diff --git a/internal/common/pointers.go b/internal/common/pointers.go
index 58be2aab1..b262fb78d 100644
--- a/internal/common/pointers.go
+++ b/internal/common/pointers.go
@@ -3,3 +3,13 @@ package common
 func ToPtr[T any](x T) *T {
 	return &x
 }
+
+// DerefOrDefault returns the dereferenced value of the given pointer or the
+// default value for the type if unset.
+func DerefOrDefault[T any](p *T) T {
+	var v T
+	if p != nil {
+		v = *p
+	}
+	return v
+}