diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/yaml_parser.h b/include/libcamera/internal/yaml_parser.h
index 5ba777d364fa..6d04c556f9b1 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/yaml_parser.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/yaml_parser.h
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ public:
 #else
 	template<typename T>
 #endif
-	std::optional<std::vector<T>> getList() const;
+	std::vector<T> getList() const;

 	DictAdapter asDict() const { return DictAdapter{ list_ }; }
 	ListAdapter asList() const { return ListAdapter{ list_ }; }
diff --git a/src/ipa/raspberrypi/controller/rpi/agc.cpp b/src/ipa/raspberrypi/controller/rpi/agc.cpp
index bd54a639d637..bb15d3d84186 100644
--- a/src/ipa/raspberrypi/controller/rpi/agc.cpp
+++ b/src/ipa/raspberrypi/controller/rpi/agc.cpp
@@ -74,16 +74,16 @@ readMeteringModes(std::map<std::string, AgcMeteringMode> &metering_modes,

 int AgcExposureMode::read(const libcamera::YamlObject &params)
 {
-	auto value = params["shutter"].getList<double>();
-	if (!value)
+	std::vector<double> value = params["shutter"].getList<double>();
+	if (value.empty())
 		return -EINVAL;
-	std::transform(value->begin(), value->end(), std::back_inserter(shutter),
+	std::transform(value.begin(), value.end(), std::back_inserter(shutter),
 		       [](double v) { return v * 1us; });

 	value = params["gain"].getList<double>();
-	if (!value)
+	if (value.empty())
 		return -EINVAL;
-	gain = std::move(*value);
+	gain = std::move(value);

 	if (shutter.size() < 2 || gain.size() < 2) {
 		LOG(RPiAgc, Error)
diff --git a/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/gsl.cpp b/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/gsl.cpp
index 2fd1a23d3a9b..0cff1b77b058 100644
--- a/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/gsl.cpp
+++ b/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/gsl.cpp
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ int GammaSensorLinearization::init([[maybe_unused]] IPAContext &context,
 				   const YamlObject &tuningData)
 {
 	std::vector<uint16_t> xIntervals =
-		tuningData["x-intervals"].getList<uint16_t>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+		tuningData["x-intervals"].getList<uint16_t>();
 	if (xIntervals.size() != kDegammaXIntervals) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Gsl, Error)
 			<< "Invalid 'x' coordinates: expected "
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ int GammaSensorLinearization::init([[maybe_unused]] IPAContext &context,
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}

-	curveYr_ = yObject["red"].getList<uint16_t>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+	curveYr_ = yObject["red"].getList<uint16_t>();
 	if (curveYr_.size() != RKISP1_CIF_ISP_DEGAMMA_CURVE_SIZE) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Gsl, Error)
 			<< "Invalid 'y:red' coordinates: expected "
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ int GammaSensorLinearization::init([[maybe_unused]] IPAContext &context,
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}

-	curveYg_ = yObject["green"].getList<uint16_t>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+	curveYg_ = yObject["green"].getList<uint16_t>();
 	if (curveYg_.size() != RKISP1_CIF_ISP_DEGAMMA_CURVE_SIZE) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Gsl, Error)
 			<< "Invalid 'y:green' coordinates: expected "
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ int GammaSensorLinearization::init([[maybe_unused]] IPAContext &context,
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}

-	curveYb_ = yObject["blue"].getList<uint16_t>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+	curveYb_ = yObject["blue"].getList<uint16_t>();
 	if (curveYb_.size() != RKISP1_CIF_ISP_DEGAMMA_CURVE_SIZE) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Gsl, Error)
 			<< "Invalid 'y:blue' coordinates: expected "
diff --git a/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/lsc.cpp b/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/lsc.cpp
index 05c8c0dab5c8..d1a4332c9089 100644
--- a/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/lsc.cpp
+++ b/src/ipa/rkisp1/algorithms/lsc.cpp
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ static std::vector<double> parseSizes(const YamlObject &tuningData,
 				      const char *prop)
 {
 	std::vector<double> sizes =
-		tuningData[prop].getList<double>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+		tuningData[prop].getList<double>();
 	if (sizes.size() != RKISP1_CIF_ISP_LSC_SECTORS_TBL_SIZE) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Lsc, Error)
 			<< "Invalid '" << prop << "' values: expected "
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ static std::vector<uint16_t> parseTable(const YamlObject &tuningData,
 		RKISP1_CIF_ISP_LSC_SAMPLES_MAX * RKISP1_CIF_ISP_LSC_SAMPLES_MAX;

 	std::vector<uint16_t> table =
-		tuningData[prop].getList<uint16_t>().value_or(utils::defopt);
+		tuningData[prop].getList<uint16_t>();
 	if (table.size() != kLscNumSamples) {
 		LOG(RkISP1Lsc, Error)
 			<< "Invalid '" << prop << "' values: expected "
diff --git a/src/libcamera/yaml_parser.cpp b/src/libcamera/yaml_parser.cpp
index 84cb57d6de83..d422e0811fa7 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/yaml_parser.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/yaml_parser.cpp
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ template<typename T,
 		 std::is_same_v<uint32_t, T> ||
 		 std::is_same_v<std::string, T> ||
 		 std::is_same_v<Size, T>> *>
-std::optional<std::vector<T>> YamlObject::getList() const
+std::vector<T> YamlObject::getList() const
 {
 	if (type_ != Type::List)
 		return {};
@@ -334,14 +334,14 @@ std::optional<std::vector<T>> YamlObject::getList() const
 	return values;
 }

-template std::optional<std::vector<bool>> YamlObject::getList<bool>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<double>> YamlObject::getList<double>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<int16_t>> YamlObject::getList<int16_t>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<uint16_t>> YamlObject::getList<uint16_t>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<int32_t>> YamlObject::getList<int32_t>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<uint32_t>> YamlObject::getList<uint32_t>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<std::string>> YamlObject::getList<std::string>() const;
-template std::optional<std::vector<Size>> YamlObject::getList<Size>() const;
+template std::vector<bool> YamlObject::getList<bool>() const;
+template std::vector<double> YamlObject::getList<double>() const;
+template std::vector<int16_t> YamlObject::getList<int16_t>() const;
+template std::vector<uint16_t> YamlObject::getList<uint16_t>() const;
+template std::vector<int32_t> YamlObject::getList<int32_t>() const;
+template std::vector<uint32_t> YamlObject::getList<uint32_t>() const;
+template std::vector<std::string> YamlObject::getList<std::string>() const;
+template std::vector<Size> YamlObject::getList<Size>() const;

 #endif /* __DOXYGEN__ */

diff --git a/test/yaml-parser.cpp b/test/yaml-parser.cpp
index 93ba88b8bcd5..e25944e7f6b8 100644
--- a/test/yaml-parser.cpp
+++ b/test/yaml-parser.cpp
@@ -530,7 +530,7 @@ protected:
 		}

 		const auto &values = firstElement.getList<uint16_t>();
-		if (!values || values->size() != 2 || (*values)[0] != 1 || (*values)[1] != 2) {
+		if (values.empty() || values.size() != 2 || values[0] != 1 || values[1] != 2) {
 			cerr << "getList() failed to return correct vector" << std::endl;
 			return TestFail;
 		}