diff --git a/.github/workflows/format.yml b/.github/workflows/format.yml
index bc3fb9696a..abb394ea4e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/format.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/format.yml
@@ -15,12 +15,16 @@ jobs:
           git fetch origin ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
           git fetch origin pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/head:${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}
           BASE_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }})
-          COMMIT_FILES=$(git diff --name-only ${BASE_COMMIT} | grep -E -- '\.cxx|\.h' | grep -i -v LinkDef)
+          COMMIT_FILES=$(git diff --name-only ${BASE_COMMIT} | grep -E -- '\.cxx|\.h' | grep -i -v LinkDef) || true ;# avoid failures if nothing is greped
+          if [ "$COMMIT_FILES" == "" ]; then
+            exit 0 ;# nothing to check
+          fi
+
           RESULT_OUTPUT=$(git-clang-format-8 --commit ${BASE_COMMIT} --diff --binary $(which clang-format-8) ${COMMIT_FILES})
           if [ "$RESULT_OUTPUT" == "no modified files to format" ] || [ "$RESULT_OUTPUT" == "clang-format did not modify any files" ]; then
-            exit 0
+            exit 0 ;# all good
           else
             git-clang-format-8 --commit $BASE_COMMIT --diff --binary $(which clang-format-8)
             echo "$RESULT_OUTPUT"
             exit 1
-          fi
\ No newline at end of file
+          fi