diff --git a/R/T_and_F_symbol_linter.R b/R/T_and_F_symbol_linter.R
index 89289880b..b6c1300c7 100644
--- a/R/T_and_F_symbol_linter.R
+++ b/R/T_and_F_symbol_linter.R
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ T_and_F_symbol_linter <- function() { # nolint: object_name.
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     bad_usage <- xml_find_all(xml, usage_xpath)
     bad_assignment <- xml_find_all(xml, assignment_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/any_duplicated_linter.R b/R/any_duplicated_linter.R
index cb20da3f8..bb0351a96 100644
--- a/R/any_duplicated_linter.R
+++ b/R/any_duplicated_linter.R
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@ any_duplicated_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     any_duplicated_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, any_duplicated_xpath)
     any_duplicated_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/any_is_na_linter.R b/R/any_is_na_linter.R
index ed0ce8639..1e01ff687 100644
--- a/R/any_is_na_linter.R
+++ b/R/any_is_na_linter.R
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ any_is_na_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/assignment_linter.R b/R/assignment_linter.R
index ce2698119..da42b5119 100644
--- a/R/assignment_linter.R
+++ b/R/assignment_linter.R
@@ -101,7 +101,6 @@ assignment_linter <- function(allow_cascading_assign = TRUE,
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     if (length(bad_expr) == 0L) {
diff --git a/R/backport_linter.R b/R/backport_linter.R
index 7a37d80ff..8c46023fe 100644
--- a/R/backport_linter.R
+++ b/R/backport_linter.R
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ backport_linter <- function(r_version = getRversion(), except = character()) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     all_names_nodes <- xml_find_all(xml, names_xpath)
     all_names <- xml_text(all_names_nodes)
diff --git a/R/boolean_arithmetic_linter.R b/R/boolean_arithmetic_linter.R
index 0dee92137..c6ef4158a 100644
--- a/R/boolean_arithmetic_linter.R
+++ b/R/boolean_arithmetic_linter.R
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ boolean_arithmetic_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     any_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, any_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/brace_linter.R b/R/brace_linter.R
index 417be0684..eebdb90ec 100644
--- a/R/brace_linter.R
+++ b/R/brace_linter.R
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ brace_linter <- function(allow_single_line = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     lints <- list()
 
