diff --git a/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm.nix b/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm.nix
index cbbe3cefd..e826100d8 100644
--- a/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm.nix
+++ b/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm.nix
@@ -145,15 +145,17 @@ in {
 
         ${renderSettings cfg.settings}
 
-        if ${cfg.package}/bin/herbstclient object_tree tags.by-name | ${pkgs.gnugrep}/bin/grep default; then
-          herbstclient rename default ${
-            lib.escapeShellArg (builtins.head cfg.tags)
-          }
-        fi
+        ${lib.optionalString (cfg.tags != [ ]) ''
+          if ${cfg.package}/bin/herbstclient object_tree tags.default &>/dev/null; then
+            herbstclient rename default ${
+              lib.escapeShellArg (builtins.head cfg.tags)
+            }
+          fi
 
-        for tag in ${lib.escapeShellArgs cfg.tags}; do
-          herbstclient add "$tag"
-        done
+          for tag in ${lib.escapeShellArgs cfg.tags}; do
+            herbstclient add "$tag"
+          done
+        ''}
 
         ${renderKeybinds cfg.keybinds}
 
diff --git a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/default.nix b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/default.nix
index 04b9f89c7..31e73365f 100644
--- a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/default.nix
+++ b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/default.nix
@@ -1 +1,4 @@
-{ herbstluftwm-simple-config = ./herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix; }
+{
+  herbstluftwm-simple-config = ./herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix;
+  herbstluftwm-no-tags = ./herbstluftwm-no-tags.nix;
+}
diff --git a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags-autostart b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags-autostart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..642d66cda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags-autostart
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/nix/store/00000000000000000000000000000000-bash/bin/bash
+shopt -s expand_aliases
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2142
+alias herbstclient='set -- "$@" ";"'
+set --
+
+herbstclient emit_hook reload
+
+# Reset everything.
+herbstclient attr theme.tiling.reset 1
+herbstclient attr theme.floating.reset 1
+herbstclient keyunbind --all
+herbstclient unrule --all
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+herbstclient unlock
+
+@herbstluftwm@/bin/herbstclient chain ";" "$@"
+
diff --git a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags.nix b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd7fb4881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-no-tags.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{ lib, pkgs, ... }:
+
+{
+  xsession.windowManager.herbstluftwm = { enable = true; };
+
+  test.stubs.herbstluftwm = { };
+
+  nmt.script = ''
+    autostart=home-files/.config/herbstluftwm/autostart
+    assertFileExists "$autostart"
+    assertFileIsExecutable "$autostart"
+
+    normalizedAutostart=$(normalizeStorePaths "$autostart")
+    assertFileContent "$normalizedAutostart" ${./herbstluftwm-no-tags-autostart}
+  '';
+}
diff --git a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/autostart b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config-autostart
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
similarity index 89%
rename from tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/autostart
rename to tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config-autostart
index d59da4bae..31eb17502
--- a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/autostart
+++ b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config-autostart
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ herbstclient set frame_bg_active_color '#000000'
 herbstclient set frame_gap '12'
 herbstclient set frame_padding '-12'
 
-if @herbstluftwm@/bin/herbstclient object_tree tags.by-name | /nix/store/00000000000000000000000000000000-gnugrep/bin/grep default; then
+if @herbstluftwm@/bin/herbstclient object_tree tags.default &>/dev/null; then
   herbstclient rename default '1'
 fi
 
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ for tag in '1' 'with space' 'wə1rd#ch@rs'\'''; do
   herbstclient add "$tag"
 done
 
+
 herbstclient keybind Mod4-1 use 1
 herbstclient keybind Mod4-2 use 2
 herbstclient keybind Mod4-Alt-Tab cycle -1
diff --git a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix
index 27e871505..e351e78f9 100644
--- a/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix
+++ b/tests/modules/services/window-managers/herbstluftwm/herbstluftwm-simple-config.nix
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
     assertFileIsExecutable "$autostart"
 
     normalizedAutostart=$(normalizeStorePaths "$autostart")
-    assertFileContent "$normalizedAutostart" ${./autostart}
+    assertFileContent "$normalizedAutostart" ${
+      ./herbstluftwm-simple-config-autostart
+    }
   '';
 }