diff --git a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/FlowFunctions.h b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/FlowFunctions.h
index 87a3db452..7ff1769d7 100644
--- a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/FlowFunctions.h
+++ b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/FlowFunctions.h
@@ -794,6 +794,19 @@ class FlowFunctions
   virtual FlowFunctionPtrType getRetFlowFunction(n_t CallSite, f_t CalleeFun,
                                                  n_t ExitInst, n_t RetSite) = 0;
 
+  // Performs any side-effects of a return-flow-function
+  //
+  // In case of unbalanced returns (if the option `followReturnsPastSeeds` is
+  // activated in the IfdsIdeSolverConfig), we will eventually reach a function
+  // that is not called from other functions. Still, we may want to apply a
+  // return-flow-function -- just for its side-effects, such as registering a
+  // taint
+  virtual void applyUnbalancedRetFlowFunctionSideEffects(f_t CalleeFun,
+                                                         n_t ExitInst,
+                                                         d_t Source) {
+    // By default, do nothing
+  }
+
   //
   // Describes the data-flows alongsite a CallSite.
   //
diff --git a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/FlowEdgeFunctionCache.h b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/FlowEdgeFunctionCache.h
index 484606935..b9d89a88e 100644
--- a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/FlowEdgeFunctionCache.h
+++ b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/FlowEdgeFunctionCache.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "phasar/Utils/EquivalenceClassMap.h"
 #include "phasar/Utils/Logger.h"
 #include "phasar/Utils/PAMMMacros.h"
+#include "phasar/Utils/Utilities.h"
 
 #include "llvm/ADT/DenseMap.h"
 
@@ -185,6 +186,8 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
   operator=(FlowEdgeFunctionCache &&FEFC) noexcept = default;
 
   FlowFunctionPtrType getNormalFlowFunction(n_t Curr, n_t Succ) {
+    assertNotNull(Curr);
+    assertNotNull(Succ);
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Normal flow function factory call");
@@ -217,6 +220,8 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
   }
 
   FlowFunctionPtrType getCallFlowFunction(n_t CallSite, f_t DestFun) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(DestFun);
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Call flow function factory call");
@@ -241,6 +246,10 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
 
   FlowFunctionPtrType getRetFlowFunction(n_t CallSite, f_t CalleeFun,
                                          n_t ExitInst, n_t RetSite) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(CalleeFun);
+    assertNotNull(ExitInst);
+    assertNotNull(RetSite);
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Return flow function factory call");
@@ -270,6 +279,9 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
 
   FlowFunctionPtrType getCallToRetFlowFunction(n_t CallSite, n_t RetSite,
                                                llvm::ArrayRef<f_t> Callees) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(RetSite);
+    assertAllNotNull(Callees);
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Call-to-Return flow function factory call");
@@ -300,6 +312,8 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
   }
 
   FlowFunctionPtrType getSummaryFlowFunction(n_t CallSite, f_t DestFun) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(DestFun);
     // PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     // INC_COUNTER("Summary-FF Construction", 1, Full);
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
@@ -313,6 +327,9 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
 
   EdgeFunction<l_t> getNormalEdgeFunction(n_t Curr, d_t CurrNode, n_t Succ,
                                           d_t SuccNode) {
+    assertNotNull(Curr);
+    assertNotNull(Succ);
+
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Normal edge function factory call");
@@ -357,6 +374,10 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
 
   EdgeFunction<l_t> getCallEdgeFunction(n_t CallSite, d_t SrcNode,
                                         f_t DestinationFunction, d_t DestNode) {
+
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(DestinationFunction);
+
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Call edge function factory call");
@@ -387,6 +408,11 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
   EdgeFunction<l_t> getReturnEdgeFunction(n_t CallSite, f_t CalleeFunction,
                                           n_t ExitInst, d_t ExitNode,
                                           n_t RetSite, d_t RetNode) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(CalleeFunction);
+    assertNotNull(ExitInst);
+    assertNotNull(RetSite);
+
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Return edge function factory call");
@@ -419,6 +445,10 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
   EdgeFunction<l_t> getCallToRetEdgeFunction(n_t CallSite, d_t CallNode,
                                              n_t RetSite, d_t RetSiteNode,
                                              llvm::ArrayRef<f_t> Callees) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(RetSite);
+    assertAllNotNull(Callees);
+
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Call-to-Return edge function factory call");
@@ -472,6 +502,9 @@ class FlowEdgeFunctionCache {
 