     lints <- c(
diff --git a/R/class_equals_linter.R b/R/class_equals_linter.R
index a210be31a..99b7dea56 100644
--- a/R/class_equals_linter.R
+++ b/R/class_equals_linter.R
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ class_equals_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/commas_linter.R b/R/commas_linter.R
index af4226cee..aeaf42878 100644
--- a/R/commas_linter.R
+++ b/R/commas_linter.R
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ commas_linter <- function(allow_trailing = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     before_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
       xml_find_all(xml, xpath_before),
diff --git a/R/comment_linters.R b/R/comment_linters.R
index e444a9b32..cc8ab06c2 100644
--- a/R/comment_linters.R
+++ b/R/comment_linters.R
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ commented_code_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     all_comment_nodes <- xml_find_all(xml, "//COMMENT")
     all_comments <- xml_text(all_comment_nodes)
     code_candidates <- re_matches(all_comments, code_candidate_regex, global = FALSE, locations = TRUE)
diff --git a/R/comparison_negation_linter.R b/R/comparison_negation_linter.R
index a1c83eaa8..f2c3424ab 100644
--- a/R/comparison_negation_linter.R
+++ b/R/comparison_negation_linter.R
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ comparison_negation_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/condition_call_linter.R b/R/condition_call_linter.R
index b30ff24ae..2204d807f 100644
--- a/R/condition_call_linter.R
+++ b/R/condition_call_linter.R
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ condition_call_linter <- function(display_call = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/condition_message_linter.R b/R/condition_message_linter.R
index 1004f5161..9f33a6797 100644
--- a/R/condition_message_linter.R
+++ b/R/condition_message_linter.R
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ condition_message_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     sep_value <- get_r_string(bad_expr, xpath = "./expr/SYMBOL_SUB[text() = 'sep']/following-sibling::expr/STR_CONST")
diff --git a/R/conjunct_test_linter.R b/R/conjunct_test_linter.R
index b85804adc..7a920a392 100644
--- a/R/conjunct_test_linter.R
+++ b/R/conjunct_test_linter.R
@@ -119,7 +119,6 @@ conjunct_test_linter <- function(allow_named_stopifnot = TRUE,
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     # need the full file to also catch usages at the top level
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     test_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, test_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/consecutive_assertion_linter.R b/R/consecutive_assertion_linter.R
index 7f074f13b..c662f8cfa 100644
--- a/R/consecutive_assertion_linter.R
+++ b/R/consecutive_assertion_linter.R
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ consecutive_assertion_linter <- function() {
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     # need the full file to also catch usages at the top level
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/consecutive_mutate_linter.R b/R/consecutive_mutate_linter.R
index 40e061fe3..5aec97fa6 100644
--- a/R/consecutive_mutate_linter.R
+++ b/R/consecutive_mutate_linter.R
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@ consecutive_mutate_linter <- function(invalid_backends = "dbplyr") {
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     # need the full file to also catch usages at the top level
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     attach_str <- get_r_string(xml_find_all(xml, attach_pkg_xpath))
     if (any(invalid_backends %in% attach_str)) {
diff --git a/R/duplicate_argument_linter.R b/R/duplicate_argument_linter.R
index d152d9e3f..d4241b299 100644
--- a/R/duplicate_argument_linter.R
+++ b/R/duplicate_argument_linter.R
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ duplicate_argument_linter <- function(except = c("mutate", "transmute")) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     call_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath_call_with_args)
 
diff --git a/R/equals_na_linter.R b/R/equals_na_linter.R
index 8f9084f9d..8a1ceabdc 100644
--- a/R/equals_na_linter.R
+++ b/R/equals_na_linter.R
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ equals_na_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/expect_comparison_linter.R b/R/expect_comparison_linter.R
index b4ef31934..fe93b5908 100644
--- a/R/expect_comparison_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_comparison_linter.R
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ expect_comparison_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/expect_identical_linter.R b/R/expect_identical_linter.R
index 7a551a746..6293786f6 100644
--- a/R/expect_identical_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_identical_linter.R
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ expect_identical_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/expect_length_linter.R b/R/expect_length_linter.R
index 66626cdf0..7d170d71c 100644
--- a/R/expect_length_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_length_linter.R
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ expect_length_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     matched_function <- xp_call_name(bad_expr)
diff --git a/R/expect_named_linter.R b/R/expect_named_linter.R
index 802076fc8..9d86a9a57 100644
--- a/R/expect_named_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_named_linter.R
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ expect_named_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     matched_function <- xp_call_name(bad_expr)
diff --git a/R/expect_null_linter.R b/R/expect_null_linter.R
index 4f04e071d..dd51fa352 100644
--- a/R/expect_null_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_null_linter.R
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ expect_null_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/expect_s3_class_linter.R b/R/expect_s3_class_linter.R
index 3bd028f7c..e4051b050 100644
--- a/R/expect_s3_class_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_s3_class_linter.R
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ expect_s3_class_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     matched_function <- xp_call_name(bad_expr)
diff --git a/R/expect_s4_class_linter.R b/R/expect_s4_class_linter.R
index 77ce252ed..4ef021a7e 100644
--- a/R/expect_s4_class_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_s4_class_linter.R
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ expect_s4_class_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     # TODO(michaelchirico): also catch expect_{equal,identical}(methods::is(x), k).
     #   this seems empirically rare, but didn't check many S4-heavy packages.
diff --git a/R/expect_true_false_linter.R b/R/expect_true_false_linter.R
index 8f7b384ed..6df426579 100644
--- a/R/expect_true_false_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_true_false_linter.R
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ expect_true_false_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/expect_type_linter.R b/R/expect_type_linter.R
index 30174c6fd..17f81c6d1 100644
--- a/R/expect_type_linter.R
+++ b/R/expect_type_linter.R
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ expect_type_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     matched_function <- xp_call_name(bad_expr)
diff --git a/R/extraction_operator_linter.R b/R/extraction_operator_linter.R
index fe95630cb..b4903e459 100644
--- a/R/extraction_operator_linter.R
+++ b/R/extraction_operator_linter.R
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ extraction_operator_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     bad_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     msgs <- sprintf("Use `[[` instead of `%s` to extract an element.", xml_text(bad_exprs))
 
