diff --git a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_local_render_instances.py b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_local_render_instances.py
index 35c0e5afff..ac80e98a71 100644
--- a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_local_render_instances.py
+++ b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_local_render_instances.py
@@ -63,9 +63,16 @@ def process(self, instance):
                            "Skipping local render collecting.")
             return
 
+        if not instance.data.get("expectedFiles"):
+            self.log.warning(
+                "Missing collected expected files. "
+                "This may be due to misconfiguration of the ROP node, "
+                "like pointing to an invalid LOP or SOP path")
+            return
+
         # Create Instance for each AOV.
         context = instance.context
-        expectedFiles = next(iter(instance.data["expectedFiles"]), {})
+        expected_files = next(iter(instance.data["expectedFiles"]), {})
 
         product_type = "render"  # is always render
         product_group = get_product_name(
@@ -85,7 +92,7 @@ def process(self, instance):
         #   majority of production scenarios these would not be overridden.
         # TODO: Support renderer-specific explicit colorspace overrides
         colorspace = get_scene_linear_colorspace()
-        for aov_name, aov_filepaths in expectedFiles.items():
+        for aov_name, aov_filepaths in expected_files.items():
             product_name = product_group
 
             if aov_name:
diff --git a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_render_colorspace.py b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_render_colorspace.py
index 1166243ce3..cee60d4740 100644
--- a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_render_colorspace.py
+++ b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/collect_render_colorspace.py
@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ def process(self, instance):
         # Define render products for `create_instances_for_aov`
         # which uses it in `_create_instances_for_aov()` to match the render
         # product's name to aovs to define the colorspace.
-        expected_files = instance.data["expectedFiles"]
+        expected_files = instance.data.get("expectedFiles")
+        if not expected_files:
+            self.log.debug("No expected files found. "
+                           "Skipping collecting of render colorspace.")
+            return
         aov_name = list(expected_files[0].keys())
         render_products_data = colorspace.ARenderProduct(aov_name)
         instance.data["renderProducts"] = render_products_data
diff --git a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/validate_render_products.py b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/validate_render_products.py
index 774d517bfb..609a663e6d 100644
--- a/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/validate_render_products.py
+++ b/client/ayon_houdini/plugins/publish/validate_render_products.py
@@ -36,12 +36,22 @@ def get_description(self):
 
     def process(self, instance):
 
+        node_path = instance.data["instance_node"]
         if not instance.data.get("output_node"):
-            self.log.warning("No valid LOP node to render found.")
-            return
+
+            # Report LOP path parm for better logs
+            lop_path_parm = hou.node(node_path).parm("loppath")
+            if lop_path_parm:
+                value = lop_path_parm.evalAsString()
+                self.log.warning(
+                    f"ROP node 'loppath' parm is set to: '{value}'")
+
+            raise PublishValidationError(
+                f"No valid LOP path configured on ROP "
+                f"'{node_path}'.",
+                title="Invalid LOP path")
 
         if not instance.data.get("files", []):
-            node_path = instance.data["instance_node"]
             node = hou.node(node_path)
             rendersettings_path = (
                 node.evalParm("rendersettings") or "/Render/rendersettings"