diff --git a/meta-phosphor/common/recipes-phosphor/obmc-phosphor-initfs/files/obmc-update.sh b/meta-phosphor/common/recipes-phosphor/obmc-phosphor-initfs/files/obmc-update.sh
index 1dbf65f..7120a18 100755
--- a/meta-phosphor/common/recipes-phosphor/obmc-phosphor-initfs/files/obmc-update.sh
+++ b/meta-phosphor/common/recipes-phosphor/obmc-phosphor-initfs/files/obmc-update.sh
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@
 whitelist=/run/initramfs/whitelist
 image=/run/initramfs/image-
 E="ERROR:"
+imglist=
 
 while test "$1" != "${1#-}"
 do
@@ -184,7 +185,15 @@
 	fi
 fi
 
-for f in $image*
+imglist=$(echo $image*)
+if test "$imglist" = "$image*" -a ! -e "$imglist"
+then
+	# shell didn't expand the wildcard, so no files exist
+	echo "No images found to update."
+	imglist=
+fi
+
+for f in $imglist
 do
 	m=$(findmtd ${f#$image})
 	if test -z "$m"
@@ -209,7 +218,7 @@
 
 if test -n "$doflash"
 then
-	for f in $image*
+	for f in $imglist
 	do
 		if test ! -s $f
 		then