diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadFileSystemEventService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadFileSystemEventService.ts
index c6bea307e34..20c6c76910d 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadFileSystemEventService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadFileSystemEventService.ts
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ export class MainThreadFileSystemEventService implements MainThreadFileSystemEve
 				const config = this._configurationService.getValue<IFilesConfiguration>();
 				if (config.files?.watcherExclude) {
 					for (const key in config.files.watcherExclude) {
-						if (config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
+						if (key && config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
 							opts.excludes.push(key);
 						}
 					}
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ export class MainThreadFileSystemEventService implements MainThreadFileSystemEve
 				const config = this._configurationService.getValue<IFilesConfiguration>();
 				if (config.files?.watcherExclude) {
 					for (const key in config.files.watcherExclude) {
-						if (config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
+						if (key && config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
 							if (!opts.includes) {
 								opts.includes = [];
 							}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/files/browser/workspaceWatcher.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/files/browser/workspaceWatcher.ts
index 6872bfabc67..be179f3d0e3 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/files/browser/workspaceWatcher.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/files/browser/workspaceWatcher.ts
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ export class WorkspaceWatcher extends Disposable {
 		const config = this.configurationService.getValue<IFilesConfiguration>({ resource: workspace.uri });
 		if (config.files?.watcherExclude) {
 			for (const key in config.files.watcherExclude) {
-				if (config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
+				if (key && config.files.watcherExclude[key] === true) {
 					excludes.push(key);
 				}
 			}