diff --git a/includes/VEParsoid/src/Config/SiteConfig.php b/includes/VEParsoid/src/Config/SiteConfig.php
index 6c950ecfdc..b3f33d49c1 100644
--- a/includes/VEParsoid/src/Config/SiteConfig.php
+++ b/includes/VEParsoid/src/Config/SiteConfig.php
@@ -396,7 +396,8 @@ class SiteConfig extends ISiteConfig {
 	public function responsiveReferences(): array {
 		// @todo This is from the Cite extension, which shouldn't be known about by core
 		return [
-			'enabled' => $this->config->get( 'CiteResponsiveReferences' ),
+			'enabled' => $this->config->has( 'CiteResponsiveReferences' ) ?
+				$this->config->get( 'CiteResponsiveReferences' ) : false,
 			'threshold' => 10,
 		];
 	}