diff --git a/helix-term/src/handlers/document_colors.rs b/helix-term/src/handlers/document_colors.rs
index f46ef2ac1..7813f317e 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/handlers/document_colors.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/handlers/document_colors.rs
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ fn request_document_colors(editor: &mut Editor, doc_id: DocumentId) {
         })
         .collect();
 
+    if futures.is_empty() {
+        return;
+    }
+
     tokio::spawn(async move {
         let mut all_colors = Vec::new();
         loop {