diff --git a/api/secret.go b/api/secret.go
index be159d706..3d15f7a80 100644
--- a/api/secret.go
+++ b/api/secret.go
@@ -150,8 +150,8 @@ TOKEN_DONE:
 
 	// Identity policies
 	{
-		_, ok := s.Data["identity_policies"]
-		if !ok {
+		v, ok := s.Data["identity_policies"]
+		if !ok || v == nil {
 			goto DONE
 		}
 
diff --git a/api/secret_test.go b/api/secret_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d089a24ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/secret_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,208 @@
+package api
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestTokenPolicies(t *testing.T) {
+	var s *Secret
+
+	// Verify some of the short-circuit paths in the function
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	s = &Secret{}
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	s.Auth = &SecretAuth{}
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	s.Auth.Policies = []string{}
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	s.Auth.Policies = []string{"test"}
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies == nil {
+		t.Error("policies was nil")
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	s.Auth = nil
+	s.Data = make(map[string]interface{})
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Verify that s.Data["policies"] are properly processed
+	{
+		policyList := make([]string, 0)
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policies) != len(policyList) {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+
+		policyList = append(policyList, "policy1", "policy2")
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policyList) != 2 {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Do it again but with an interface{} slice
+	{
+		s.Auth = nil
+		policyList := make([]interface{}, 0)
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policies) != len(policyList) {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+
+		policyItems := make([]interface{}, 2)
+		policyItems[0] = "policy1"
+		policyItems[1] = "policy2"
+
+		policyList = append(policyList, policyItems...)
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policies) != 2 {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+
+		s.Auth = nil
+		s.Data["policies"] = 7.0
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err == nil {
+			t.Error("err was nil")
+		} else if policies != nil {
+			t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+		}
+
+		s.Auth = nil
+		s.Data["policies"] = []int{2, 3, 5, 8, 13}
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err == nil {
+			t.Error("err was nil")
+		} else if policies != nil {
+			t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+		}
+	}
+
+	s.Auth = nil
+	s.Data["policies"] = nil
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	} else if policies != nil {
+		t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+	}
+
+	// Verify that logic that merges s.Data["policies"] and s.Data["identity_policies"] works
+	{
+		policyList := []string{"policy1", "policy2", "policy3"}
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList[:1]
+		s.Data["identity_policies"] = "not_a_slice"
+		s.Auth = nil
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err == nil {
+			t.Error("err was nil")
+		} else if policies != nil {
+			t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+		}
+
+		s.Data["identity_policies"] = policyList[1:]
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policyList) != len(policies) {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Do it again but with an interface{} slice
+	{
+		policyList := []interface{}{"policy1", "policy2", "policy3"}
+		s.Data["policies"] = policyList[:1]
+		s.Data["identity_policies"] = "not_a_slice"
+		s.Auth = nil
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err == nil {
+			t.Error("err was nil")
+		} else if policies != nil {
+			t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+		}
+
+		s.Data["identity_policies"] = policyList[1:]
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); len(policyList) != len(policies) {
+			t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", len(policyList), len(policies))
+		} else if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+		} else if s.Auth == nil {
+			t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+		}
+
+		s.Auth = nil
+		s.Data["identity_policies"] = []int{2, 3, 5, 8, 13}
+
+		if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err == nil {
+			t.Error("err was nil")
+		} else if policies != nil {
+			t.Errorf("policies was not nil, got %v", policies)
+		}
+	}
+
+	s.Auth = nil
+	s.Data["policies"] = []string{"policy1"}
+	s.Data["identity_policies"] = nil
+
+	if policies, err := s.TokenPolicies(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("err was not nil, got %v", err)
+	} else if len(policies) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expecting policies length %d, got %d", 1, len(policies))
+	} else if s.Auth == nil {
+		t.Error("Auth field is still nil")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/changelog/20636.txt b/changelog/20636.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e20fcdbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/20636.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+api: Properly Handle nil identity_policies in Secret Data
+```
\ No newline at end of file