diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfig.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfig.java
index 08f73c5..20c6c4a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfig.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfig.java
@@ -94,16 +94,17 @@
   }
 
   public boolean isEnabled(Project.NameKey projectNK, String refName) {
-    ProjectState projectState = projectCache.get(projectNK);
-    if (projectState == null) {
+    Optional<ProjectState> projectState = projectCache.get(projectNK);
+    if (!projectState.isPresent()) {
       log.error(
           "Failed to check if {} is enabled for project {}: Project not found",
           pluginName,
           projectNK.get());
       return false;
     }
-    return isEnforcedByAnyParentProject(refName, projectState)
-        || (isEnabledForProject(projectState) && isEnabledForBranch(projectState, refName));
+    return isEnforcedByAnyParentProject(refName, projectState.get())
+        || (isEnabledForProject(projectState.get())
+            && isEnabledForBranch(projectState.get(), refName));
   }
 
   private boolean isEnforcedByAnyParentProject(String refName, ProjectState projectState) {
@@ -147,12 +148,14 @@
 
   // Project association
   public Optional<String> getItsProjectName(Project.NameKey projectNK) {
-    ProjectState projectState = projectCache.get(projectNK);
-    if (projectState == null) {
+    Optional<ProjectState> projectState = projectCache.get(projectNK);
+    if (!projectState.isPresent()) {
       return Optional.empty();
     }
     return Optional.ofNullable(
-        pluginCfgFactory.getFromProjectConfig(projectState, pluginName).getString("its-project"));
+        pluginCfgFactory
+            .getFromProjectConfig(projectState.get(), pluginName)
+            .getString("its-project"));
   }
 
   // Issue association --------------------------------------------------------
@@ -266,7 +269,7 @@
   private List<CommentLinkInfo> getCommentLinkInfo(final String commentlinkName) {
     NameKey projectName = currentProjectName.get();
     if (projectName != null) {
-      List<CommentLinkInfo> commentlinks = projectCache.get(projectName).getCommentLinks();
+      List<CommentLinkInfo> commentlinks = projectCache.get(projectName).get().getCommentLinks();
       return commentlinks.stream()
           .filter(input -> input.name.equals(commentlinkName))
           .collect(toList());
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/validation/ItsValidateComment.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/validation/ItsValidateComment.java
index def8f4f..c5799d2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/validation/ItsValidateComment.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/validation/ItsValidateComment.java
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@
             sb.append(" Issue-Tracker");
             details = sb.toString();
 
-            ret.add(commitValidationFailure(synopsis, details, ItsExistenceCheckResult.DOESNT_EXIST));
+            ret.add(
+                commitValidationFailure(synopsis, details, ItsExistenceCheckResult.DOESNT_EXIST));
           }
         } else if (!itsConfig
             .getDummyIssuePattern()
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheImpl.java
index 72fe43f..4dc46d3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheImpl.java
@@ -98,7 +98,10 @@
 
     @Override
     public List<Rule> load(String projectName) throws IOException {
-      ProjectState project = projectCache.checkedGet(Project.nameKey(projectName));
+      ProjectState project =
+          projectCache
+              .get(Project.nameKey(projectName))
+              .orElseThrow(() -> new IOException("Can't load " + projectName));
       List<Rule> projectRules = readRulesFrom(project);
       if (projectRules.isEmpty()) {
         for (ProjectState parent : project.parents()) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfigTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfigTest.java
index 3379908..34068bb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfigTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/its/ItsConfigTest.java
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@
       String enabled, String itsProject, String parentEnabled, String[] branches) {
     ProjectState projectState = mock(ProjectState.class);
 
-    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey("testProject"))).thenReturn(projectState);
-    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey("parentProject"))).thenReturn(projectState);
+    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey("testProject"))).thenReturn(Optional.of(projectState));
+    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey("parentProject"))).thenReturn(Optional.of(projectState));
 
     Iterable<ProjectState> parents;
     if (parentEnabled == null) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheTest.java
index 6b83097..592722c 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/its/base/workflow/ItsRulesProjectCacheTest.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Optional;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Config;
 
 public class ItsRulesProjectCacheTest extends LoggingMockingTestCase {
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@
     ProjectLevelConfig projectLevelConfigPlugin = mock(ProjectLevelConfig.class);
     when(projectLevelConfigPlugin.get()).thenReturn(new Config());
     when(projectState.getConfig(RuleBaseKind.ITS.fileName)).thenReturn(projectLevelConfigPlugin);
-    when(projectCache.checkedGet(Project.nameKey(TEST_PROJECT))).thenReturn(projectState);
+    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey(TEST_PROJECT))).thenReturn(Optional.of(projectState));
     when(rulesConfigReader.getRulesFromConfig(any(Config.class)))
         .thenReturn(ImmutableList.of(rule1))
         .thenReturn(ImmutableList.of());
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@
     when(parentProjectState.getConfig(RuleBaseKind.ITS.fileName))
         .thenReturn(parentProjectConfigPlugin);
     when(projectState.parents()).thenReturn(FluentIterable.of(parentProjectState));
-    when(projectCache.checkedGet(Project.nameKey(TEST_PROJECT))).thenReturn(projectState);
+    when(projectCache.get(Project.nameKey(TEST_PROJECT))).thenReturn(Optional.of(projectState));
 
     when(rulesConfigReader.getRulesFromConfig(any(Config.class)))
         .thenReturn(ImmutableList.of())