diff --git a/app/models/custom_button.rb b/app/models/custom_button.rb
index b0eb0e82523..b8255cbf48d 100644
--- a/app/models/custom_button.rb
+++ b/app/models/custom_button.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 class CustomButton < ApplicationRecord
   has_one :resource_action, :as => :resource, :dependent => :destroy, :autosave => true
 
-  serialize :options
+  serialize :options, Hash
   serialize :visibility_expression
   serialize :enablement_expression
   serialize :visibility
diff --git a/spec/lib/task_helpers/exports/custom_buttons_spec.rb b/spec/lib/task_helpers/exports/custom_buttons_spec.rb
index 5fc8afb0b1f..dd3ced705bc 100644
--- a/spec/lib/task_helpers/exports/custom_buttons_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/task_helpers/exports/custom_buttons_spec.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
             "description"           => "Export Test",
             "applies_to_class"      => "Vm",
             "visibility_expression" => nil,
-            "options"               => nil,
+            "options"               => {},
             "userid"                => nil,
             "wait_for_complete"     => nil,
             "name"                  => "export_test_button",
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
          "description"           => "Export Test",
          "applies_to_class"      => "Service",
          "visibility_expression" => nil,
-         "options"               => nil,
+         "options"               => {},
          "userid"                => nil,
          "wait_for_complete"     => nil,
          "name"                  => "export_test_button2",
diff --git a/spec/models/custom_button_spec.rb b/spec/models/custom_button_spec.rb
index ab415d812a3..c2a2f35cfb8 100644
--- a/spec/models/custom_button_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/custom_button_spec.rb
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@
         "disabled_text"         => nil,
         "enablement_expression" => nil,
         "applies_to_class"      => nil,
-        "options"               => nil,
+        "options"               => {},
         "userid"                => nil,
         "wait_for_complete"     => nil,
         "created_on"            => nil,