diff --git a/java/tests/junittests/CefMessageRouterTest.java b/java/tests/junittests/CefMessageRouterTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1c6e8c9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/tests/junittests/CefMessageRouterTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 The Chromium Embedded Framework Authors. All rights
+// reserved. Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that
+// can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package tests.junittests;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import org.cef.browser.CefMessageRouter;
+import org.cef.browser.CefMessageRouter.CefMessageRouterConfig;
+import org.cef.handler.CefMessageRouterHandlerAdapter;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.ExtendWith;
+
+// No-browser-needed coverage for CefMessageRouter's registration surface,
+// including a regression test for a native DCHECK(handle) crash: see
+// Thrameos/java-cef's "Fix DCHECK(handle) crash in
+// CefMessageRouter.cancelPending(null, null)".
+// CefMessageRouter_N.cpp's local GetHandler() used to unconditionally
+// construct a ScopedJNIObject over the (nullable, per this method's own
+// Javadoc) routerHandler argument before checking it -- that constructor
+// DCHECKs its handle is non-null, so cancelPending(null, null) crashed the
+// process. Fixed by short-circuiting GetHandler() on a null handle first.
+@ExtendWith(TestSetupExtension.class)
+class CefMessageRouterTest {
+    @Test
+    void createAddRemoveHandlerWithoutABrowser() {
+        CefMessageRouter router = CefMessageRouter.create();
+        assertNotNull(router);
+
+        CefMessageRouterHandlerAdapter handler = new CefMessageRouterHandlerAdapter() {};
+        assertTrue(router.addHandler(handler, true));
+
+        router.cancelPending(null, handler);
+        // Regression case: (null, null) cancels ALL pending queries
+        // process-wide and used to hit the native DCHECK described above.
+        router.cancelPending(null, null);
+
+        assertTrue(router.removeHandler(handler));
+
+        router.dispose();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void configDefaultsMatchDocumentedJsFunctionNames() {
+        CefMessageRouterConfig config = new CefMessageRouterConfig();
+        assertEquals("cefQuery", config.jsQueryFunction);
+        assertEquals("cefQueryCancel", config.jsCancelFunction);
+
+        CefMessageRouter router = CefMessageRouter.create(config);
+        assertEquals(config, router.getMessageRouterConfig());
+        router.dispose();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/native/CefMessageRouter_N.cpp b/native/CefMessageRouter_N.cpp
index ab3c3a8d..c34afacd 100644
--- a/native/CefMessageRouter_N.cpp
+++ b/native/CefMessageRouter_N.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,13 @@ CefRefPtr<CefMessageRouter> GetSelf(jlong self) {
 CefRefPtr<MessageRouterHandler> GetHandler(JNIEnv* env,
                                            jobject jrouterHandler,
                                            bool allow_create) {
+  // ScopedJNIObject's attach-to-existing-handle constructor DCHECKs its
+  // handle is non-null, so a null |jrouterHandler| (a documented-legal
+  // input at every caller of this helper -- see CefMessageRouter.java's
+  // cancelPending()) must never reach it.
+  if (!jrouterHandler)
+    return nullptr;
+
   ScopedJNIObject<MessageRouterHandler> jrouterHandlerObj(
       env, jrouterHandler, false /* should_delete */,
       "CefMessageRouterHandler");