diff --git a/ear/plugin.jelly b/ear/plugin.jelly
index 36e2fb20..c2b63084 100644
--- a/ear/plugin.jelly
+++ b/ear/plugin.jelly
@@ -104,8 +104,11 @@
 
         </j:if>  
       </j:forEach>
+
       <!-- bundle all dependencies that were copied to a temporary dir -->
-      <ant:fileset dir="${tmpDependenciesDir}"/>
+      <util:available file="${tmpDependenciesDir}">
+         <ant:fileset dir="${tmpDependenciesDir}"/>
+      </util:available>
 
       <!-- include license -->
       <j:set var="licenseFileName"><license:fileName/></j:set>