ASSERT: make sure you have a http-connection with a malformed URL in your preferences: workspace>/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings/org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.ui.prefs org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.CONNECTION_NAMES=adietish%40redhat.com@http\: // EXEC: launch Eclipse and switch to OpenShift Explorer Result: In the Eclipse log you'll spot the following: java.lang.NullPointerException at java.lang.StringBuilder.<init>(StringBuilder.java:92) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionURL.correctMalformedUrl(ConnectionURL.java:197) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionURL.forURL(ConnectionURL.java:154) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionsModel.addCustomHostConnections(ConnectionsModel.java:240) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionsModel.load(ConnectionsModel.java:216) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionsModel.<init>(ConnectionsModel.java:47) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.core.connection.ConnectionsModelSingleton.getInstance(ConnectionsModelSingleton.java:22) at org.jboss.tools.openshift.express.internal.ui.explorer.OpenShiftExplorerView.createCommonViewer(OpenShiftExplorerView.java:33) at org.eclipse.ui.navigator.CommonNavigator.createPartControl(CommonNavigator.java:193) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.e4.compatibility.CompatibilityPart.createPartControl(CompatibilityPart.java:129) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.e4.compatibility.CompatibilityView.createPartControl(CompatibilityView.java:155) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.e4.compatibility.CompatibilityPart.create(CompatibilityPart.java:300) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.MethodRequestor.execute(MethodRequestor.java:56) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.InjectorImpl.processAnnotated(InjectorImpl.java:859) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.InjectorImpl.processAnnotated(InjectorImpl.java:839) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.InjectorImpl.inject(InjectorImpl.java:111) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.InjectorImpl.internalMake(InjectorImpl.java:319) at org.eclipse.e4.core.internal.di.InjectorImpl.make(InjectorImpl.java:240) at org.eclipse.e4.core.contexts.ContextInjectionFactory.make(ContextInjectionFactory.java:161) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.ReflectionContributionFactory.createFromBundle(ReflectionContributionFactory.java:102) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.ReflectionContributionFactory.doCreate(ReflectionContributionFactory.java:71) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.ReflectionContributionFactory.create(ReflectionContributionFactory.java:53) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.renderers.swt.ContributedPartRenderer.createWidget(ContributedPartRenderer.java:141) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.createWidget(PartRenderingEngine.java:896) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.safeCreateGui(PartRenderingEngine.java:630) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine$6.run(PartRenderingEngine.java:518) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.SafeRunner.run(SafeRunner.java:42) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.createGui(PartRenderingEngine.java:503) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.renderers.swt.ElementReferenceRenderer.createWidget(ElementReferenceRenderer.java:74) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.createWidget(PartRenderingEngine.java:896) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.safeCreateGui(PartRenderingEngine.java:630) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.safeCreateGui(PartRenderingEngine.java:732) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.access$2(PartRenderingEngine.java:703) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine$7.run(PartRenderingEngine.java:697) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.SafeRunner.run(SafeRunner.java:42) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.createGui(PartRenderingEngine.java:682) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.renderers.swt.StackRenderer.showTab(StackRenderer.java:1114) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.renderers.swt.LazyStackRenderer$1.handleEvent(LazyStackRenderer.java:67) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.services.internal.events.UIEventHandler$1.run(UIEventHandler.java:41) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Synchronizer.syncExec(Synchronizer.java:180) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.UISynchronizer.syncExec(UISynchronizer.java:150) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Display.syncExec(Display.java:4291) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.E4Application$1.syncExec(E4Application.java:187) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.services.internal.events.UIEventHandler.handleEvent(UIEventHandler.java:38) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventHandlerWrapper.handleEvent(EventHandlerWrapper.java:197) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventHandlerTracker.dispatchEvent(EventHandlerTracker.java:197) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventHandlerTracker.dispatchEvent(EventHandlerTracker.java:1) at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.EventManager.dispatchEvent(EventManager.java:230) at org.eclipse.osgi.framework.eventmgr.ListenerQueue.dispatchEventSynchronous(ListenerQueue.java:148) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventAdminImpl.dispatchEvent(EventAdminImpl.java:135) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventAdminImpl.sendEvent(EventAdminImpl.java:78) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.event.EventComponent.sendEvent(EventComponent.java:39) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.services.internal.events.EventBroker.send(EventBroker.java:81) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.UIEventPublisher.notifyChanged(UIEventPublisher.java:58) at org.eclipse.emf.common.notify.impl.BasicNotifierImpl.eNotify(BasicNotifierImpl.java:374) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.model.application.ui.impl.ElementContainerImpl.setSelectedElement(ElementContainerImpl.java:171) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.workbench.renderers.swt.StackRenderer$8.widgetSelected(StackRenderer.java:910) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.TypedListener.handleEvent(TypedListener.java:248) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.EventTable.sendEvent(EventTable.java:84) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Widget.sendEvent(Widget.java:1276) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Widget.sendEvent(Widget.java:1300) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Widget.sendEvent(Widget.java:1285) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Widget.notifyListeners(Widget.java:1079) at org.eclipse.swt.custom.CTabFolder.setSelection(CTabFolder.java:3023) at org.eclipse.swt.custom.CTabFolder.onMouse(CTabFolder.java:1730) at org.eclipse.swt.custom.CTabFolder$1.handleEvent(CTabFolder.java:270) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.EventTable.sendEvent(EventTable.java:84) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Widget.sendEvent(Widget.java:1276) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Display.runDeferredEvents(Display.java:3554) at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Display.readAndDispatch(Display.java:3179) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine$9.run(PartRenderingEngine.java:1029) at org.eclipse.core.databinding.observable.Realm.runWithDefault(Realm.java:332) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.swt.PartRenderingEngine.run(PartRenderingEngine.java:923) at org.eclipse.e4.ui.internal.workbench.E4Workbench.createAndRunUI(E4Workbench.java:86) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench$5.run(Workbench.java:588) at org.eclipse.core.databinding.observable.Realm.runWithDefault(Realm.java:332) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench.createAndRunWorkbench(Workbench.java:543) at org.eclipse.ui.PlatformUI.createAndRunWorkbench(PlatformUI.java:149) at org.eclipse.ui.internal.ide.application.IDEApplication.start(IDEApplication.java:124) at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.app.EclipseAppHandle.run(EclipseAppHandle.java:196) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.internal.adaptor.EclipseAppLauncher.runApplication(EclipseAppLauncher.java:110) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.internal.adaptor.EclipseAppLauncher.start(EclipseAppLauncher.java:79) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.adaptor.EclipseStarter.run(EclipseStarter.java:353) at org.eclipse.core.runtime.adaptor.EclipseStarter.run(EclipseStarter.java:180) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597) at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.invokeFramework(Main.java:629) at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.basicRun(Main.java:584) at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.run(Main.java:1438) at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.main(Main.java:1414)