diff --git a/avocado/plugins/journal.py b/avocado/plugins/journal.py
index 75bfdd3f961ee9b506ef0e3f0bfeb5038ea8b216..0e282411ccb43c29528c11530658736c5fb61c37 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/journal.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/journal.py
@@ -134,5 +134,8 @@ class Journal(plugin.Plugin):
         self.configured = True
 
     def activate(self, args):
-        if args.journal:
-            self.parser.application.set_defaults(journal_result=TestResultJournal)
+        try:
+            if args.journal:
+                self.parser.application.set_defaults(journal_result=TestResultJournal)
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
diff --git a/avocado/plugins/jsonresult.py b/avocado/plugins/jsonresult.py
index 669fa76c3ffcc2dc4315f18072c2780f9d953208..2c4ad5ee810ee94e63ce286886544e2207e67084 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/jsonresult.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/jsonresult.py
@@ -104,5 +104,8 @@ class JSON(plugin.Plugin):
         self.configured = True
 
     def activate(self, app_args):
-        if app_args.json_output:
-            self.parser.application.set_defaults(json_result=JSONTestResult)
+        try:
+            if app_args.json_output:
+                self.parser.application.set_defaults(json_result=JSONTestResult)
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
diff --git a/avocado/plugins/vm.py b/avocado/plugins/vm.py
index 4b9224bbc9c98bfdcca758027d54b90da1d4901d..eb3f3fb9c1ab332e51defb2153340e304a74aab6 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/vm.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/vm.py
@@ -322,6 +322,9 @@ class RunVM(plugin.Plugin):
         self.configured = True
 
     def activate(self, app_args):
-        if app_args.vm:
-            self.parser.set_defaults(vm_result=VMTestResult,
-                                     test_runner=VMTestRunner)
+        try:
+            if app_args.vm:
+                self.parser.set_defaults(vm_result=VMTestResult,
+                                         test_runner=VMTestRunner)
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
diff --git a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
index d75b665d02105c47705bcf190160ede82e5cef9b..b7ff696abce73b6883cc09c2e9dab7b3c1cc4483 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
@@ -240,5 +240,8 @@ class XUnit(plugin.Plugin):
         self.configured = True
 
     def activate(self, app_args):
-        if app_args.xunit_output:
-            self.parser.application.set_defaults(xunit_result=xUnitTestResult)
+        try:
+            if app_args.xunit_output:
+                self.parser.application.set_defaults(xunit_result=xUnitTestResult)
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
diff --git a/selftests/all/functional/avocado/basic_tests.py b/selftests/all/functional/avocado/basic_tests.py
index 41503d7f5e4d47b8c42561be68d17315de8353a5..ba020a14aa2985fe9e1c93a7775cb41894690899 100644
--- a/selftests/all/functional/avocado/basic_tests.py
+++ b/selftests/all/functional/avocado/basic_tests.py
@@ -352,6 +352,17 @@ class PluginsTest(unittest.TestCase):
                          (expected_rc, result))
         self.assertNotIn('Disabled', output)
 
+    def test_Namespace_object_has_no_attribute(self):
+        os.chdir(basedir)
+        cmd_line = './scripts/avocado plugins'
+        result = process.run(cmd_line, ignore_status=True)
+        output = result.stderr
+        expected_rc = 0
+        self.assertEqual(result.exit_status, expected_rc,
+                         "Avocado did not return rc %d:\n%s" %
+                         (expected_rc, result))
+        self.assertNotIn("'Namespace' object has no attribute", output)
+
 
 class ParseXMLError(Exception):
     pass