diff --git a/R/fixed_regex_linter.R b/R/fixed_regex_linter.R
index 5c456683c..a1798de02 100644
--- a/R/fixed_regex_linter.R
+++ b/R/fixed_regex_linter.R
@@ -141,7 +141,6 @@ fixed_regex_linter <- function(allow_unescaped = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     patterns <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     pattern_strings <- get_r_string(patterns)
diff --git a/R/function_argument_linter.R b/R/function_argument_linter.R
index 7268eac9a..921e002b2 100644
--- a/R/function_argument_linter.R
+++ b/R/function_argument_linter.R
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ function_argument_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/function_left_parentheses_linter.R b/R/function_left_parentheses_linter.R
index 176e5f9ea..07e4ee438 100644
--- a/R/function_left_parentheses_linter.R
+++ b/R/function_left_parentheses_linter.R
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ function_left_parentheses_linter <- function() { # nolint: object_length.
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_line_fun_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, bad_line_fun_xpath)
     bad_line_fun_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/if_not_else_linter.R b/R/if_not_else_linter.R
index 58ffa214b..9985d7a1e 100644
--- a/R/if_not_else_linter.R
+++ b/R/if_not_else_linter.R
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ if_not_else_linter <- function(exceptions = c("is.null", "is.na", "missing")) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     if_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, if_xpath)
     if_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/if_switch_linter.R b/R/if_switch_linter.R
index 0d21dd209..97b985dac 100644
--- a/R/if_switch_linter.R
+++ b/R/if_switch_linter.R
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ if_switch_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/ifelse_censor_linter.R b/R/ifelse_censor_linter.R
index 11bd7dd7e..ce27eac8a 100644
--- a/R/ifelse_censor_linter.R
+++ b/R/ifelse_censor_linter.R
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ ifelse_censor_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/implicit_assignment_linter.R b/R/implicit_assignment_linter.R
index c62960c57..db7ed5ba9 100644
--- a/R/implicit_assignment_linter.R
+++ b/R/implicit_assignment_linter.R
@@ -105,7 +105,6 @@ implicit_assignment_linter <- function(except = c("bquote", "expression", "expr"
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     # need the full file to also catch usages at the top level
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/implicit_integer_linter.R b/R/implicit_integer_linter.R
index 5dae749a8..b41210fa0 100644
--- a/R/implicit_integer_linter.R
+++ b/R/implicit_integer_linter.R
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ implicit_integer_linter <- function(allow_colon = FALSE) {
   }
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     numbers <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/indentation_linter.R b/R/indentation_linter.R
index 066f19899..4c968ffff 100644
--- a/R/indentation_linter.R
+++ b/R/indentation_linter.R
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ indentation_linter <- function(indent = 2L, hanging_indent_style = c("tidy", "al
     # will have "# comment" as a separate expression
 
