diff --git a/src/configuration.py b/src/configuration.py
index 8c318454..f70fe820 100644
--- a/src/configuration.py
+++ b/src/configuration.py
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+class LogicError(Exception):
+    """Error in application logic."""
+
+
 class AppConfig:
     """Singleton class to load and store the configuration."""
 
@@ -55,62 +59,54 @@ def init_from_dict(self, config_dict: dict[Any, Any]) -> None:
     @property
     def configuration(self) -> Configuration:
         """Return the whole configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration
 
     @property
     def service_configuration(self) -> ServiceConfiguration:
         """Return service configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.service
 
     @property
     def llama_stack_configuration(self) -> LlamaStackConfiguration:
         """Return Llama stack configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.llama_stack
 
     @property
     def user_data_collection_configuration(self) -> UserDataCollection:
         """Return user data collection configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.user_data_collection
 
     @property
     def mcp_servers(self) -> list[ModelContextProtocolServer]:
         """Return model context protocol servers configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.mcp_servers
 
     @property
     def authentication_configuration(self) -> AuthenticationConfiguration:
         """Return authentication configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
 
-        assert (
-            self._configuration.authentication is not None
-        ), "logic error: authentication configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration.authentication is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: authentication configuration is not loaded")
 
         return self._configuration.authentication
 
     @property
     def authorization_configuration(self) -> AuthorizationConfiguration:
         """Return authorization configuration or default no-op configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
 
         if self._configuration.authorization is None:
             return AuthorizationConfiguration()
@@ -120,25 +116,22 @@ def authorization_configuration(self) -> AuthorizationConfiguration:
     @property
     def customization(self) -> Optional[Customization]:
         """Return customization configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.customization
 
     @property
     def inference(self) -> InferenceConfiguration:
         """Return inference configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.inference
 
     @property
     def database_configuration(self) -> DatabaseConfiguration:
         """Return database configuration."""
-        assert (
-            self._configuration is not None
-        ), "logic error: configuration is not loaded"
+        if self._configuration is None:
+            raise LogicError("logic error: configuration is not loaded")
         return self._configuration.database
 
 
diff --git a/src/models/config.py b/src/models/config.py
index 0516c661..de6cc3e2 100644
--- a/src/models/config.py
+++ b/src/models/config.py
@@ -372,7 +372,8 @@ def jwk_configuration(self) -> JwkConfiguration:
             raise ValueError(
                 "JWK configuration is only available for JWK token authentication module"
             )
-        assert self.jwk_config is not None, "JWK configuration should not be None"
+        if self.jwk_config is None:
+            raise ValueError("JWK configuration should not be None")
         return self.jwk_config
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_configuration.py b/tests/unit/test_configuration.py
index 22d84783..4bed5664 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_configuration.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_configuration.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Unit tests for functions defined in src/configuration.py."""
 
 import pytest
-from configuration import AppConfig
+from configuration import AppConfig, LogicError
 from models.config import ModelContextProtocolServer
 
 
@@ -290,63 +290,49 @@ def test_mcp_servers_property_with_servers() -> None:
 def test_configuration_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing configuration before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.configuration  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_service_configuration_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing service_configuration before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.service_configuration  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_llama_stack_configuration_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing llama_stack_configuration before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.llama_stack_configuration  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_user_data_collection_configuration_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing user_data_collection_configuration before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.user_data_collection_configuration  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_mcp_servers_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing mcp_servers before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.mcp_servers  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_authentication_configuration_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing authentication_configuration before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.authentication_configuration  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement
 
 
 def test_customization_not_loaded():
     """Test that accessing customization before loading raises an error."""
     cfg = AppConfig()
-    with pytest.raises(
-        AssertionError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"
-    ):
+    with pytest.raises(LogicError, match="logic error: configuration is not loaded"):
         cfg.customization  # pylint: disable=pointless-statement