diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/confluent/kafka/schemaregistry/storage/KafkaSchemaRegistry.java b/core/src/main/java/io/confluent/kafka/schemaregistry/storage/KafkaSchemaRegistry.java
index bfb8fb52546..28382b09fa4 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/confluent/kafka/schemaregistry/storage/KafkaSchemaRegistry.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/confluent/kafka/schemaregistry/storage/KafkaSchemaRegistry.java
@@ -2063,7 +2063,7 @@ private List<String> isCompatibleWithPrevious(Config config,
     if (!errorMessages.isEmpty()) {
       try {
         errorMessages.add(String.format("{validateFields: '%b', compatibility: '%s'}",
-            config.isValidateFields(),
+            isSchemaFieldValidationEnabled(config),
             compatibility));
       } catch (UnsupportedOperationException e) {
         // Ignore and return errorMessages