diff --git a/src/include/sof/schedule/schedule.h b/src/include/sof/schedule/schedule.h
index 03ce567dc9ea..a68169736ef2 100644
--- a/src/include/sof/schedule/schedule.h
+++ b/src/include/sof/schedule/schedule.h
@@ -197,6 +197,9 @@ static inline void *scheduler_get_data(uint16_t type)
 	struct schedule_data *sch;
 	struct list_item *slist;
 
+	if (!schedulers)
+		return NULL;
+
 	list_for_item(slist, &schedulers->list) {
 		sch = container_of(slist, struct schedule_data, list);
 		if (type == sch->type)
diff --git a/src/schedule/schedule.c b/src/schedule/schedule.c
index 6dc141834842..519b8f144ba6 100644
--- a/src/schedule/schedule.c
+++ b/src/schedule/schedule.c
@@ -81,11 +81,13 @@ int schedule_task_init(struct task *task,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void scheduler_register(struct schedule_data *scheduler)
+__cold static void scheduler_register(struct schedule_data *scheduler)
 {
 	struct schedulers **sch = arch_schedulers_get();
 	struct k_heap *heap = NULL;
 
+	assert_can_be_cold();
+
 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SOF_USERSPACE_LL) && scheduler_is_user(scheduler->type)) {
 		sch = arch_user_schedulers_get();
 		heap = sof_sys_user_heap_get();
@@ -105,11 +107,13 @@ static void scheduler_register(struct schedule_data *scheduler)
 	list_item_append(&scheduler->list, &(*sch)->list);
 }
 
-void scheduler_init(int type, const struct scheduler_ops *ops, void *data)
+__cold void scheduler_init(int type, const struct scheduler_ops *ops, void *data)
 {
 	struct schedule_data *sch;
 	struct k_heap *heap = NULL;
 
+	assert_can_be_cold();
+
 	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SOF_USERSPACE_LL) && scheduler_is_user(type))
 		heap = sof_sys_user_heap_get();
 
diff --git a/src/schedule/zephyr_domain.c b/src/schedule/zephyr_domain.c
index c878e1972c49..681b0c872f58 100644
--- a/src/schedule/zephyr_domain.c
+++ b/src/schedule/zephyr_domain.c
@@ -609,7 +609,8 @@ struct ll_schedule_domain *zephyr_domain_init(int clk)
 /* Check if currently running in the LL scheduler thread context */
 bool ll_sch_is_current(void)
 {
-	struct zephyr_domain *zephyr_domain = ll_sch_domain_get_pdata(zephyr_ll_domain());
+	struct ll_schedule_domain *ll_dom = zephyr_ll_domain();
+	struct zephyr_domain *zephyr_domain = ll_dom ? ll_sch_domain_get_pdata(ll_dom) : NULL;
 
 	if (!zephyr_domain)
 		return false;
diff --git a/src/schedule/zephyr_ll.c b/src/schedule/zephyr_ll.c
index 33d2d76014bd..2c0bfc1ce0ff 100644
--- a/src/schedule/zephyr_ll.c
+++ b/src/schedule/zephyr_ll.c
@@ -769,5 +769,5 @@ struct ll_schedule_domain *zephyr_ll_domain(void)
 {
 	struct zephyr_ll *ll_sch = scheduler_get_data(SOF_SCHEDULE_LL_TIMER);
 
-	return ll_sch->ll_domain;
+	return ll_sch ? ll_sch->ll_domain : NULL;
 }