diff --git a/src/babashka/pods/jvm.clj b/src/babashka/pods/jvm.clj
index 1d21c44..355a279 100644
--- a/src/babashka/pods/jvm.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/pods/jvm.clj
@@ -11,4 +11,5 @@
          (dosync (commute @#'clojure.core/*loaded-libs* conj ns-sym)))
        (doseq [[var-sym v] v]
          (intern ns-sym var-sym v)))
-     (future (impl/processor pod)))))
+     (future (impl/processor pod))
+     nil)))
diff --git a/src/babashka/pods/sci.clj b/src/babashka/pods/sci.clj
index 4ee557e..af3c211 100644
--- a/src/babashka/pods/sci.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/pods/sci.clj
@@ -13,5 +13,6 @@
              namespaces (:namespaces pod)
              env (:env ctx)]
          (swap! env update :namespaces merge namespaces)
-         (sci/future (impl/processor pod)))))
+         (sci/future (impl/processor pod))
+         nil)))
     {:sci.impl/op :needs-ctx}))
diff --git a/test/babashka/pods/jvm_test.clj b/test/babashka/pods/jvm_test.clj
index 9d69f28..4a4d3bc 100644
--- a/test/babashka/pods/jvm_test.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/pods/jvm_test.clj
@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@
              6
              [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9]
              "Illegal arguments / {:args (1 2 3)}"] ret))
-    (is (= "(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"debugging\" \"message\")\n" (str out)))
+    (is (= "nil\n(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"debugging\" \"message\")\n" (str out)))
     (is (= "(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"error\")\n" (str err)))))
diff --git a/test/babashka/pods/sci_test.clj b/test/babashka/pods/sci_test.clj
index a32aa7b..034c5eb 100644
--- a/test/babashka/pods/sci_test.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/pods/sci_test.clj
@@ -21,5 +21,5 @@
              6
              [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9]
              "Illegal arguments / {:args (1 2 3)}"] ret))
-    (is (= "(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"debugging\" \"message\")\n" (str out)))
+    (is (= "nil\n(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"debugging\" \"message\")\n" (str out)))
     (is (= "(\"hello\" \"print\" \"this\" \"error\")\n" (str err)))))
diff --git a/test/babashka/pods/test_common.clj b/test/babashka/pods/test_common.clj
index 9f86c5c..d2dcc71 100644
--- a/test/babashka/pods/test_common.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/pods/test_common.clj
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 (ns babashka.pods.test-common)
 
-(def test-program
-  "
+(def test-program "
 (require '[babashka.pods :as pods])
 (require '[clojure.core.async :as async])
 
-(pods/load-pod [\"clojure\" \"-A:test-pod\"])
+(prn (pods/load-pod [\"clojure\" \"-A:test-pod\"])) ;; should return nil
 (require '[pod.test-pod :as pod])
 (def stream-results (atom []))
 (let [chan (pod.test-pod/range-stream 1 10)]