diff --git a/src/app/pane-container.coffee b/src/app/pane-container.coffee
index d8365f41a..5bef61cf1 100644
--- a/src/app/pane-container.coffee
+++ b/src/app/pane-container.coffee
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ class PaneContainer extends View
         newPane.focus()
 
   itemDestroyed: (item) ->
-    state = item.serialize?()
-    state.uri ?= item.getUri?()
-    @destroyedItemStates.push(state) if state?
+    if state = item.serialize?()
+      state.uri ?= item.getUri?()
+      @destroyedItemStates.push(state)
 
   itemAdded: (item) ->
     itemUri = item.getUri?()