diff --git a/src/SlashCommands.tsx b/src/SlashCommands.tsx
index ed69dd2204..40bf0a8e49 100644
--- a/src/SlashCommands.tsx
+++ b/src/SlashCommands.tsx
@@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ export function parseCommandString(input) {
     // trim any trailing whitespace, as it can confuse the parser for
     // IRC-style commands
     input = input.replace(/\s+$/, '');
-    if (input[0] !== '/') return null; // not a command
+    if (input[0] !== '/') return {}; // not a command
 
     const bits = input.match(/^(\S+?)(?: +((.|\n)*))?$/);
     let cmd;