diff --git a/src/shared/sleep-config.c b/src/shared/sleep-config.c
index fba58ef3675..efc547b6c03 100644
--- a/src/shared/sleep-config.c
+++ b/src/shared/sleep-config.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ int parse_sleep_config(const char *verb, char ***_modes, char ***_states, usec_t
                 **suspend_mode = NULL, **suspend_state = NULL,
                 **hibernate_mode = NULL, **hibernate_state = NULL,
                 **hybrid_mode = NULL, **hybrid_state = NULL;
-        char **modes, **states;
+        _cleanup_strv_free_ char **modes, **states; /* always initialized below */
         usec_t delay = 180 * USEC_PER_MINUTE;
 
         const ConfigTableItem items[] = {
@@ -90,16 +90,13 @@ int parse_sleep_config(const char *verb, char ***_modes, char ***_states, usec_t
                 assert_not_reached("what verb");
 
         if ((!modes && STR_IN_SET(verb, "hibernate", "hybrid-sleep")) ||
-            (!states && !streq(verb, "suspend-then-hibernate"))) {
-                strv_free(modes);
-                strv_free(states);
+            (!states && !streq(verb, "suspend-then-hibernate")))
                 return log_oom();
-        }
 
         if (_modes)
-                *_modes = modes;
+                *_modes = TAKE_PTR(modes);
         if (_states)
-                *_states = states;
+                *_states = TAKE_PTR(states);
         if (_delay)
                 *_delay = delay;
 
diff --git a/src/test/test-sleep.c b/src/test/test-sleep.c
index c2cb4ef9494..1c5b56f4a04 100644
--- a/src/test/test-sleep.c
+++ b/src/test/test-sleep.c
@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@
 #include "strv.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
+static void test_parse_sleep_config(void) {
+        const char *verb;
+
+        FOREACH_STRING(verb, "suspend", "hibernate", "hybrid-sleep", "suspend-then-hibernate")
+                assert_se(parse_sleep_config(verb, NULL, NULL, NULL) == 0);
+}
+
 static int test_fiemap(const char *path) {
         _cleanup_free_ struct fiemap *fiemap = NULL;
         _cleanup_close_ int fd = -1;
@@ -84,6 +91,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         if (getuid() != 0)
                 log_warning("This program is unlikely to work for unprivileged users");
 
+        test_parse_sleep_config();
         test_sleep();
 
         if (argc <= 1)