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     # Indentation increases by 1 for:
     #  - { } blocks that span multiple lines
     #  - ( ), [ ], or [[ ]] calls that span multiple lines
diff --git a/R/infix_spaces_linter.R b/R/infix_spaces_linter.R
index 13b3c4cc9..c7fa7bb1b 100644
--- a/R/infix_spaces_linter.R
+++ b/R/infix_spaces_linter.R
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ infix_spaces_linter <- function(exclude_operators = NULL, allow_multiple_spaces
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
     xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/inner_combine_linter.R b/R/inner_combine_linter.R
index fddd15fd8..9b466a5aa 100644
--- a/R/inner_combine_linter.R
+++ b/R/inner_combine_linter.R
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ inner_combine_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/is_numeric_linter.R b/R/is_numeric_linter.R
index c9d22103d..7acc08a3e 100644
--- a/R/is_numeric_linter.R
+++ b/R/is_numeric_linter.R
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ is_numeric_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     or_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, or_xpath)
     or_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/keyword_quote_linter.R b/R/keyword_quote_linter.R
index ee2b22ec3..836c7cc1a 100644
--- a/R/keyword_quote_linter.R
+++ b/R/keyword_quote_linter.R
@@ -96,7 +96,6 @@ keyword_quote_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     call_arg_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, call_arg_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/length_test_linter.R b/R/length_test_linter.R
index 901d04462..724b53f0d 100644
--- a/R/length_test_linter.R
+++ b/R/length_test_linter.R
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ length_test_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     expr_parts <- vapply(lapply(bad_expr, xml_find_all, "expr[2]/*"), xml_text, character(3L))
diff --git a/R/library_call_linter.R b/R/library_call_linter.R
index aa7b0ba40..aa311039c 100644
--- a/R/library_call_linter.R
+++ b/R/library_call_linter.R
@@ -147,7 +147,6 @@ library_call_linter <- function(allow_preamble = TRUE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     upfront_call_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, upfront_call_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/list_comparison_linter.R b/R/list_comparison_linter.R
index c1676c120..02ed9dcd2 100644
--- a/R/list_comparison_linter.R
+++ b/R/list_comparison_linter.R
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ list_comparison_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/literal_coercion_linter.R b/R/literal_coercion_linter.R
index 5cc230376..734ed85c4 100644
--- a/R/literal_coercion_linter.R
+++ b/R/literal_coercion_linter.R
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ literal_coercion_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/make_linter_from_xpath.R b/R/make_linter_from_xpath.R
index ded1fd921..f539308c7 100644
--- a/R/make_linter_from_xpath.R
+++ b/R/make_linter_from_xpath.R
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ make_linter_from_xpath <- function(xpath,
   function() {
     Linter(linter_level = level, function(source_expression) {
       xml <- source_expression[[xml_key]]
-      if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
 
       expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/matrix_apply_linter.R b/R/matrix_apply_linter.R
index 7b3bb29e9..33a845aa2 100644
--- a/R/matrix_apply_linter.R
+++ b/R/matrix_apply_linter.R
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ matrix_apply_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/missing_argument_linter.R b/R/missing_argument_linter.R
index 9c23ffcb0..93b36e10d 100644
--- a/R/missing_argument_linter.R
+++ b/R/missing_argument_linter.R
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ missing_argument_linter <- function(except = c("alist", "quote", "switch"), allo
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     missing_args <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     function_call_name <- get_r_string(xml_find_chr(missing_args, to_function_xpath))
diff --git a/R/missing_package_linter.R b/R/missing_package_linter.R
index c056f1333..aac6bda9e 100644
--- a/R/missing_package_linter.R
+++ b/R/missing_package_linter.R
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ missing_package_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     pkg_calls <- xml_find_all(xml, call_xpath)
     pkg_names <- get_r_string(xml_find_all(
diff --git a/R/namespace_linter.R b/R/namespace_linter.R
index d709e6b38..d6579a86a 100644
--- a/R/namespace_linter.R
+++ b/R/namespace_linter.R
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@
 namespace_linter <- function(check_exports = TRUE, check_nonexports = TRUE) {
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     ns_nodes <- xml_find_all(xml, "//NS_GET | //NS_GET_INT")
 
