diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/util/injector_discovery_utils.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/util/injector_discovery_utils.ts
index 02352299074..dd028611245 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/util/injector_discovery_utils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/util/injector_discovery_utils.ts
@@ -151,6 +151,12 @@ function getProviderImportsContainer(injector: Injector): Type<unknown>|null {
     return null;
   }
 
+  // In standalone applications, the root environment injector created by bootstrapApplication
+  // may have no associated "instance".
+  if (defTypeRef.instance === null) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
   return defTypeRef.instance.constructor;
 }
 
@@ -351,13 +357,29 @@ function walkProviderTreeToDiscoverImportPaths(
  * @returns an array of objects representing the providers of the given injector
  */
 function getEnvironmentInjectorProviders(injector: EnvironmentInjector): ProviderRecord[] {
+  const providerRecords = getFrameworkDIDebugData().resolverToProviders.get(injector) ?? [];
+
+  // platform injector has no provider imports container so can we skip trying to
+  // find import paths
+  if (isPlatformInjector(injector)) {
+    return providerRecords;
+  }
+
   const providerImportsContainer = getProviderImportsContainer(injector);
   if (providerImportsContainer === null) {
+    // There is a special case where the bootstrapped component does not
+    // import any NgModules. In this case the environment injector connected to
+    // that component is the root injector, which does not have a provider imports
+    // container (and thus no concept of module import paths). Therefore we simply
+    // return the provider records as is.
+    if (isRootInjector(injector)) {
+      return providerRecords;
+    }
+
     throwError('Could not determine where injector providers were configured.');
   }
 
   const providerToPath = getProviderImportPaths(providerImportsContainer);
-  const providerRecords = getFrameworkDIDebugData().resolverToProviders.get(injector) ?? [];
 
   return providerRecords.map(providerRecord => {
     let importPath = providerToPath.get(providerRecord.provider) ?? [providerImportsContainer];
@@ -374,6 +396,14 @@ function getEnvironmentInjectorProviders(injector: EnvironmentInjector): Provide
   });
 }
 
+function isPlatformInjector(injector: Injector) {
+  return injector instanceof R3Injector && injector.scopes.has('platform');
+}
+
+function isRootInjector(injector: Injector) {
+  return injector instanceof R3Injector && injector.scopes.has('root');
+}
+
 /**
  * Gets the providers configured on an injector.
  *