
@@ -641,8 +641,10 @@ describe('addedFunctionsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedFunctions: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedFunctions: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -692,8 +694,10 @@ describe('addedFunctionsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedFunctions: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedFunctions: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -720,8 +724,10 @@ describe('addedFunctionsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedFunctions: [fnConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedFunctions: [fnConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedLinksRegistry.test.ts b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedLinksRegistry.test.ts
index 8c84fb3b6ea..62558be0070 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedLinksRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/AddedLinksRegistry.test.ts
@@ -623,8 +623,10 @@ describe('AddedLinksRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedLinks: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedLinks: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -676,8 +678,10 @@ describe('AddedLinksRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedLinks: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedLinks: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -705,8 +709,10 @@ describe('AddedLinksRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedLinks: [linkConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedLinks: [linkConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/ExposedComponentsRegistry.test.ts b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/ExposedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
index 122588ac55b..1834fc34de0 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/ExposedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/registry/ExposedComponentsRegistry.test.ts
@@ -422,8 +422,10 @@ describe('ExposedComponentsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, exposedComponents: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, exposedComponents: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -473,8 +475,10 @@ describe('ExposedComponentsRegistry', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure that the meta-info is empty
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, exposedComponents: [] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, exposedComponents: [] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
@@ -500,8 +504,10 @@ describe('ExposedComponentsRegistry', () => {
       component: () => React.createElement('div', null, 'Hello World1'),
     };
 
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, exposedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, exposedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     registry.register({
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginComponents.test.tsx b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginComponents.test.tsx
index 9fca0e89482..fc0aead9640 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginComponents.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginComponents.test.tsx
@@ -511,7 +511,9 @@ describe('usePluginComponents()', () => {
 
     // The `AddedComponentsRegistry` is validating if the link is registered in the plugin metadata.
     const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...meta, extensions: { ...meta.extensions, addedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedComponents: [componentConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     wrapper = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginFunctions.test.tsx b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginFunctions.test.tsx
index f022b0f9e9f..0f9e70dcb15 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginFunctions.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginFunctions.test.tsx
@@ -332,8 +332,10 @@ describe('usePluginFunctions()', () => {
     };
 
     // The `AddedFunctionsRegistry` is validating if the function is registered in the plugin metadata.
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedFunctions: [functionConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedFunctions: [functionConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     wrapper = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginLinks.test.tsx b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginLinks.test.tsx
index 707623bbcee..dd95672a896 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginLinks.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/usePluginLinks.test.tsx
@@ -269,8 +269,10 @@ describe('usePluginLinks()', () => {
     };
 
     // The `AddedLinksRegistry` is validating if the link is registered in the plugin metadata (config.apps).
-    const plugin = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
-    const config = { ...plugin, extensions: { ...plugin.extensions, addedLinks: [linkConfig] } };
+    const meta = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+    expect(meta).toBeDefined();
+
+    const config = { ...meta!, extensions: { ...meta!.extensions, addedLinks: [linkConfig] } };
     setAppPluginMetas({ [pluginId]: config });
 
     wrapper = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
diff --git a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/utils.tsx b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/utils.tsx
index 18868bbb93a..55a072ff9db 100644
--- a/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/utils.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/plugins/extensions/utils.tsx
@@ -683,7 +683,8 @@ export const getExposedComponentPluginDependencies = (exposedComponentId: string
 // metadata field. (For example the plugins that expose components that the app depends on.)
 // Heads up! This is a recursive function.
 export const getAppPluginDependencies = (pluginId: string, visited: string[] = []): string[] => {
-  if (!getAppPluginMeta(pluginId)) {
+  const app = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId);
+  if (!app) {
     return [];
   }
 
@@ -692,9 +693,7 @@ export const getAppPluginDependencies = (pluginId: string, visited: string[] = [
     return [];
   }
 
-  const pluginIdDependencies = getAppPluginMeta(pluginId).dependencies.extensions.exposedComponents.map(
-    getAppPluginIdFromExposedComponentId
-  );
+  const pluginIdDependencies = app.dependencies.extensions.exposedComponents.map(getAppPluginIdFromExposedComponentId);
 
   return (
     pluginIdDependencies