diff --git a/lua/neo-tree/sources/filesystem/init.lua b/lua/neo-tree/sources/filesystem/init.lua
index d2c4bda2..a6a3e4b2 100644
--- a/lua/neo-tree/sources/filesystem/init.lua
+++ b/lua/neo-tree/sources/filesystem/init.lua
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ local follow_internal = function(callback, force_show, async)
   if vim.bo.filetype == "neo-tree" or vim.bo.filetype == "neo-tree-popup" then
     return false
   end
-  local path_to_reveal = utils.normalize_path(manager.get_path_to_reveal())
+  local path_to_reveal = utils.normalize_path(manager.get_path_to_reveal() or "")
   if not utils.truthy(path_to_reveal) then
     return false
   end