diff --git a/src/compiler/api/GF/Compile.hs b/src/compiler/api/GF/Compile.hs
index 59524de8c..ca5b31666 100644
--- a/src/compiler/api/GF/Compile.hs
+++ b/src/compiler/api/GF/Compile.hs
@@ -111,11 +111,13 @@ type CompileEnv = (Grammar,ModEnv)
 emptyCompileEnv :: Maybe PGF -> IOE CompileEnv
 emptyCompileEnv mb_pgf = do
   case mb_pgf of
-    Just pgf -> do let fpath    = pgfFilePath pgf
-                       abs_name = abstractName pgf
-                   t <- getModificationTime fpath
+    Just pgf -> do let abs_name = abstractName pgf
+                   env <- case pgfFilePath pgf of
+                            Just fpath -> do t <- getModificationTime fpath
+                                             return (Map.singleton abs_name (fpath,t,[]))
+                            Nothing    -> return Map.empty
                    return ( prependModule emptyGrammar (moduleNameS abs_name, ModPGF pgf)
-                          , Map.singleton abs_name (fpath,t,[])
+                          , env
                           )
     Nothing  -> return (emptyGrammar,Map.empty)
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
index f99c828d3..b33ccba64 100644
--- a/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
+++ b/src/runtime/haskell/PGF2.hsc
@@ -279,8 +279,12 @@ cookie_write cookie buf size = do
   fmap fromIntegral $ (callback :: Ptr Word8 -> Int -> IO Int) buf (fromIntegral size)
 #endif
 
-pgfFilePath :: PGF -> FilePath
-pgfFilePath p = unsafePerformIO (pgf_file_path (a_db p) >>= peekCString)
+pgfFilePath :: PGF -> Maybe FilePath
+pgfFilePath p = unsafePerformIO $ do
+  c_fpath <- pgf_file_path (a_db p)
+  if c_fpath == nullPtr
+    then return Nothing
+    else fmap Just $ peekCString c_fpath
 
 showPGF :: PGF -> String
 showPGF p =