diff --git a/src/babashka/main.clj b/src/babashka/main.clj
index c51806a8..f5307886 100644
--- a/src/babashka/main.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/main.clj
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ If neither -e, -f, or --socket-repl are specified, then the first argument that
                        repl [(repl/start-repl! sci-ctx) 0]
                        socket-repl [(start-socket-repl! socket-repl sci-ctx) 0]
                        nrepl [(start-nrepl! nrepl sci-ctx) 0]
-                       (not (str/blank? expression))
+                       expressions
                        (try
                          (loop []
                            (let [in (read-next *in*)]
diff --git a/test-resources/babashka/empty.clj b/test-resources/babashka/empty.clj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/test/babashka/main_test.clj b/test/babashka/main_test.clj
index 5c42ed78..f708e38a 100644
--- a/test/babashka/main_test.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/main_test.clj
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 (ns babashka.main-test
+  {:clj-kondo/config '{:linters {:unresolved-symbol {:exclude [working?]}}}}
   (:require
    [babashka.main :as main]
    [babashka.test-utils :as test-utils]
@@ -489,6 +490,19 @@
   (is (= "true\ntrue\nfalse\n"
          (test-utils/bb nil (.getPath (io/file "test-resources" "babashka" "version.clj"))))))
 
+
+(defmethod clojure.test/assert-expr 'working? [msg form]
+  (let [body (next form)]
+    `(do ~@body
+         (clojure.test/do-report {:type :pass, :message ~msg,
+                                  :expected :success, :actual :success}))))
+
+(deftest empty-expressions-test
+  (testing "bb executes the empty file and doesn't start a REPL"
+    (is (working? (test-utils/bb nil (.getPath (io/file "test-resources" "babashka" "empty.clj"))))))
+  (testing "bb executes the empty expression and doesn't start a REPL"
+    (is (working? (test-utils/bb nil "-e" "")))))
+
 ;;;; Scratch
 
 (comment