diff --git a/mlir/lib/Dialect/Linalg/TransformOps/LinalgTransformOps.cpp b/mlir/lib/Dialect/Linalg/TransformOps/LinalgTransformOps.cpp
--- a/mlir/lib/Dialect/Linalg/TransformOps/LinalgTransformOps.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/Dialect/Linalg/TransformOps/LinalgTransformOps.cpp
@@ -300,6 +300,11 @@
                                        transform::TransformState &state) {
   SmallVector<Operation *> fusedOps;
   ArrayRef<Operation *> producerOps = state.getPayloadOps(getProducerOp());
+  // If nothing to fuse, propagate success.
+  if (producerOps.empty()) {
+    results.set(getResult().cast<OpResult>(), SmallVector<mlir::Operation *>{});
+    return DiagnosedSilenceableFailure::success();
+  }
   for (Operation *producerOp : producerOps) {
     if (producerOp->getNumResults() != 1) {
       Diagnostic diag(producerOp->getLoc(), DiagnosticSeverity::Note);
@@ -310,7 +315,8 @@
   ArrayRef<Operation *> containingOps = state.getPayloadOps(getContainingOp());
   if (containingOps.size() != 1)
     return DiagnosedSilenceableFailure(
-        this->emitOpError("requires exactly one containing_op handle"));
+        this->emitOpError("requires exactly one containing_op handle (got ")
+        << containingOps.size() << ")");
   Operation *containingOp = containingOps.front();
 
   // Helper function to find the next producer that should be fused. Take any
diff --git a/mlir/test/Dialect/Linalg/transform-op-fuse-into-containing.mlir b/mlir/test/Dialect/Linalg/transform-op-fuse-into-containing.mlir
--- a/mlir/test/Dialect/Linalg/transform-op-fuse-into-containing.mlir
+++ b/mlir/test/Dialect/Linalg/transform-op-fuse-into-containing.mlir
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@
     func.return %2 : tensor<?xf32>
   }
 
+  // Check no failure when nothing happens.
+  func.func @dummy1() { return }
+  func.func @dummy2() { return }
+  func.func @dummy3() { return }
+
   transform.with_pdl_patterns {
   ^bb0(%arg0: !pdl.operation):
     transform.sequence %arg0 {