diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/addToCounter.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/addToCounter.ts
index fe293e4c..7606f91d 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/addToCounter.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/addToCounter.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { automodAction } from "../helpers";
 import { CountersPlugin } from "../../Counters/CountersPlugin";
+import { LogType } from "../../../data/LogType";
 
 export const AddToCounterAction = automodAction({
   configType: t.type({
@@ -10,8 +11,15 @@ export const AddToCounterAction = automodAction({
 
   defaultConfig: {},
 
-  async apply({ pluginData, contexts, actionConfig, matchResult }) {
+  async apply({ pluginData, contexts, actionConfig, matchResult, ruleName }) {
     const countersPlugin = pluginData.getPlugin(CountersPlugin);
+    if (!countersPlugin.counterExists(actionConfig.counter)) {
+      pluginData.state.logs.log(LogType.BOT_ALERT, {
+        body: `Unknown counter \`${actionConfig.counter}\` in \`add_to_counter\` action of Automod rule \`${ruleName}\``,
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+
     countersPlugin.changeCounterValue(
       actionConfig.counter,
       contexts[0].message?.channel_id || null,
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/setCounter.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/setCounter.ts
index 0dbbaa37..eb63d80d 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/setCounter.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/actions/setCounter.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { automodAction } from "../helpers";
 import { CountersPlugin } from "../../Counters/CountersPlugin";
+import { LogType } from "../../../data/LogType";
 
 export const SetCounterAction = automodAction({
   configType: t.type({
@@ -10,8 +11,15 @@ export const SetCounterAction = automodAction({
 
   defaultConfig: {},
 
-  async apply({ pluginData, contexts, actionConfig, matchResult }) {
+  async apply({ pluginData, contexts, actionConfig, matchResult, ruleName }) {
     const countersPlugin = pluginData.getPlugin(CountersPlugin);
+    if (!countersPlugin.counterExists(actionConfig.counter)) {
+      pluginData.state.logs.log(LogType.BOT_ALERT, {
+        body: `Unknown counter \`${actionConfig.counter}\` in \`add_to_counter\` action of Automod rule \`${ruleName}\``,
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+
     countersPlugin.setCounterValue(
       actionConfig.counter,
       contexts[0].message?.channel_id || null,
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
index 68a5bcea..e9d4ddab 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
 } from "../../data/entities/CounterTrigger";
 import { getPrettyNameForCounter } from "./functions/getPrettyNameForCounter";
 import { getPrettyNameForCounterTrigger } from "./functions/getPrettyNameForCounterTrigger";
+import { counterExists } from "./functions/counterExists";
 
 const MAX_COUNTERS = 5;
 const MAX_TRIGGERS_PER_COUNTER = 5;
@@ -115,6 +116,8 @@ export const CountersPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<CountersPluginType>()("counter
   configPreprocessor,
 
   public: {
+    counterExists: mapToPublicFn(counterExists),
+
     // Change a counter's value by a relative amount, e.g. +5
     changeCounterValue: mapToPublicFn(changeCounterValue),
 
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Counters/functions/counterExists.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/functions/counterExists.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2da10460
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/functions/counterExists.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import { GuildPluginData } from "knub";
+import { CountersPluginType } from "../types";
+
+export function counterExists(pluginData: GuildPluginData<CountersPluginType>, counterName: string) {
+  const config = pluginData.config.get();
+  return config.counters[counterName] != null;
+}