diff --git a/programs/fileio.c b/programs/fileio.c
index 78a906d533b..1c965c7b367 100644
--- a/programs/fileio.c
+++ b/programs/fileio.c
@@ -1363,7 +1363,8 @@ static void FIO_adjustParamsForPatchFromMode(FIO_prefs_t* const prefs,
                                     unsigned long long const maxSrcFileSize,
                                     int cLevel)
 {
-    unsigned const fileWindowLog = FIO_highbit64(maxSrcFileSize) + 1;
+    /* FIO_highbit64() requires v > 0 : an empty source only needs the smallest window */
+    unsigned const fileWindowLog = maxSrcFileSize ? FIO_highbit64(maxSrcFileSize) + 1 : ZSTD_WINDOWLOG_MIN;
     ZSTD_compressionParameters const cParams = ZSTD_getCParams(cLevel, (size_t)maxSrcFileSize, (size_t)dictSize);
     FIO_adjustMemLimitForPatchFromMode(prefs, dictSize, maxSrcFileSize);
     if (fileWindowLog > ZSTD_WINDOWLOG_MAX)
diff --git a/tests/cli-tests/compression/patch-from.sh b/tests/cli-tests/compression/patch-from.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..074273dc749
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli-tests/compression/patch-from.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -e
+
+# Test --patch-from with an empty file to patch
+datagen -g1000 -P50 > ref
+touch empty
+zstd --patch-from=ref empty -o empty.zst
+zstd -d --patch-from=ref empty.zst -o empty.out
+cmp empty empty.out