diff --git a/R/nested_ifelse_linter.R b/R/nested_ifelse_linter.R
index 8657333ff..b783f52f5 100644
--- a/R/nested_ifelse_linter.R
+++ b/R/nested_ifelse_linter.R
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@ nested_ifelse_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/nested_pipe_linter.R b/R/nested_pipe_linter.R
index a7a8c323b..fd595b233 100644
--- a/R/nested_pipe_linter.R
+++ b/R/nested_pipe_linter.R
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ nested_pipe_linter <- function(
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/nzchar_linter.R b/R/nzchar_linter.R
index f15b4d88f..f0073ca9e 100644
--- a/R/nzchar_linter.R
+++ b/R/nzchar_linter.R
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ nzchar_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     comparison_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, comparison_xpath)
     comparison_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/object_length_linter.R b/R/object_length_linter.R
index ced9a13e9..0109856bb 100644
--- a/R/object_length_linter.R
+++ b/R/object_length_linter.R
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ object_length_linter <- function(length = 30L) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     assignments <- xml_find_all(xml, object_name_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/object_name_linter.R b/R/object_name_linter.R
index f8e5e6422..90e28b487 100644
--- a/R/object_name_linter.R
+++ b/R/object_name_linter.R
@@ -112,7 +112,6 @@ object_name_linter <- function(styles = c("snake_case", "symbols"), regexes = ch
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     assignments <- xml_find_all(xml, object_name_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/object_overwrite_linter.R b/R/object_overwrite_linter.R
index 3f43fba69..6c2eaa27d 100644
--- a/R/object_overwrite_linter.R
+++ b/R/object_overwrite_linter.R
@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ object_overwrite_linter <- function(
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     assigned_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath_assignments)
     assigned_symbols <- get_r_string(assigned_exprs, "SYMBOL|STR_CONST")
diff --git a/R/object_usage_linter.R b/R/object_usage_linter.R
index dcf41e449..5d222e232 100644
--- a/R/object_usage_linter.R
+++ b/R/object_usage_linter.R
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ object_usage_linter <- function(interpret_glue = TRUE, skip_with = TRUE) {
     declared_globals <- try_silently(globalVariables(package = pkg_name %||% globalenv()))
 
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     # run the following at run-time, not "compile" time to allow package structure to change
     env <- make_check_env(pkg_name, xml)
diff --git a/R/one_call_pipe_linter.R b/R/one_call_pipe_linter.R
index ab27e5172..b11e3a7b7 100644
--- a/R/one_call_pipe_linter.R
+++ b/R/one_call_pipe_linter.R
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ one_call_pipe_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     pipe <- xml_find_chr(bad_expr, "string(SPECIAL | PIPE)")
diff --git a/R/outer_negation_linter.R b/R/outer_negation_linter.R
index a6338c5a1..a68134db4 100644
--- a/R/outer_negation_linter.R
+++ b/R/outer_negation_linter.R
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ outer_negation_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/package_hooks_linter.R b/R/package_hooks_linter.R
index 1234109c0..112d84210 100644
--- a/R/package_hooks_linter.R
+++ b/R/package_hooks_linter.R
@@ -128,7 +128,6 @@ package_hooks_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     any_hook <- xml_find_first(xml, any_hook_xpath)
     if (is.na(any_hook)) {
diff --git a/R/paste_linter.R b/R/paste_linter.R
index 802c078ef..57ebcfb93 100644
--- a/R/paste_linter.R
+++ b/R/paste_linter.R
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ paste_linter <- function(allow_empty_sep = FALSE,
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     optional_lints <- list()
 
