diff --git a/config/loader.go b/config/loader.go
index da74e9762..740d0ec5f 100644
--- a/config/loader.go
+++ b/config/loader.go
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ func LoadDir(root string) (*Config, error) {
 // IsEmptyDir returns true if the directory given has no Terraform
 // configuration files.
 func IsEmptyDir(root string) (bool, error) {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(root); err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
 	fs, os, err := dirFiles(root)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
diff --git a/config/loader_test.go b/config/loader_test.go
index da4a2dd8f..70dba0a16 100644
--- a/config/loader_test.go
+++ b/config/loader_test.go
@@ -16,6 +16,16 @@ func TestIsEmptyDir(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestIsEmptyDir_noExist(t *testing.T) {
+	val, err := IsEmptyDir(filepath.Join(fixtureDir, "nopenopenope"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+	if !val {
+		t.Fatal("should be empty")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestIsEmptyDir_noConfigs(t *testing.T) {
 	val, err := IsEmptyDir(filepath.Join(fixtureDir, "dir-empty"))
 	if err != nil {