diff --git a/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller.go b/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller.go
index c5997127..d48188b8 100644
--- a/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller.go
+++ b/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller.go
@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/base64"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -107,7 +109,10 @@ func (r *ValidatorConfigReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Requ
 		}
 
 		err = removeFinalizer(ctx, r.Client, vc, CleanupFinalizer)
-		r.emitFinalizeCleanup()
+
+		if emitErr := r.emitFinalizeCleanup(); emitErr != nil {
+			r.Log.Error(emitErr, "Failed to emit FinalizeCleanup request")
+		}
 
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	}
@@ -383,27 +388,35 @@ func isConditionTrue(vc *v1alpha1.ValidatorConfig, chartName string, conditionTy
 	return vc.Status.Conditions[idx], vc.Status.Conditions[idx].Status == corev1.ConditionTrue
 }
 
-func (r *ValidatorConfigReconciler) emitFinalizeCleanup() {
-	grpcEnabled := os.Getenv("CLEANUP_GRPC_ENABLED")
+func (r *ValidatorConfigReconciler) emitFinalizeCleanup() error {
+	grpcEnabled := os.Getenv("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED")
 	if grpcEnabled != "true" {
 		r.Log.V(0).Info("Cleanup job gRPC server is not enabled")
-		return
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	host := os.Getenv("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST")
+	if host == "" {
+		return errors.New("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST is invalid")
+	}
+
 	port := os.Getenv("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT")
+	_, err := strconv.Atoi(port)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT is invalid: %w", err)
+	}
 
 	url := fmt.Sprintf("https://%s:%s", host, port)
-
 	client := cleanupv1connect.NewCleanupServiceClient(
 		http.DefaultClient,
 		url,
 	)
-	_, err := client.FinalizeCleanup(
+	_, err = client.FinalizeCleanup(
 		context.Background(),
 		connect.NewRequest(&cleanv1.FinalizeCleanupRequest{}),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
-		r.Log.Error(err, "FinalizeCleanup request failed", "url", url)
+		return fmt.Errorf("FinalizeCleanup request to %s failed: %w", url, err)
 	}
+	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller_test.go b/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller_test.go
index ce4d3579..d854fb8d 100644
--- a/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/validatorconfig_controller_test.go
@@ -210,3 +210,76 @@ func TestConfigureHelmBasicAuth(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestEmitFinalizeCleanup(t *testing.T) {
+	cs := []struct {
+		name       string
+		reconciler ValidatorConfigReconciler
+		env        map[string]string
+		expected   error
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED is empty",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env:        map[string]string{},
+			expected:   errors.New("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST is empty"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED is disabled",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env:        map[string]string{"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED": "false"},
+			expected:   nil,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST is empty",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env: map[string]string{
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED": "true",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT":    "1234",
+			},
+			expected: errors.New("CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST is invalid"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT is empty",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env: map[string]string{
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED": "true",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST":    "localhost",
+			},
+			expected: errors.New(`CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT is invalid: strconv.Atoi: parsing "": invalid syntax`),
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT is invalid",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env: map[string]string{
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED": "true",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST":    "localhost",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT":    "abcd",
+			},
+			expected: errors.New(`CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT is invalid: strconv.Atoi: parsing "abcd": invalid syntax`),
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "Request fails",
+			reconciler: ValidatorConfigReconciler{},
+			env: map[string]string{
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_ENABLED": "true",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_HOST":    "localhost",
+				"CLEANUP_GRPC_SERVER_PORT":    "1234",
+			},
+			expected: errors.New(`FinalizeCleanup request to https://localhost:1234 failed: unavailable: dial tcp [::1]:1234: connect: connection refused`),
+		},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cs {
+		t.Log(c.name)
+
+		os.Clearenv()
+		for k, v := range c.env {
+			os.Setenv(k, v)
+		}
+
+		err := c.reconciler.emitFinalizeCleanup()
+		if err != nil && !reflect.DeepEqual(err.Error(), c.expected.Error()) {
+			t.Errorf("expected (%v), got (%v)", c.expected, err)
+		}
+	}
+}