   EdgeFunction<l_t> getSummaryEdgeFunction(n_t CallSite, d_t CallNode,
                                            n_t RetSite, d_t RetSiteNode) {
+    assertNotNull(CallSite);
+    assertNotNull(RetSite);
+
     PAMM_GET_INSTANCE;
     IF_LOG_ENABLED(
         PHASAR_LOG_LEVEL(DEBUG, "Summary edge function factory call");
diff --git a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/IDESolver.h b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/IDESolver.h
index 669bd108d..ac730de2a 100644
--- a/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/IDESolver.h
+++ b/include/phasar/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Solver/IDESolver.h
@@ -886,8 +886,9 @@ class IDESolver
     // conditionally generated values should only
     // be propagated into callers that have an incoming edge for this
     // condition
-    if (SolverConfig.followReturnsPastSeeds() && Inc.empty() &&
-        IDEProblem.isZeroValue(d1)) {
+    /// TODO: Add a check for "d1 is seed in functionOf(n)"
+    if (SolverConfig.followReturnsPastSeeds() && Inc.empty() /*&&
+        IDEProblem.isZeroValue(d1)*/) {
       const auto &Callers = ICF->getCallersOf(FunctionThatNeedsSummary);
       for (n_t Caller : Callers) {
         for (n_t RetSiteC : ICF->getReturnSitesOfCallAt(Caller)) {
@@ -922,11 +923,8 @@ class IDESolver
       // the flow function has a side effect such as registering a taint;
       // instead we thus call the return flow function will a null caller
       if (Callers.empty()) {
-        FlowFunctionPtrType RetFunction =
-            CachedFlowEdgeFunctions.getRetFlowFunction(
-                nullptr, FunctionThatNeedsSummary, n, nullptr);
-        INC_COUNTER("FF Queries", 1, Full);
-        RetFunction->computeTargets(d2);
+        IDEProblem.applyUnbalancedRetFlowFunctionSideEffects(
+            FunctionThatNeedsSummary, n, d2);
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/include/phasar/PhasarLLVM/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Problems/IDEInstInteractionAnalysis.h b/include/phasar/PhasarLLVM/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Problems/IDEInstInteractionAnalysis.h
index 8f9a71af7..9e9972ac4 100644
--- a/include/phasar/PhasarLLVM/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Problems/IDEInstInteractionAnalysis.h
+++ b/include/phasar/PhasarLLVM/DataFlow/IfdsIde/Problems/IDEInstInteractionAnalysis.h
@@ -522,7 +522,9 @@ class IDEInstInteractionAnalysisT
                                                 n_t /* RetSite */) override {
     // Map return value back to the caller. If pointer parameters hold at the
     // end of a callee function generate all of those in the caller context.
-
+    if (CallSite == nullptr) {
+      return this->killAllFlows();
+    }
     auto MapFactsToCallerFF =
         mapFactsToCaller<d_t>(llvm::cast<llvm::CallBase>(CallSite), ExitInst,
                               {}, [](const llvm::Value *RetVal, d_t Src) {
diff --git a/include/phasar/Utils/Utilities.h b/include/phasar/Utils/Utilities.h
index 12154af21..762735bfe 100644
--- a/include/phasar/Utils/Utilities.h
+++ b/include/phasar/Utils/Utilities.h
@@ -14,9 +14,12 @@
 #include "phasar/Utils/TypeTraits.h"
 
 #include "llvm/ADT/Hashing.h"
+#include "llvm/ADT/STLExtras.h"
 #include "llvm/ADT/SmallVector.h"
+#include "llvm/Support/Compiler.h"
 #include "llvm/Support/raw_ostream.h"
 
+#include <optional>
 #include <set>
 #include <string>
 #include <type_traits>
@@ -266,6 +269,26 @@ llvm::raw_ostream &operator<<(llvm::raw_ostream &OS,
   return OS;
 }
 
+template <typename T>
+LLVM_ATTRIBUTE_ALWAYS_INLINE void assertNotNull(const T &Value) {}
+
+template <typename T>
+LLVM_ATTRIBUTE_ALWAYS_INLINE void assertNotNull(const std::optional<T> &Value) {
+  assert(Value.has_value());
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+LLVM_ATTRIBUTE_ALWAYS_INLINE void assertNotNull(const T *Value) {
+  assert(Value != nullptr);
+}
+
+template <typename T> void assertAllNotNull(const T &Range) {
+  assertNotNull(Range);
+  for (const auto &Elem : Range) {
+    assertNotNull(Elem);
+  }
+}
+
 } // namespace psr
 
 #endif