diff --git a/src/rebar_prv_shell.erl b/src/rebar_prv_shell.erl
index 74e23865..5110f528 100644
--- a/src/rebar_prv_shell.erl
+++ b/src/rebar_prv_shell.erl
@@ -237,4 +237,7 @@ find_config_relx(State) ->
 consult_config(State, Filename) ->
     Fullpath = filename:join(rebar_dir:root_dir(State), Filename),
     ?DEBUG("Loading configuration from ~p", [Fullpath]),
-    rebar_file_utils:try_consult(Fullpath).
+    case rebar_file_utils:try_consult(Fullpath) of
+        [T] -> T;
+        [] -> []
+    end.