diff --git a/agent/agent_init.py b/agent/agent_init.py
index d5798f163ff..df8fe229e7b 100644
--- a/agent/agent_init.py
+++ b/agent/agent_init.py
@@ -960,7 +960,7 @@ def init_agent(
         try:
             _mem_provider_name = mem_config.get("provider", "") if mem_config else ""
 
-            if _mem_provider_name:
+            if _mem_provider_name and _mem_provider_name.strip():
                 from agent.memory_manager import MemoryManager as _MemoryManager
                 from plugins.memory import load_memory_provider as _load_mem
                 agent._memory_manager = _MemoryManager()