diff --git a/android/androidmk.go b/android/androidmk.go
index 94b4b81..b121b22 100644
--- a/android/androidmk.go
+++ b/android/androidmk.go
@@ -163,12 +163,15 @@
 	name := amod.BaseModuleName()
 
 	var ret []string
+	var availableTaggedDists TaggedDistFiles
 
-	availableTaggedDists := TaggedDistFiles{}
 	if a.DistFiles != nil {
 		availableTaggedDists = a.DistFiles
 	} else if a.OutputFile.Valid() {
 		availableTaggedDists = MakeDefaultDistFiles(a.OutputFile.Path())
+	} else {
+		// Nothing dist-able for this module.
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	// Iterate over this module's dist structs, merged from the dist and dists properties.
diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index 2062a4d..e4fb509 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -565,6 +565,12 @@
 type TaggedDistFiles map[string]Paths
 
 func MakeDefaultDistFiles(paths ...Path) TaggedDistFiles {
+	for _, path := range paths {
+		if path == nil {
+			panic("The path to a dist file cannot be nil.")
+		}
+	}
+
 	// The default OutputFile tag is the empty "" string.
 	return TaggedDistFiles{"": paths}
 }