diff --git a/share/functions/__fish_complete_directories.fish b/share/functions/__fish_complete_directories.fish
index a4db0ec22..31eaf23e1 100644
--- a/share/functions/__fish_complete_directories.fish
+++ b/share/functions/__fish_complete_directories.fish
@@ -12,12 +12,13 @@ function __fish_complete_directories -d "Complete directory prefixes" --argument
         set comp (commandline -ct)
     end
 
-    # HACK: We call into the file completions by using a non-existent command.
+    # HACK: We call into the file completions by using an empty command
     # If we used e.g. `ls`, we'd run the risk of completing its options or another kind of argument.
     # But since we default to file completions, if something doesn't have another completion...
-    set -l dirs (complete -C"nonexistentcommandooheehoohaahaahdingdongwallawallabingbang $comp" | string match -r '.*/$')
+    # (really this should have an actual complete option)
+    set -l dirs (complete -C"'' $comp" | string match -r '.*/$')
 
     if set -q dirs[1]
-        printf "%s\t$desc\n" $dirs
+        printf "%s\n" $dirs\t"$desc"
     end
 end
diff --git a/tests/checks/complete.fish b/tests/checks/complete.fish
index 2f13b3fcf..7fabf2c45 100644
--- a/tests/checks/complete.fish
+++ b/tests/checks/complete.fish
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ complete -c t -l fileoption -rF
 complete -C't --fileoption ' | string match test.fish
 # CHECK: test.fish
 
+# See that an empty command gets files
+complete -C'"" t' | string match test.fish
+# CHECK: test.fish
+
 # Make sure bare `complete` is reasonable,
 complete -p '/complete test/beta1' -d 'desc, desc' -sZ
 complete -c 'complete test beta2' -r -d 'desc \' desc2 [' -a 'foo bar'