diff --git a/paper-api/src/main/java/org/bukkit/configuration/MemorySection.java b/paper-api/src/main/java/org/bukkit/configuration/MemorySection.java
index 90cc523f6..09f1debef 100644
--- a/paper-api/src/main/java/org/bukkit/configuration/MemorySection.java
+++ b/paper-api/src/main/java/org/bukkit/configuration/MemorySection.java
@@ -251,10 +251,10 @@ public class MemorySection implements ConfigurationSection {
         int i1 = -1, i2;
         ConfigurationSection section = this;
         while ((i1 = path.indexOf(separator, i2 = i1 + 1)) != -1) {
-            section = section.getConfigurationSection(path.substring(i2, i1));
-            if (section == null) {
+            if (section == null || !section.contains(path.substring(i2, i1), true)) {
                 return def;
             }
+            section = section.getConfigurationSection(path.substring(i2, i1));
         }
 
         String key = path.substring(i2);
diff --git a/paper-api/src/test/java/org/bukkit/configuration/ConfigurationSectionTest.java b/paper-api/src/test/java/org/bukkit/configuration/ConfigurationSectionTest.java
index 1e5299283..bfaacbaa3 100644
--- a/paper-api/src/test/java/org/bukkit/configuration/ConfigurationSectionTest.java
+++ b/paper-api/src/test/java/org/bukkit/configuration/ConfigurationSectionTest.java
@@ -110,6 +110,16 @@ public abstract class ConfigurationSectionTest {
         assertTrue(section.contains("doenst-exist-two", false));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testContainsDoesNotCreateSection() {
+        ConfigurationSection section = getConfigurationSection();
+        section.addDefault("notExistingSection.Value", "Test String");
+
+        assertFalse(section.contains("notExistingSection", true));
+        assertFalse(section.contains("notExistingSection.Value", true));
+        assertFalse(section.contains("notExistingSection", true));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testIsSet() {
         ConfigurationSection section = getConfigurationSection();