     # Both of these look for paste(..., sep = "..."), differing in which 'sep' is linted,
diff --git a/R/pipe_call_linter.R b/R/pipe_call_linter.R
index 5f2723999..e0b55279e 100644
--- a/R/pipe_call_linter.R
+++ b/R/pipe_call_linter.R
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ pipe_call_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     pipe <- xml_text(xml_find_first(bad_expr, "preceding-sibling::SPECIAL[1]"))
diff --git a/R/pipe_consistency_linter.R b/R/pipe_consistency_linter.R
index 85b429aa4..323e0ef78 100644
--- a/R/pipe_consistency_linter.R
+++ b/R/pipe_consistency_linter.R
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ pipe_consistency_linter <- function(pipe = c("auto", "%>%", "|>")) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     match_magrittr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath_magrittr)
     match_native <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath_native)
diff --git a/R/pipe_continuation_linter.R b/R/pipe_continuation_linter.R
index aabe58f77..10d55b548 100644
--- a/R/pipe_continuation_linter.R
+++ b/R/pipe_continuation_linter.R
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ pipe_continuation_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     pipe_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     pipe_text <- xml_text(pipe_exprs)
diff --git a/R/quotes_linter.R b/R/quotes_linter.R
index e93ca7a7b..10099463e 100644
--- a/R/quotes_linter.R
+++ b/R/quotes_linter.R
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ quotes_linter <- function(delimiter = c('"', "'")) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     string_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, "//STR_CONST")
     is_bad <- re_matches(xml_text(string_exprs), quote_regex)
 
diff --git a/R/redundant_equals_linter.R b/R/redundant_equals_linter.R
index d8087400e..48d524c5b 100644
--- a/R/redundant_equals_linter.R
+++ b/R/redundant_equals_linter.R
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ redundant_equals_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     op <- xml_text(xml_find_first(bad_expr, "*[2]"))
diff --git a/R/redundant_ifelse_linter.R b/R/redundant_ifelse_linter.R
index 81acb5c33..57be2b34c 100644
--- a/R/redundant_ifelse_linter.R
+++ b/R/redundant_ifelse_linter.R
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ redundant_ifelse_linter <- function(allow10 = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     lints <- list()
 
     tf_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, tf_xpath)
diff --git a/R/regex_subset_linter.R b/R/regex_subset_linter.R
index 619c53764..556a2beaf 100644
--- a/R/regex_subset_linter.R
+++ b/R/regex_subset_linter.R
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ regex_subset_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     grep_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, grep_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/repeat_linter.R b/R/repeat_linter.R
index 8bb0e30c1..877ff0da7 100644
--- a/R/repeat_linter.R
+++ b/R/repeat_linter.R
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ repeat_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     lints <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
     xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/return_linter.R b/R/return_linter.R
index 758a26be8..4094ca755 100644
--- a/R/return_linter.R
+++ b/R/return_linter.R
@@ -130,7 +130,6 @@ return_linter <- function(
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     body_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, body_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/sample_int_linter.R b/R/sample_int_linter.R
index ef76d178b..a797f29df 100644
--- a/R/sample_int_linter.R
+++ b/R/sample_int_linter.R
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ sample_int_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     first_call <- xp_call_name(bad_expr, depth = 2L)
diff --git a/R/scalar_in_linter.R b/R/scalar_in_linter.R
index fb8340942..77ca70285 100644
--- a/R/scalar_in_linter.R
+++ b/R/scalar_in_linter.R
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ scalar_in_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     in_op <- xml_find_chr(bad_expr, "string(SPECIAL)")
diff --git a/R/semicolon_linter.R b/R/semicolon_linter.R
index 4feca5b95..5faf5e12c 100644
--- a/R/semicolon_linter.R
+++ b/R/semicolon_linter.R
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ semicolon_linter <- function(allow_compound = FALSE, allow_trailing = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     bad_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     if (need_detection) {
       is_trailing <- is.na(xml_find_first(bad_exprs, compound_xpath))
diff --git a/R/seq_linter.R b/R/seq_linter.R
index a2e08523c..5c4bb6c13 100644
--- a/R/seq_linter.R
+++ b/R/seq_linter.R
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@ seq_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     badx <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/settings.R b/R/settings.R
index d696ad4a1..167fcd6ac 100644
--- a/R/settings.R
+++ b/R/settings.R
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 #'   whereas the DCF approach requires somewhat awkward formatting of parseable R code within
 #'   valid DCF key-value pairs. The main disadvantage of the R file is it might be _too_ flexible,
 #'   with users tempted to write configs with side effects causing hard-to-detect bugs or
-#"   otherwise "abusing" the ability to evaluate generic R code. Other recursive key-value stores
+# "   otherwise "abusing" the ability to evaluate generic R code. Other recursive key-value stores
 #'   like YAML could work, but require new dependencies and are harder to parse
 #'   both programmatically and visually.
 #' Here is an example of a `.lintr.R` file:
diff --git a/R/sort_linter.R b/R/sort_linter.R
index 7a3b4315f..6691f8494 100644
--- a/R/sort_linter.R
+++ b/R/sort_linter.R
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@ sort_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     order_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, order_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/spaces_inside_linter.R b/R/spaces_inside_linter.R
index 6c1826678..7d114883c 100644
--- a/R/spaces_inside_linter.R
+++ b/R/spaces_inside_linter.R
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ spaces_inside_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     left_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, left_xpath)
     left_msg <- ifelse(
diff --git a/R/sprintf_linter.R b/R/sprintf_linter.R
index d0f24f0fb..ac8e7de23 100644
--- a/R/sprintf_linter.R
+++ b/R/sprintf_linter.R
@@ -106,7 +106,6 @@ sprintf_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     sprintf_calls <- xml_find_all(xml, call_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/string_boundary_linter.R b/R/string_boundary_linter.R
index 6121061e9..becc64bec 100644
--- a/R/string_boundary_linter.R
+++ b/R/string_boundary_linter.R
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ string_boundary_linter <- function(allow_grepl = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     lints <- list()
 
