diff --git a/lib/plugin/visitors/controller-class.visitor.ts b/lib/plugin/visitors/controller-class.visitor.ts
index f766e9f3d..b5f07ab53 100644
--- a/lib/plugin/visitors/controller-class.visitor.ts
+++ b/lib/plugin/visitors/controller-class.visitor.ts
@@ -87,9 +87,10 @@ export class ControllerClassVisitor extends AbstractFileVisitor {
       : decorators;
 
     // Support both >= v4.8 and v4.7 and lower
-    const modifiers = isInUpdatedAstContext
-      ? (ts as any).getModifiers(compilerNode)
-      : compilerNode.modifiers;
+    const modifiers =
+      (isInUpdatedAstContext
+        ? (ts as any).getModifiers(compilerNode)
+        : compilerNode.modifiers) ?? [];
 
     const updatedDecorators = [
       ...apiOperationDecoratorsArray,
diff --git a/test/plugin/controller-class-visitor.spec.ts b/test/plugin/controller-class-visitor.spec.ts
index 6772b7c6c..0e372d847 100644
--- a/test/plugin/controller-class-visitor.spec.ts
+++ b/test/plugin/controller-class-visitor.spec.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ import {
   appControllerWithTabsText,
   appControllerWithTabsTextTranspiled
 } from './fixtures/app.controller-tabs';
+import {
+  appControllerWithoutModifiersText,
+  appControllerWithoutModifiersTextTranspiled
+} from './fixtures/app.controller-without-modifiers';
 
 describe('Controller methods', () => {
   it('should add response based on the return value (spaces)', () => {
@@ -59,4 +63,31 @@ describe('Controller methods', () => {
     });
     expect(result.outputText).toEqual(appControllerWithTabsTextTranspiled);
   });
+
+  it('should add response based on the return value (without modifiers)', () => {
+    const options: ts.CompilerOptions = {
+      module: ts.ModuleKind.CommonJS,
+      target: ts.ScriptTarget.ESNext,
+      newLine: ts.NewLineKind.LineFeed,
+      noEmitHelpers: true
+    };
+    const filename = 'app.controller.ts';
+    const fakeProgram = ts.createProgram([filename], options);
+
+    const result = ts.transpileModule(appControllerWithoutModifiersText, {
+      compilerOptions: options,
+      fileName: filename,
+      transformers: {
+        before: [
+          before(
+            { controllerKeyOfComment: 'summary', introspectComments: true },
+            fakeProgram
+          )
+        ]
+      }
+    });
+    expect(result.outputText).toEqual(
+      appControllerWithoutModifiersTextTranspiled
+    );
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/plugin/fixtures/app.controller-without-modifiers.ts b/test/plugin/fixtures/app.controller-without-modifiers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d4c5dd249
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/plugin/fixtures/app.controller-without-modifiers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+export const appControllerWithoutModifiersText = `import { Controller, Post, HttpStatus } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { ApiOperation } from '@nestjs/swagger';
+
+class Cat {}
+
+@Controller('cats')
+export class AppController {
+  onApplicationBootstrap() {}
+
+  /**
+   * create a Cat
+   *
+   * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+   * @memberof AppController
+   */
+  @Post()
+  create(): Promise<Cat> {}
+
+  /**
+   * create a test Cat
+   *
+   * @deprecated Use create instead
+   * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+   * @memberof AppController
+   */
+  @Post()
+  testCreate(): Promise<Cat> {}
+
+  /**
+   * create a test Cat, not actually deprecated
+   *
+   * @deprecated
+   * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+   * @memberof AppController
+   */
+  @ApiOperation({ deprecated: false })
+  @Post()
+  testCreate2(): Promise<Cat> {}
+
+  /**
+   * find a Cat
+   */
+  @ApiOperation({})
+  @Get()
+  findOne(): Promise<Cat> {}
+
+  /**
+   * find all Cats im comment
+   *
+   * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+   * @memberof AppController
+   */
+  @ApiOperation({
+    description: 'find all Cats',
+  })
+  @Get()
+  @HttpCode(HttpStatus.NO_CONTENT)
+  findAll(): Promise<Cat[]> {}
+}`;
+
+export const appControllerWithoutModifiersTextTranspiled = `\"use strict\";
+Object.defineProperty(exports, \"__esModule\", { value: true });
+exports.AppController = void 0;
+const openapi = require(\"@nestjs/swagger\");
+const common_1 = require(\"@nestjs/common\");
+const swagger_1 = require("@nestjs/swagger");
+class Cat {
+}
+let AppController = class AppController {
+    onApplicationBootstrap() { }
+    /**
+     * create a Cat
+     *
+     * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+     * @memberof AppController
+     */
+    create() { }
+    /**
+     * create a test Cat
+     *
+     * @deprecated Use create instead
+     * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+     * @memberof AppController
+     */
+    testCreate() { }
+    /**
+     * create a test Cat, not actually deprecated
+     *
+     * @deprecated
+     * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+     * @memberof AppController
+     */
+    testCreate2() { }
+    /**
+     * find a Cat
+     */
+    findOne() { }
+    /**
+     * find all Cats im comment
+     *
+     * @returns {Promise<Cat>}
+     * @memberof AppController
+     */
+    findAll() { }
+};
+__decorate([
+    openapi.ApiOperation({ summary: "create a Cat" }),
+    (0, common_1.Post)(),
+    openapi.ApiResponse({ status: 201, type: Cat })
+], AppController.prototype, \"create\", null);
+__decorate([
+    openapi.ApiOperation({ summary: "create a test Cat", deprecated: true }),
+    (0, common_1.Post)(),
+    openapi.ApiResponse({ status: 201, type: Cat })
+], AppController.prototype, \"testCreate\", null);
+__decorate([
+    (0, swagger_1.ApiOperation)({ summary: "create a test Cat, not actually deprecated", deprecated: false }),
+    (0, common_1.Post)(),
+    openapi.ApiResponse({ status: 201, type: Cat })
+], AppController.prototype, \"testCreate2\", null);
+__decorate([
+    (0, swagger_1.ApiOperation)({ summary: "find a Cat" }),
+    Get(),
+    openapi.ApiResponse({ status: 200, type: Cat })
+], AppController.prototype, \"findOne\", null);
+__decorate([
+    (0, swagger_1.ApiOperation)({ summary: "find all Cats im comment", description: 'find all Cats' }),
+    Get(),
+    HttpCode(common_1.HttpStatus.NO_CONTENT),
+    openapi.ApiResponse({ status: common_1.HttpStatus.NO_CONTENT, type: [Cat] })
+], AppController.prototype, \"findAll\", null);
+AppController = __decorate([
+    (0, common_1.Controller)('cats')
+], AppController);
+exports.AppController = AppController;
+`;