diff --git a/android/androidmk.go b/android/androidmk.go
index 94b4b8175..b121b220a 100644
--- a/android/androidmk.go
+++ b/android/androidmk.go
@@ -163,12 +163,15 @@ func (a *AndroidMkEntries) GetDistForGoals(mod blueprint.Module) []string {
 	name := amod.BaseModuleName()
 
 	var ret []string
+	var availableTaggedDists TaggedDistFiles
 
-	availableTaggedDists := TaggedDistFiles{}
 	if a.DistFiles != nil {
 		availableTaggedDists = a.DistFiles
 	} else if a.OutputFile.Valid() {
 		availableTaggedDists = MakeDefaultDistFiles(a.OutputFile.Path())
+	} else {
+		// Nothing dist-able for this module.
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	// Iterate over this module's dist structs, merged from the dist and dists properties.
diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index 2062a4d4d..e4fb509c3 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -565,6 +565,12 @@ type commonProperties struct {
 type TaggedDistFiles map[string]Paths
 
 func MakeDefaultDistFiles(paths ...Path) TaggedDistFiles {
+	for _, path := range paths {
+		if path == nil {
+			panic("The path to a dist file cannot be nil.")
+		}
+	}
+
 	// The default OutputFile tag is the empty "" string.
 	return TaggedDistFiles{"": paths}
 }
diff --git a/java/androidmk.go b/java/androidmk.go
index 03994bfd6..3fb73c5fc 100644
--- a/java/androidmk.go
+++ b/java/androidmk.go
@@ -563,15 +563,21 @@ func (dstubs *Droidstubs) AndroidMkEntries() []android.AndroidMkEntries {
 	// are created in make if only the api txt file is being generated. This is
 	// needed because an invalid output file would prevent the make entries from
 	// being written.
+	//
+	// Note that dstubs.apiFile can be also be nil if WITHOUT_CHECKS_API is true.
 	// TODO(b/146727827): Revert when we do not need to generate stubs and API separately.
-	distFile := dstubs.apiFile
+
+	var distFiles android.TaggedDistFiles
+	if dstubs.apiFile != nil {
+		distFiles = android.MakeDefaultDistFiles(dstubs.apiFile)
+	}
 	outputFile := android.OptionalPathForPath(dstubs.stubsSrcJar)
 	if !outputFile.Valid() {
-		outputFile = android.OptionalPathForPath(distFile)
+		outputFile = android.OptionalPathForPath(dstubs.apiFile)
 	}
 	return []android.AndroidMkEntries{android.AndroidMkEntries{
 		Class:      "JAVA_LIBRARIES",
-		DistFiles:  android.MakeDefaultDistFiles(distFile),
+		DistFiles:  distFiles,
 		OutputFile: outputFile,
 		Include:    "$(BUILD_SYSTEM)/soong_droiddoc_prebuilt.mk",
 		ExtraEntries: []android.AndroidMkExtraEntriesFunc{