     str_detect_lint_data <- get_regex_lint_data(xml, str_detect_xpath)
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ string_boundary_linter <- function(allow_grepl = FALSE) {
     lints <- c(lints, xml_nodes_to_lints(
       str_detect_lint_data$lint_expr,
       source_expression = source_expression,
-      lint_message =  paste(str_detect_lint_message, "Doing so is more readable and more efficient."),
+      lint_message = paste(str_detect_lint_message, "Doing so is more readable and more efficient."),
       type = "warning"
     ))
 
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ string_boundary_linter <- function(allow_grepl = FALSE) {
       lints <- c(lints, xml_nodes_to_lints(
         grepl_lint_data$lint_expr,
         source_expression = source_expression,
-        lint_message =  paste(grepl_lint_message, "Doing so is more readable and more efficient."),
+        lint_message = paste(grepl_lint_message, "Doing so is more readable and more efficient."),
         type = "warning"
       ))
     }
diff --git a/R/strings_as_factors_linter.R b/R/strings_as_factors_linter.R
index 97522182c..ae9a3787b 100644
--- a/R/strings_as_factors_linter.R
+++ b/R/strings_as_factors_linter.R
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ strings_as_factors_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/system_file_linter.R b/R/system_file_linter.R
index 0e8081c5d..3ff20dfca 100644
--- a/R/system_file_linter.R
+++ b/R/system_file_linter.R
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ system_file_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/undesirable_function_linter.R b/R/undesirable_function_linter.R
index 3b4f225bc..c96604179 100644
--- a/R/undesirable_function_linter.R
+++ b/R/undesirable_function_linter.R
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ undesirable_function_linter <- function(fun = default_undesirable_functions,
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     matched_nodes <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
     fun_names <- get_r_string(matched_nodes)
 
diff --git a/R/undesirable_operator_linter.R b/R/undesirable_operator_linter.R
index 483149119..734e6c485 100644
--- a/R/undesirable_operator_linter.R
+++ b/R/undesirable_operator_linter.R
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ undesirable_operator_linter <- function(op = default_undesirable_operators) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_op <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/unnecessary_concatenation_linter.R b/R/unnecessary_concatenation_linter.R
index 05a4f51ae..092b78b67 100644
--- a/R/unnecessary_concatenation_linter.R
+++ b/R/unnecessary_concatenation_linter.R
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ unnecessary_concatenation_linter <- function(allow_single_expression = TRUE) { #
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     c_calls <- xml_find_all(xml, call_xpath)
 
