diff --git a/packages/twenty-server/src/engine/workspace-manager/workspace-migration/workspace-migration-builder/validators/services/flat-field-metadata-validator.service.ts b/packages/twenty-server/src/engine/workspace-manager/workspace-migration/workspace-migration-builder/validators/services/flat-field-metadata-validator.service.ts
index d952d1a3d8..507d4096fb 100644
--- a/packages/twenty-server/src/engine/workspace-manager/workspace-migration/workspace-migration-builder/validators/services/flat-field-metadata-validator.service.ts
+++ b/packages/twenty-server/src/engine/workspace-manager/workspace-migration/workspace-migration-builder/validators/services/flat-field-metadata-validator.service.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
 
 import { msg } from '@lingui/core/macro';
 import { ALL_METADATA_NAME } from 'twenty-shared/metadata';
+import { isFieldMetadataTypeWithDefaultValue } from 'twenty-shared/types';
 import { isDefined } from 'twenty-shared/utils';
 
 import { FieldMetadataExceptionCode } from 'src/engine/metadata-modules/field-metadata/field-metadata.exception';
@@ -191,6 +192,7 @@ export class FlatFieldMetadataValidatorService {
     }
 
     if (
+      isFieldMetadataTypeWithDefaultValue(flatFieldMetadataToValidate.type) &&
       flatFieldMetadataToValidate.isNullable === false &&
       flatFieldMetadataToValidate.defaultValue === null
     ) {
diff --git a/packages/twenty-server/test/integration/metadata/suites/field-metadata/relation/successful-field-metadata-relation-update.integration-spec.ts b/packages/twenty-server/test/integration/metadata/suites/field-metadata/relation/successful-field-metadata-relation-update.integration-spec.ts
index 0c8dadb85a..d5f7dcabab 100644
--- a/packages/twenty-server/test/integration/metadata/suites/field-metadata/relation/successful-field-metadata-relation-update.integration-spec.ts
+++ b/packages/twenty-server/test/integration/metadata/suites/field-metadata/relation/successful-field-metadata-relation-update.integration-spec.ts
@@ -142,6 +142,56 @@ describe('Field metadata relation update should succeed', () => {
     expect(data).toBeDefined();
     expect(data.updateOneField.name).toBe('leadEmployer');
   });
+
+  // Regression test for https://github.com/twentyhq/twenty/issues/21751: a non-nullable relation has no literal defaultValue and must still be updatable.
+  it('should successfully update a non-nullable relation field', async () => {
+    const {
+      data: {
+        createOneField: { id: nonNullableRelationFieldId, isNullable },
+      },
+    } = await createOneFieldMetadata({
+      input: {
+        objectMetadataId: globalTestContext.employeeObjectId,
+        name: 'mandatoryEmployer',
+        label: 'Mandatory employer',
+        isLabelSyncedWithName: false,
+        isNullable: false,
+        type: FieldMetadataType.RELATION,
+        relationCreationPayload: {
+          targetFieldLabel: 'mandatoryEmployees',
+          type: RelationType.MANY_TO_ONE,
+          targetObjectMetadataId: globalTestContext.enterpriseObjectId,
+          targetFieldIcon: 'IconBuildingSkyscraper',
+        },
+      },
+      gqlFields: `
+        id
+        isNullable
+      `,
+    });
+
+    expect(isNullable).toBe(false);
+
+    const { data, errors } = await updateOneFieldMetadata({
+      expectToFail: false,
+      input: {
+        idToUpdate: nonNullableRelationFieldId,
+        updatePayload: {
+          description: 'Updated description for a required relation',
+        },
+      },
+      gqlFields: `
+        id
+        description
+      `,
+    });
+
+    expect(errors).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(data).toBeDefined();
+    expect(data.updateOneField.description).toBe(
+      'Updated description for a required relation',
+    );
+  });
 });
 
 describe('Field metadata self-relation update should succeed', () => {
diff --git a/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/FieldMetadataDefaultValue.ts b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/FieldMetadataDefaultValue.ts
index e72bea9536..bfede7273e 100644
--- a/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/FieldMetadataDefaultValue.ts
+++ b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/FieldMetadataDefaultValue.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { type LinkMetadata } from '@/types/composite-types/links.composite-type';
-import { type FieldMetadataType } from '@/types/FieldMetadataType';
+import { FieldMetadataType } from '@/types/FieldMetadataType';
 import { type IsExactly } from '@/types/IsExactly';
 
 export const fieldMetadataDefaultValueFunctionName = {
@@ -111,3 +111,17 @@ export type FieldMetadataDefaultValue<
     : T extends keyof FieldMetadataDefaultValueMapping
       ? FieldMetadataDefaultValueMapping[T]
       : never | null;
+
+export const FIELD_METADATA_TYPES_WITHOUT_DEFAULT_VALUE = [
+  FieldMetadataType.RELATION,
+  FieldMetadataType.MORPH_RELATION,
+  FieldMetadataType.FILES,
+  FieldMetadataType.TS_VECTOR,
+] as const satisfies FieldMetadataType[];
+
+export const isFieldMetadataTypeWithDefaultValue = (
+  type: FieldMetadataType,
+): boolean =>
+  !(
+    FIELD_METADATA_TYPES_WITHOUT_DEFAULT_VALUE as readonly FieldMetadataType[]
+  ).includes(type);
diff --git a/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/__tests__/field-metadata-default-value-classification.type-test.ts b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/__tests__/field-metadata-default-value-classification.type-test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..789f1a54fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/__tests__/field-metadata-default-value-classification.type-test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { type Equal, type Expect } from '@/testing';
+import {
+  type FieldMetadataDefaultValueMapping,
+  type FIELD_METADATA_TYPES_WITHOUT_DEFAULT_VALUE,
+} from '@/types/FieldMetadataDefaultValue';
+import { type FieldMetadataType } from '@/types/FieldMetadataType';
+
+type ClassifiedFieldMetadataType =
+  | keyof FieldMetadataDefaultValueMapping
+  | (typeof FIELD_METADATA_TYPES_WITHOUT_DEFAULT_VALUE)[number];
+
+type Unclassified = Exclude<FieldMetadataType, ClassifiedFieldMetadataType>;
+type ExtraClassified = Exclude<ClassifiedFieldMetadataType, FieldMetadataType>;
+
+// oxlint-disable-next-line unused-imports/no-unused-vars
+type Assertions = [
+  Expect<Equal<Unclassified, never>>,
+  Expect<Equal<ExtraClassified, never>>,
+];
diff --git a/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/index.ts b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/index.ts
index cd1e3ab8a9..e855a4c4c1 100644
--- a/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/packages/twenty-shared/src/types/index.ts
@@ -92,7 +92,11 @@ export type {
   FieldMetadataDefaultValueForAnyType,
   FieldMetadataDefaultValue,
 } from './FieldMetadataDefaultValue';
-export { fieldMetadataDefaultValueFunctionName } from './FieldMetadataDefaultValue';
+export {
+  fieldMetadataDefaultValueFunctionName,
+  FIELD_METADATA_TYPES_WITHOUT_DEFAULT_VALUE,
+  isFieldMetadataTypeWithDefaultValue,
+} from './FieldMetadataDefaultValue';
 export type { FieldMetadataMultiItemSettings } from './FieldMetadataMultiItemSettings';
 export { FieldMetadataSettingsOnClickAction } from './FieldMetadataMultiItemSettings';
 export type {