diff --git a/maintainers/scripts/eval-release.nix b/maintainers/scripts/eval-release.nix
index bb9572cbc795..4f0ca2465025 100644
--- a/maintainers/scripts/eval-release.nix
+++ b/maintainers/scripts/eval-release.nix
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ let
         if (builtins.tryEval attrs.drvPath).success
         then { inherit (attrs) name drvPath; }
         else { failed = true; }
+      else if attrs == null then {}
       else { recurseForDerivations = true; } //
            mapAttrs (n: v: let path' = path ++ [n]; in trace path' (recurse path' v)) attrs
     else { };
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/pkg-config/test-defaultPkgConfigPackages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/pkg-config/test-defaultPkgConfigPackages.nix
index 1e53a02ec8a9..37687117987d 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/pkg-config/test-defaultPkgConfigPackages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/pkg-config/test-defaultPkgConfigPackages.nix
@@ -42,4 +42,4 @@ let
     else testers.hasPkgConfigModule { inherit moduleName; package = pkg; };
 
 in
-  allTests // { inherit tests-combined; }
+  lib.recurseIntoAttrs allTests // { inherit tests-combined; }