diff --git a/src/fuse_link.cpp b/src/fuse_link.cpp
index ae213986..32776a48 100644
--- a/src/fuse_link.cpp
+++ b/src/fuse_link.cpp
@@ -163,6 +163,8 @@ _link_preserve_path(const Policy::Action &actionFunc_,
   rv = actionFunc_(branches_,oldfusepath_,oldbranches);
   if(rv < 0)
     return rv;
+  if(oldbranches.empty())
+    return -ENOENT;
 
   return ::_link_preserve_path_loop(oldbranches,
                                     oldfusepath_,