diff --git a/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac.c b/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac.c
index 472572f469..117a457b6e 100644
--- a/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac.c
+++ b/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac.c
@@ -1728,7 +1728,16 @@ void helper_destroy_mac_slice_config(Protocol__FlexSliceConfig *slice_config) {
 }
 
 int check_scheduler(mid_t mod_id, char *s) {
-  return dlsym(NULL, s) != NULL;
+  if (!s)
+    return 1;
+  if (dlsym(NULL, s))
+    return 1;
+  flexran_agent_so_handle_t *so = NULL;
+  SLIST_FOREACH(so, &flexran_handles[mod_id], entries) {
+    if (strcmp(so->name, s) == 0)
+      return 1;
+  }
+  return 0;
 }
 
 void request_scheduler(mid_t mod_id, char *s, int xid) {
diff --git a/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac_internal.c b/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac_internal.c
index b65b197442..42246c3ebf 100644
--- a/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac_internal.c
+++ b/openair2/ENB_APP/CONTROL_MODULES/MAC/flexran_agent_mac_internal.c
@@ -1029,6 +1029,10 @@ int load_dl_scheduler_function(mid_t mod_id, const char *function_name) {
 }
 
 void *search_so(mid_t mod_id, char *name) {
+  if (!name) // no name -> nothing to return, so use NULL for executable
+    return NULL;
+  if (dlsym(NULL, name)) // found it in executable
+    return NULL;
   flexran_agent_so_handle_t *so = NULL;
   SLIST_FOREACH(so, &flexran_handles[mod_id], entries) {
     if (strcmp(so->name, name) == 0)