diff --git a/src/db/db/dbLayoutToNetlistReader.cc b/src/db/db/dbLayoutToNetlistReader.cc
index 01dd30c77..599b08aa1 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbLayoutToNetlistReader.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbLayoutToNetlistReader.cc
@@ -358,8 +358,10 @@ void LayoutToNetlistStandardReader::read_netlist (db::Netlist *netlist, db::Layo
       dm->set_name (name);
       netlist->add_device_abstract (dm);
 
-      db::cell_index_type ci = l2n->internal_layout ()->add_cell (name.c_str ());
-      dm->set_cell_index (ci);
+      if (l2n) {
+        db::cell_index_type ci = l2n->internal_layout ()->add_cell (name.c_str ());
+        dm->set_cell_index (ci);
+      }
 
       std::string cls;
       read_word_or_quoted (cls);
diff --git a/src/pya/pya/pyaModule.cc b/src/pya/pya/pyaModule.cc
index fed005f65..31d3961d3 100644
--- a/src/pya/pya/pyaModule.cc
+++ b/src/pya/pya/pyaModule.cc
@@ -1930,6 +1930,7 @@ property_getter_impl (int mid, PyObject *self)
 
     //  a signal getter is implemented as returning a proxy object for the signal which allows manipulation
     //  of the signal
+    tl_assert (p != 0);  //  no static signals
     return PYASignal::create (self, p->signal_handler (meth));
 
   } else {