diff --git a/src/EventListener/VersionListener.php b/src/EventListener/VersionListener.php
index cc734580e..cc3f05141 100644
--- a/src/EventListener/VersionListener.php
+++ b/src/EventListener/VersionListener.php
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ public function preRemove(Version $version, LifecycleEventArgs $event): void
     public function preUpdate(Version $version, PreUpdateEventArgs $event): void
     {
         if (($event->hasChangedField('source') || $event->hasChangedField('dist')) && !$version->isDevelopment()) {
-            $oldDistRef = $event->getOldValue('dist')['reference'] ?? null;
-            $oldSourceRef = $event->getOldValue('source')['reference'] ?? null;
-            $newDistRef = $event->getNewValue('dist')['reference'] ?? null;
-            $newSourceRef = $event->getNewValue('source')['reference'] ?? null;
+            $oldDistRef = $event->hasChangedField('dist') ? ($event->getOldValue('dist')['reference'] ?? null) : $version->getDist()['reference'] ?? null;
+            $oldSourceRef = $event->hasChangedField('source') ? ($event->getOldValue('source')['reference'] ?? null) : $version->getSource()['reference'] ?? null;
+            $newDistRef = $event->hasChangedField('dist') ? ($event->getNewValue('dist')['reference'] ?? null) : $version->getDist()['reference'] ?? null;
+            $newSourceRef = $event->hasChangedField('source') ? ($event->getNewValue('source')['reference'] ?? null) : $version->getSource()['reference'] ?? null;
             if ($oldDistRef !== $newDistRef || $oldSourceRef !== $newSourceRef) {
                 // buffering things to be inserted in postUpdate once we can confirm it is done
                 $this->buffered[] = AuditRecord::versionReferenceChange($version, $oldSourceRef, $oldDistRef);
diff --git a/tests/Audit/VersionAuditRecordTest.php b/tests/Audit/VersionAuditRecordTest.php
index cd0e70b9a..73f7c63c9 100644
--- a/tests/Audit/VersionAuditRecordTest.php
+++ b/tests/Audit/VersionAuditRecordTest.php
@@ -68,8 +68,24 @@ public function testVersionChangesGetRecorded(): void
         self::assertSame(AuditRecordType::VersionReferenceChange->value, $logs[0]['type']);
         self::assertSame('{"name": "composer/composer", "dist_to": "new-dist-ref", "version": "1.0.0", "dist_from": "old-dist-ref", "source_to": "new-source-ref", "source_from": null}', $logs[0]['attributes']);
 
-        // verify that only reference changes triggers a new audit log
+        // verify that unrelated changes do not create new audit logs
+        $version->setLicense(['MIT']);
+        $em->persist($version);
+        $em->flush();
+
+        $logs = $container->get(Connection::class)->fetchAllAssociative('SELECT * FROM audit_log ORDER BY id DESC');
+        self::assertCount(2, $logs); // package creation + version reference change
+
+        // verify that changing dist only without ref change does not create new audit log and does not crash
         $version->setDist(['reference' => 'new-dist-ref', 'type' => 'zip2', 'url' => 'https://example.org/dist.zip2']);
+        $em->persist($version);
+        $em->flush();
+
+        $logs = $container->get(Connection::class)->fetchAllAssociative('SELECT * FROM audit_log ORDER BY id DESC');
+        self::assertCount(2, $logs); // package creation + version reference change
+
+        // verify that only reference changes triggers a new audit log
+        $version->setDist(['reference' => 'new-dist-ref', 'type' => 'zip3', 'url' => 'https://example.org/dist.zip2']);
         $version->setSource(['reference' => 'new-source-ref', 'type' => 'git2', 'url' => 'git://example.org/dist.zip2']);
         $em->persist($version);
         $em->flush();