diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadTreeViews.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadTreeViews.ts
index 67bd6438fe5..b2970e5f093 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadTreeViews.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadTreeViews.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class TreeViewDataProvider implements ITreeViewDataProvider {
 				return this.postGetElements(elements);
 			}, err => {
 				this.messageService.show(Severity.Error, err);
-				return null;
+				return [];
 			});
 	}
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ class TreeViewDataProvider implements ITreeViewDataProvider {
 				return this.postGetElements(children);
 			}, err => {
 				this.messageService.show(Severity.Error, err);
-				return null;
+				return [];
 			});
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTreeViews.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTreeViews.ts
index a1807377c88..effb25dd985 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTreeViews.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTreeViews.ts
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class ExtHostTreeView<T> extends Disposable {
 							}
 							return null;
 						})
-				))).then(extTreeItems => extTreeItems.map((({ element, extTreeItem }) => this.createTreeItem(element, extTreeItem, parentHandle))));
+				))).then(extTreeItems => coalesce(extTreeItems).map((({ element, extTreeItem }) => this.createTreeItem(element, extTreeItem, parentHandle))));
 	}
 
 	getExtensionElement(treeItemHandle: TreeItemHandle): T {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/views/treeView.ts b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/views/treeView.ts
index a1cc343d860..98235ba28b6 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/views/treeView.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/browser/parts/views/treeView.ts
@@ -245,7 +245,8 @@ class TreeDataSource implements IDataSource {
 				return children;
 			});
 		}
-		return TPromise.as(null);
+
+		return TPromise.as([]);
 	}
 
 	public shouldAutoexpand(tree: ITree, node: ITreeItem): boolean {