diff --git a/plugin/autopath/autopath.go b/plugin/autopath/autopath.go
index 59d0282bc..f221adc22 100644
--- a/plugin/autopath/autopath.go
+++ b/plugin/autopath/autopath.go
@@ -123,6 +123,10 @@ func (a *AutoPath) ServeDNS(ctx context.Context, w dns.ResponseWriter, r *dns.Ms
 			continue
 		}
 
+		if nw.Msg == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
 		if nw.Msg.Rcode == dns.RcodeNameError {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -135,7 +139,7 @@ func (a *AutoPath) ServeDNS(ctx context.Context, w dns.ResponseWriter, r *dns.Ms
 		autoPathCount.WithLabelValues(metrics.WithServer(ctx)).Add(1)
 		return rcode, err
 	}
-	if plugin.ClientWrite(firstRcode) {
+	if plugin.ClientWrite(firstRcode) && firstReply != nil {
 		w.WriteMsg(firstReply)
 	}
 	return firstRcode, firstErr
diff --git a/plugin/autopath/autopath_test.go b/plugin/autopath/autopath_test.go
index 89050bebf..673a6fb09 100644
--- a/plugin/autopath/autopath_test.go
+++ b/plugin/autopath/autopath_test.go
@@ -106,6 +106,29 @@ func TestAutoPathNoAnswer(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAutoPathNilMsgFromNext(t *testing.T) {
+	ap := new(AutoPath)
+	ap.Zones = []string{"."}
+	// Simulate a plugin like acl's drop action that returns success
+	// without writing a response.
+	ap.Next = test.HandlerFunc(func(_ctx context.Context, _w dns.ResponseWriter, _r *dns.Msg) (int, error) {
+		return dns.RcodeSuccess, nil
+	})
+	ap.search = []string{"example.org.", "example.com.", "com.", ""}
+
+	m := new(dns.Msg)
+	m.SetQuestion("b.example.org.", dns.TypeA)
+
+	rec := dnstest.NewRecorder(&test.ResponseWriter{})
+	_, err := ap.ServeDNS(context.TODO(), rec, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected no error, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if rec.Msg != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected no client write, but the recorder got a message")
+	}
+}
+
 // nextHandler returns a Handler that returns an answer for the question in the
 // request per the domain->answer map. On success an RR will be returned: "qname 3600 IN A 127.0.0.53"
 func nextHandler(mm map[string]int) test.Handler {