diff --git a/Classes/ContentObject/JsonContentObject.php b/Classes/ContentObject/JsonContentObject.php
index 9564d54f..7fca2bb2 100755
--- a/Classes/ContentObject/JsonContentObject.php
+++ b/Classes/ContentObject/JsonContentObject.php
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ public function cObjGet(array $setup, string $addKey = ''): array
                     $content[$theKey] = (bool)(int)$content[$theKey];
                 }
                 if ($theValue === 'USER_INT' || strpos((string)$content[$theKey], '<!--INT_SCRIPT.') === 0) {
-                    $content[$theKey] = $this->headlessUserInt->wrap($content[$theKey]);
+                    $content[$theKey] = $this->headlessUserInt->wrap($content[$theKey], (int)($conf['ifEmptyReturnNull'] ?? 0) === 1 ? HeadlessUserInt::STANDARD_NULLABLE : HeadlessUserInt::STANDARD);
                 }
                 if ((int)($conf['ifEmptyReturnNull'] ?? 0) === 1 && $content[$theKey] === '') {
                     $content[$theKey] = null;
diff --git a/Classes/Utility/HeadlessUserInt.php b/Classes/Utility/HeadlessUserInt.php
index a940e9a9..682ff1f9 100644
--- a/Classes/Utility/HeadlessUserInt.php
+++ b/Classes/Utility/HeadlessUserInt.php
@@ -17,43 +17,16 @@
 use function preg_replace;
 use function preg_replace_callback;
 use function sprintf;
-use function strpos;
 use function substr;
 
 class HeadlessUserInt
 {
     public const STANDARD = 'HEADLESS_INT';
     public const NESTED = 'NESTED_HEADLESS_INT';
+    public const STANDARD_NULLABLE = 'HEADLESS_INT_NULL';
+    public const NESTED_NULLABLE = 'NESTED_HEADLESS_INT_NULL';
     private const REGEX = '/("|)%s_START<<(.*?)>>%s_END("|)/s';
 
-    /**
-     * for use in preg_replace_callback
-     * to unwrap all HEADLESS_INT<<>>HEADLESS_INT blocks
-     *
-     * @param array<int, string> $input
-     * @return string
-     */
-    private function replace(array $input): string
-    {
-        $content = $input[2];
-        if ($input[1] === $input[3] && $input[1] === '"') {
-            // have a look inside if it might be json already
-            $decoded = json_decode($content);
-
-            if ($decoded !== null) {
-                return $content;
-            }
-            return json_encode($content);
-        }
-
-        // trim one occurrence of double quotes at both ends
-        $jsonEncoded = json_encode($content);
-        if ($jsonEncoded[0] === '"' && $jsonEncoded[-1] === '"') {
-            $jsonEncoded = substr($jsonEncoded, 1, -1);
-        }
-        return $jsonEncoded;
-    }
-
     public function wrap(string $content, string $type = self::STANDARD): string
     {
         return preg_replace(
@@ -73,10 +46,61 @@ public function unwrap(string $content): string
             );
         }
 
+        if (strpos($content, self::NESTED_NULLABLE) !== false) {
+            $content = preg_replace_callback(
+                sprintf(self::REGEX, self::NESTED_NULLABLE, self::NESTED_NULLABLE),
+                function (array $content) {
+                    return $this->replace($content, true);
+                },
+                $content
+            );
+        }
+
+        if (strpos($content, self::STANDARD_NULLABLE) !== false) {
+            $content = preg_replace_callback(
+                sprintf(self::REGEX, self::STANDARD_NULLABLE, self::STANDARD_NULLABLE),
+                function (array $content) {
+                    return $this->replace($content, true);
+                },
+                $content
+            );
+        }
+
         return preg_replace_callback(
             sprintf(self::REGEX, self::STANDARD, self::STANDARD),
             [$this, 'replace'],
             $content
         );
     }
+
+    /**
+     * for use in preg_replace_callback
+     * to unwrap all HEADLESS_INT<<>>HEADLESS_INT blocks
+     *
+     * @param array<int, string> $input
+     */
+    private function replace(array $input, bool $returnNull = false): ?string
+    {
+        $content = $input[2];
+        if ($input[1] === $input[3] && $input[1] === '"') {
+            // have a look inside if it might be json already
+            $decoded = json_decode($content);
+
+            if (empty($decoded) && $returnNull) {
+                return json_encode(null);
+            }
+
+            if ($decoded !== null) {
+                return $content;
+            }
+            return json_encode($content);
+        }
+
+        // trim one occurrence of double quotes at both ends
+        $jsonEncoded = json_encode($content);
+        if ($jsonEncoded[0] === '"' && $jsonEncoded[-1] === '"') {
+            $jsonEncoded = substr($jsonEncoded, 1, -1);
+        }
+        return $jsonEncoded;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Tests/Unit/Hooks/HeadlessUserIntTest.php b/Tests/Unit/Hooks/HeadlessUserIntTest.php
index 7a680290..8990c7ed 100644
--- a/Tests/Unit/Hooks/HeadlessUserIntTest.php
+++ b/Tests/Unit/Hooks/HeadlessUserIntTest.php
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 use TYPO3\CMS\Frontend\Controller\TypoScriptFrontendController;
 use TYPO3\TestingFramework\Core\Unit\UnitTestCase;
 
+use function json_encode;
+
 class HeadlessUserIntTest extends UnitTestCase
 {
     use ProphecyTrait;
@@ -129,6 +131,56 @@ public function processingOnQuotedJsonContent()
         self::assertEquals($testProcessed, $tsfe->content);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @test
+     */
+    public function processingEmptyPluginResponse()
+    {
+        $testProcessed = json_encode(
+            ''
+        );
+        $testContent = '"HEADLESS_INT_NULL_START<<' . $testProcessed . '>>HEADLESS_INT_NULL_END"';
+
+        $setup = [];
+        $setup['plugin.']['tx_headless.']['staticTemplate'] = '1';
+
+        $tmpl = $this->prophesize(TemplateService::class);
+        $tmpl->setup = $setup;
+
+        $tsfe = $this->prophesize(TypoScriptFrontendController::class);
+        $tsfe->tmpl = $tmpl->reveal();
+
+        $tsfe->content = $testContent;
+
+        $classUnderTest = new HeadlessUserInt();
+
+        $tsfe->content = $classUnderTest->unwrap($tsfe->content);
+
+        self::assertEquals(json_encode(null), $tsfe->content);
+
+        $testProcessed = json_encode(
+            ''
+        );
+        $testContent = '"NESTED_HEADLESS_INT_NULL_START<<' . $testProcessed . '>>NESTED_HEADLESS_INT_NULL_END"';
+
+        $setup = [];
+        $setup['plugin.']['tx_headless.']['staticTemplate'] = '1';
+
+        $tmpl = $this->prophesize(TemplateService::class);
+        $tmpl->setup = $setup;
+
+        $tsfe = $this->prophesize(TypoScriptFrontendController::class);
+        $tsfe->tmpl = $tmpl->reveal();
+
+        $tsfe->content = $testContent;
+
+        $classUnderTest = new HeadlessUserInt();
+
+        $tsfe->content = $classUnderTest->unwrap($tsfe->content);
+
+        self::assertEquals(json_encode(null), $tsfe->content);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @test
      */