diff --git a/shake-ats.cabal b/shake-ats.cabal
--- a/shake-ats.cabal
+++ b/shake-ats.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                shake-ats
-version:             1.3.0.4
+version:             1.3.0.5
 synopsis:            Utilities for building ATS projects with shake
 description:         Various helper functions for building [ATS](http://www.ats-lang.org/) with the [shake](http://shakebuild.com/) library
 homepage:            https://github.com/vmchale/shake-ats#readme
diff --git a/src/Development/Shake/ATS.hs b/src/Development/Shake/ATS.hs
--- a/src/Development/Shake/ATS.hs
+++ b/src/Development/Shake/ATS.hs
@@ -97,9 +97,7 @@
     gcFlag' = bool ("-optc" <>) id noHs $ gcFlag b
     hsExtra = bool (["--make", "-odir", ".atspkg", "-no-hs-main", "-package-db", "~/.cabal/store/ghc-" ++ ghcV ++ "/package.db/"] ++ packageDbs) mempty noHs
     noHs = null fc
-    packageDbs = case fc of
-        [] -> []
-        _  -> (\x -> ["-package-db", x ++ "/dist-newstyle/packagedb/ghc-" ++ ghcV]) =<< libToDirs fc
+    packageDbs = (\x -> ["-package-db", x ++ "/dist-newstyle/packagedb/ghc-" ++ ghcV]) =<< libToDirs fc
 
 libToDirs :: [ForeignCabal] -> [String]
 libToDirs = fmap (takeDirectory . TL.unpack . cabalFile)
@@ -129,7 +127,9 @@
         path <- fromMaybe "" <$> getEnv "PATH"
         let toLibs = fmap ("-l" <>)
         let libs' = ("atslib" :) $ bool libs ("gc" : libs) gc
-        ghcV <- ghcVersion -- FIXME call on ghc specified?
+        ghcV <- case hsLibs of
+            [] -> pure mempty
+            _  -> ghcVersion -- FIXME call on ghc specified?
         command
             [EchoStderr False, AddEnv "PATSHOME" home, AddEnv "PATH" (home ++ "/bin:" ++ path), AddEnv "PATSHOMELOCS" $ patsHomeLocs 5]
             (home ++ "/bin/patscc")