--- a/testing/web-platform/update/upstream.py
+++ b/testing/web-platform/update/upstream.py
@@ -193,17 +193,18 @@ class SelectCommits(Step):
                 break
 
 class MovePatches(Step):
     """Convert gecko commits into patches against upstream and commit these to the sync tree."""
 
     provides = ["commits_loaded"]
 
     def create(self, state):
-        state.commits_loaded = 0
+        if not hasattr(state, "commits_loaded"):
+            state.commits_loaded = 0
 
         strip_path = os.path.relpath(state.tests_path,
                                      state.local_tree.root)
         self.logger.debug("Stripping patch %s" % strip_path)
 
         if not hasattr(state, "patch"):
             state.patch = None
 
@@ -213,16 +214,18 @@ class MovePatches(Step):
             if not state.patch:
                 patch = commit.export_patch(state.tests_path)
                 stripped_patch = rewrite_patch(patch, strip_path)
             else:
                 filename, stripped_patch = state.patch
                 with open(filename) as f:
                     stripped_patch.diff = f.read()
                 state.patch = None
+            if not stripped_patch.diff:
+                continue
             try:
                 state.sync_tree.import_patch(stripped_patch)
             except:
                 with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, suffix=".diff") as f:
                     f.write(stripped_patch.diff)
                     print """Patch failed to apply. Diff saved in %s.
 Fix this file so it applies and run with --continue""" % f.name
                     state.patch = (f.name, stripped_patch)