diff --git a/src/panfrost/lib/genxml/cs_builder.h b/src/panfrost/lib/genxml/cs_builder.h
index f4e32e27fc8..cb7448cd9b0 100644
--- a/src/panfrost/lib/genxml/cs_builder.h
+++ b/src/panfrost/lib/genxml/cs_builder.h
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ cs_alloc_ins_block(struct cs_builder *b, uint32_t num_instrs)
       return util_dynarray_grow(&b->blocks.instrs, uint64_t, num_instrs);
 
    if (!cs_reserve_instrs(b, num_instrs))
-      return &b->discard_instr_slot;
+      return NULL;
 
    assert(b->cur_chunk.size + num_instrs - 1 < b->cur_chunk.buffer.capacity);
    uint32_t pos = b->cur_chunk.pos;
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ cs_flush_block_instrs(struct cs_builder *b)
 
    void *buffer = cs_alloc_ins_block(b, num_instrs);
 
-   if (likely(cs_is_valid(b))) {
+   if (likely(buffer != NULL)) {
       /* If we have a LOAD_IP chain, we need to patch each LOAD_IP
        * instruction before we copy the block to the final memory
        * region. */
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ cs_alloc_ins(struct cs_builder *b)
     * causing further cs_else_start() instructions to be invalid. */
    cs_flush_pending_if(b);
 
-   return cs_alloc_ins_block(b, 1);
+   return cs_alloc_ins_block(b, 1) ?: &b->discard_instr_slot;
 }
 
 /* Call this when you are done building a command stream and want to prepare