diff --git a/lib/ramble/ramble/spack_runner.py b/lib/ramble/ramble/spack_runner.py
index 68e45ee0f..d6780860d 100644
--- a/lib/ramble/ramble/spack_runner.py
+++ b/lib/ramble/ramble/spack_runner.py
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ def inventory_hash(self, require_exist=False):
         contents_to_hash = None
 
         if not self.dry_run:
-            if not lock_exists and require_exist:
+            if not lock_exists and (require_exist or len(self.env_contents) == 0):
                 logger.die(
                     'spack.lock file does not exist in environment '
                     f'{self.env_path}\n'
diff --git a/lib/ramble/ramble/test/workspace_hashing/unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze.py b/lib/ramble/ramble/test/workspace_hashing/unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze.py
index d64f8a9b7..a6cff946a 100644
--- a/lib/ramble/ramble/test/workspace_hashing/unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze.py
+++ b/lib/ramble/ramble/test/workspace_hashing/unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze.py
@@ -49,8 +49,13 @@ def test_unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze(mutable_config,
                   MY_VAR: 'TEST'
   spack:
     concretized: true
-    packages: {}
-    environments: {}
+    packages:
+      zlib:
+        spack_spec: zlib
+    environments:
+      zlib:
+        packages:
+        - zlib
 """
     workspace_name = 'test_unsetup_workspace_cannot_analyze'
     with ramble.workspace.create(workspace_name) as ws: