diff --git a/compose/service/record.go b/compose/service/record.go
index b9c6ae012..cca29ceeb 100644
--- a/compose/service/record.go
+++ b/compose/service/record.go
@@ -625,7 +625,14 @@ func RecordValueMerger(ctx context.Context, ac recordValueAccessController, m *t
 
 	rve := &types.RecordValueErrorSet{}
 	_ = vv.Walk(func(v *types.RecordValue) error {
-		if v.IsUpdated() && !ac.CanUpdateRecordValue(ctx, m.Fields.FindByName(v.Name)) {
+		f := m.Fields.FindByName(v.Name)
+
+		// when f is nil, the module field was deleted so we shouldn't do any AC
+		if f == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		if v.IsUpdated() && !ac.CanUpdateRecordValue(ctx, f) {
 			rve.Push(types.RecordValueError{Kind: "updateDenied", Meta: map[string]interface{}{"field": v.Name, "value": v.Value}})
 		}
 
diff --git a/tests/compose/record_test.go b/tests/compose/record_test.go
index 32707edc6..25f1ed0fd 100644
--- a/tests/compose/record_test.go
+++ b/tests/compose/record_test.go
@@ -343,6 +343,49 @@ func TestRecordUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	h.a.NotNil(r)
 }
 
+func TestRecordUpdate_missingField(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHelper(t)
+	h.clearRecords()
+
+	module := h.repoMakeRecordModuleWithFields("record testing module",
+		&types.ModuleField{Name: "f1", Kind: "String"},
+		&types.ModuleField{Name: "f2", Kind: "String"},
+	)
+	record := h.makeRecord(module,
+		&types.RecordValue{Name: "f1", Value: "f1.v1"},
+		&types.RecordValue{Name: "f2", Value: "f2.v1"},
+	)
+	_ = record
+	h.allow(types.ModuleRBACResource.AppendWildcard(), "update")
+	h.allow(types.ModuleRBACResource.AppendWildcard(), "record.update")
+
+	api := h.apiInit()
+
+	// delete f2
+	api.
+		Post(fmt.Sprintf("/namespace/%d/module/%d", module.NamespaceID, module.ID)).
+		JSON(fmt.Sprintf(`{"name": "%s", "handle": "%s", "fields": [{ "name": "f1", "kind": "String" }]}`, module.Name, module.Handle)).
+		Expect(t).
+		Status(http.StatusOK).
+		Assert(helpers.AssertNoErrors).
+		End()
+
+	// update f1
+	api.
+		Post(fmt.Sprintf("/namespace/%d/module/%d/record/%d", module.NamespaceID, module.ID, record.ID)).
+		JSON(fmt.Sprintf(`{"values": [{"name": "f1", "value": "f1.v1 (edited)"}]}`)).
+		Expect(t).
+		Status(http.StatusOK).
+		Assert(helpers.AssertNoErrors).
+		End()
+
+	r := h.lookupRecordByID(module, record.ID)
+	h.a.NotNil(r)
+	h.a.Len(r.Values, 1)
+	h.a.Equal("f1", r.Values[0].Name)
+	h.a.Equal("f1.v1 (edited)", r.Values[0].Value)
+}
+
 func TestRecordUpdate_refUnchanged(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newHelper(t)
 	h.clearRecords()