diff --git a/src/lib/rules/manifest-app-name/manifest-app-name.ts b/src/lib/rules/manifest-app-name/manifest-app-name.ts
index 0301a2ed50b..60eec0d0582 100644
--- a/src/lib/rules/manifest-app-name/manifest-app-name.ts
+++ b/src/lib/rules/manifest-app-name/manifest-app-name.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ const rule: IRuleBuilder = {
 
             let jsonContent;
 
+            if (!content) {
+                await context.report(resource, null, 'Manifest file does not contain valid JSON');
+
+                return;
+            }
+
             try {
                 jsonContent = JSON.parse(content);
             } catch (e) {