diff --git a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/Enqueuer.java b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/Enqueuer.java
index 90b9dfb..2cce5b4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/Enqueuer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/Enqueuer.java
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.EnqueuerWorklist.TraceStaticFieldWriteAction;
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.GraphReporter.KeepReasonWitness;
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.KeepInfoCollection.MutableKeepInfoCollection;
+import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.KeepMethodInfo.Joiner;
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.RootSetUtils.ConsequentRootSet;
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.RootSetUtils.ConsequentRootSetBuilder;
 import com.android.tools.r8.shaking.RootSetUtils.RootSet;
@@ -943,9 +944,19 @@
       if (clazz.hasDefaultInitializer()) {
         ProgramMethod defaultInitializer = clazz.getProgramDefaultInitializer();
         if (forceProguardCompatibility) {
-          workList.enqueueMarkMethodKeptAction(
-              defaultInitializer,
-              graphReporter.reportCompatKeepDefaultInitializer(defaultInitializer));
+          Joiner joiner = KeepMethodInfo.newEmptyJoiner();
+          for (ProguardKeepRuleBase rule : rules) {
+            if (!rule.getType().equals(ProguardKeepRuleType.KEEP_CLASS_MEMBERS)) {
+              joiner.addRule(rule);
+            }
+          }
+          if (!joiner.getRules().isEmpty()) {
+            workList.enqueueMarkMethodKeptAction(
+                defaultInitializer,
+                graphReporter.reportCompatKeepDefaultInitializer(defaultInitializer));
+            applyMinimumKeepInfoWhenLiveOrTargeted(
+                defaultInitializer, joiner.disallowOptimization());
+          }
         }
         if (clazz.isExternalizable(appView)) {
           workList.enqueueMarkMethodLiveAction(defaultInitializer, defaultInitializer, witness);
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassMembersDefaultCtorTest.java b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassMembersDefaultCtorTest.java
index 1acd95b..bdb4da5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassMembersDefaultCtorTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassMembersDefaultCtorTest.java
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 // BSD-style license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
 package com.android.tools.r8.shaking.forceproguardcompatibility.defaultctor;
 
+import static com.android.tools.r8.utils.codeinspector.Matchers.isAbsent;
+import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
+
 import com.android.tools.r8.ProguardVersion;
 import com.android.tools.r8.TestBase;
 import com.android.tools.r8.TestParameters;
@@ -40,16 +43,17 @@
 
   @Test
   public void testCompatR8() throws Exception {
-    // R8 retains the default constructor but inserts throw null.
-    // TODO(b/248473941): R8 should strip the constructor instead.
-    run(testForR8Compat(parameters.getBackend()))
-        .assertFailureWithErrorThatThrows(NullPointerException.class);
+    run(testForR8Compat(parameters.getBackend()));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testR8() throws Exception {
+    run(testForR8(parameters.getBackend()));
   }
 
   @Test
   public void testPG() throws Exception {
-    run(testForProguard(ProguardVersion.getLatest()).addDontWarn(getClass()))
-        .assertFailureWithErrorThatThrows(NoSuchMethodException.class);
+    run(testForProguard(ProguardVersion.getLatest()).addDontWarn(getClass()));
   }
 
   private TestRunResult<?> run(TestShrinkerBuilder<?, ?, ?, ?, ?> builder) throws Exception {
@@ -58,7 +62,12 @@
         .addKeepRules("-keepclassmembers class * { <fields>; }")
         .addKeepClassAndMembersRules(TestClass.class)
         .addDontObfuscate()
-        .run(parameters.getRuntime(), TestClass.class);
+        .run(parameters.getRuntime(), TestClass.class)
+        .inspectFailure(
+            inspector -> {
+              assertThat(inspector.clazz(A.class).init(), isAbsent());
+            })
+        .assertFailureWithErrorThatThrows(NoSuchMethodException.class);
   }
 
   static class A {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest.java b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54ee56f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/shaking/forceproguardcompatibility/defaultctor/KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2022, the R8 project authors. Please see the AUTHORS file
+// for details. All rights reserved. Use of this source code is governed by a
+// BSD-style license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+package com.android.tools.r8.shaking.forceproguardcompatibility.defaultctor;
+
+import static com.android.tools.r8.utils.codeinspector.Matchers.isAbsent;
+import static com.android.tools.r8.utils.codeinspector.Matchers.isPresent;
+import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
+
+import com.android.tools.r8.ProguardVersion;
+import com.android.tools.r8.TestBase;
+import com.android.tools.r8.TestParameters;
+import com.android.tools.r8.TestParametersCollection;
+import com.android.tools.r8.TestRunResult;
+import com.android.tools.r8.TestShrinkerBuilder;
+import com.android.tools.r8.utils.StringUtils;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.junit.runners.Parameterized;
+
+@RunWith(Parameterized.class)
+public class KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest extends TestBase {
+
+  static final String EXPECTED = StringUtils.lines("A()");
+
+  private final TestParameters parameters;
+
+  @Parameterized.Parameters(name = "{0}")
+  public static TestParametersCollection data() {
+    return getTestParameters().withDefaultCfRuntime().build();
+  }
+
+  public KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest(TestParameters parameters) {
+    this.parameters = parameters;
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testReference() throws Exception {
+    testForRuntime(parameters)
+        .addInnerClasses(KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest.class)
+        .run(parameters.getRuntime(), TestClass.class)
+        .assertSuccessWithOutput(EXPECTED);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCompatR8() throws Exception {
+    checkInitKept(run(testForR8Compat(parameters.getBackend())));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testR8() throws Exception {
+    checkInitNotKept(run(testForR8(parameters.getBackend())));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testPG() throws Exception {
+    checkInitKept(run(testForProguard(ProguardVersion.getLatest()).addDontWarn(getClass())));
+  }
+
+  private TestRunResult<?> run(TestShrinkerBuilder<?, ?, ?, ?, ?> builder) throws Exception {
+    return builder
+        .addInnerClasses(KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest.class)
+        .addKeepRules("-keepclasseswithmembers class * { <fields>; }")
+        .addKeepClassAndMembersRules(TestClass.class)
+        .addDontObfuscate()
+        .run(parameters.getRuntime(), TestClass.class);
+  }
+
+  private TestRunResult<?> checkInitKept(TestRunResult<?> result) throws Exception {
+    return result
+        .inspect(inspector -> assertThat(inspector.clazz(A.class).init(), isPresent()))
+        .assertSuccessWithOutput(EXPECTED);
+  }
+
+  private TestRunResult<?> checkInitNotKept(TestRunResult<?> result) throws Exception {
+    return result
+        .inspectFailure(inspector -> assertThat(inspector.clazz(A.class).init(), isAbsent()))
+        .assertFailureWithErrorThatThrows(NoSuchMethodException.class);
+  }
+
+  static class A {
+
+    public long x = System.nanoTime();
+
+    public A() {
+      System.out.println("A()");
+    }
+  }
+
+  static class TestClass {
+
+    public static A getA() {
+      // Since TestClass.A is hard kept, the shrinker can't assume anything about the return value.
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+      String name = args.length == 0 ? "A" : null;
+      Class<?> clazz =
+          Class.forName(
+              TestClass.class.getPackage().getName()
+                  + ".KeepClassesWithMembersDefaultCtorTest$"
+                  + name);
+      Object obj = clazz.getConstructor().newInstance();
+      if (args.length > 0) {
+        // Use the field so we are sure that the keep rule triggers.
+        A a = getA();
+        System.out.println(a.x);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}