diff --git a/packages/account-tree-controller/src/AccountTreeController.ts b/packages/account-tree-controller/src/AccountTreeController.ts
index 3052405ff9c..252c5d8b687 100644
--- a/packages/account-tree-controller/src/AccountTreeController.ts
+++ b/packages/account-tree-controller/src/AccountTreeController.ts
@@ -438,6 +438,7 @@ export class AccountTreeController extends BaseController<
 
       // Get the prefix for groups of this wallet
       const namePrefix = rule.getDefaultAccountGroupPrefix(wallet);
+      assert(namePrefix.length > 0, 'Account name prefix cannot be empty');
 
       // Skip computed names for now - use default naming with per-wallet logic
       // TODO: Implement computed names in a future iteration