1 files changed, 5 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/src/nvim/highlight.c b/src/nvim/highlight.c
index c26b00df79..d6a18fcf8e 100644
--- a/src/nvim/highlight.c
+++ b/src/nvim/highlight.c
@@ -174,6 +174,11 @@ int ns_get_hl(NS *ns_hl, int hl_id, bool link, bool nodefault)
 {
   static int recursive = 0;
 
+  if (*ns_hl == 0) {
+    // ns=0 (the default namespace) does not have a provider so stop here
+    return -1;
+  }
+
   if (*ns_hl < 0) {
     if (ns_hl_active <= 0) {
       return -1;