     # bump count(args) by 1 if inside a pipeline
diff --git a/R/unnecessary_lambda_linter.R b/R/unnecessary_lambda_linter.R
index 023867d59..3b956d8e2 100644
--- a/R/unnecessary_lambda_linter.R
+++ b/R/unnecessary_lambda_linter.R
@@ -161,7 +161,6 @@ unnecessary_lambda_linter <- function(allow_comparison = FALSE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     default_fun_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, default_fun_xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/unnecessary_nesting_linter.R b/R/unnecessary_nesting_linter.R
index a7676c37b..fdd2a4798 100644
--- a/R/unnecessary_nesting_linter.R
+++ b/R/unnecessary_nesting_linter.R
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ unnecessary_nesting_linter <- function(allow_assignment = TRUE) {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     if_else_exit_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, if_else_exit_xpath)
     if_else_exit_lints <- xml_nodes_to_lints(
diff --git a/R/unnecessary_placeholder_linter.R b/R/unnecessary_placeholder_linter.R
index cc31cef3c..9e546326d 100644
--- a/R/unnecessary_placeholder_linter.R
+++ b/R/unnecessary_placeholder_linter.R
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ unnecessary_placeholder_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/R/unreachable_code_linter.R b/R/unreachable_code_linter.R
index 32ed5e696..124b5a12f 100644
--- a/R/unreachable_code_linter.R
+++ b/R/unreachable_code_linter.R
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@ unreachable_code_linter <- function(allow_comment_regex = getOption("covr.exclud
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     # run here because 'settings$exclude_end' may not be set correctly at "compile time".
     # also build with '|', not rex::rex(or(.)), the latter which will double-escape the regex.
diff --git a/R/unused_import_linter.R b/R/unused_import_linter.R
index 504fb2bcc..4850030b4 100644
--- a/R/unused_import_linter.R
+++ b/R/unused_import_linter.R
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ unused_import_linter <- function(allow_ns_usage = FALSE,
 
   Linter(linter_level = "file", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$full_xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     import_exprs <- xml_find_all(xml, import_xpath)
     if (length(import_exprs) == 0L) {
diff --git a/R/vector_logic_linter.R b/R/vector_logic_linter.R
index 1cac35b1f..1b18ceda0 100644
--- a/R/vector_logic_linter.R
+++ b/R/vector_logic_linter.R
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ vector_logic_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
+
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
     op <- xml_text(bad_expr)
diff --git a/R/with_id.R b/R/with_id.R
index 3380d432c..c8ae5149a 100644
--- a/R/with_id.R
+++ b/R/with_id.R
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 #' Extract row by ID
 #'
 #' @describeIn ids_with_token
diff --git a/R/yoda_test_linter.R b/R/yoda_test_linter.R
index bff26a46e..56163b4da 100644
--- a/R/yoda_test_linter.R
+++ b/R/yoda_test_linter.R
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ yoda_test_linter <- function() {
 
   Linter(linter_level = "expression", function(source_expression) {
     xml <- source_expression$xml_parsed_content
-    if (is.null(xml)) return(list())
 
     bad_expr <- xml_find_all(xml, xpath)
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_source_expressions.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_source_expressions.R
index add9c3538..5d60abfae 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_source_expressions.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_source_expressions.R
@@ -371,10 +371,18 @@ patrick::with_parameters_test_that(
       linter <- eval(call(linter))
     }
     expression <- expressions[[expression_idx]]
-    expect_no_warning({
-      lints <- linter(expression)
-    })
-    expect_length(lints, 0L)
+    is_valid_linter_level <-
+      (is_linter_level(linter, "expression") && is_lint_level(expression, "expression")) ||
+      (is_linter_level(linter, "file") && is_lint_level(expression, "file"))
+    if (is_valid_linter_level) {
+      expect_no_warning({
+        lints <- linter(expression)
+      })
+      expect_length(lints, 0L)
+    } else {
+      # suppress "empty test" skips
+      expect_true(TRUE)
+    }
   },
   .test_name = param_df$.test_name,
   linter = param_df$linter,