diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/clk/base.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/clk/base.c
index 57199be082fd..c2b5cc5f97ed 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/clk/base.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/subdev/clk/base.c
@@ -135,10 +135,10 @@ nvkm_cstate_find_best(struct nvkm_clk *clk, struct nvkm_pstate *pstate,
 
 	list_for_each_entry_from_reverse(cstate, &pstate->list, head) {
 		if (nvkm_cstate_valid(clk, cstate, max_volt, clk->temp))
-			break;
+			return cstate;
 	}
 
-	return cstate;
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 static struct nvkm_cstate *
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ nvkm_cstate_prog(struct nvkm_clk *clk, struct nvkm_pstate *pstate, int cstatei)
 	if (!list_empty(&pstate->list)) {
 		cstate = nvkm_cstate_get(clk, pstate, cstatei);
 		cstate = nvkm_cstate_find_best(clk, pstate, cstate);
+		if (!cstate)
+			return -EINVAL;
 	} else {
 		cstate = &pstate->base;
 	}