diff --git a/src/applications/diffusion/conduit/DiffusionSearchQueryConduitAPIMethod.php b/src/applications/diffusion/conduit/DiffusionSearchQueryConduitAPIMethod.php
--- a/src/applications/diffusion/conduit/DiffusionSearchQueryConduitAPIMethod.php
+++ b/src/applications/diffusion/conduit/DiffusionSearchQueryConduitAPIMethod.php
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@
     $limit = $request->getValue('limit');
     $offset = $request->getValue('offset');
 
+    // Starting with Git 2.16.0, Git assumes passing an empty argument is
+    // an error and recommends you pass "." instead.
+    if (!strlen($path)) {
+      $path = '.';
+    }
+
     $results = array();
     $future = $repository->getLocalCommandFuture(
       // NOTE: --perl-regexp is available only with libpcre compiled in.
@@ -95,12 +101,6 @@
     $limit = $request->getValue('limit');
     $offset = $request->getValue('offset');
 
-    // Starting with Git 2.16.0, Git assumes passing an empty argument is
-    // an error and recommends you pass "." instead.
-    if (!strlen($path)) {
-      $path = '.';
-    }
-
     $results = array();
     $future = $repository->getLocalCommandFuture(
       'grep --rev %s --print0 --line-number -- %s %s',