diff --git a/src/object.c b/src/object.c
index 223f547..4afe1de 100644
--- a/src/object.c
+++ b/src/object.c
@@ -287,14 +287,13 @@ int read_diff(char* content, char* basefile_hash, ActionList* diff_out) {
 
     char* end;
     long actions = strtol(number_of_actions, &end, 10);
-
-    if (end == number_of_actions || *end != '\0' || actions <= 0) {
+    
+    if (end == number_of_actions || *end != '\0' || actions < 0) {
         perror("ERROR: invalid number of actions in read_diff!");
+        free(number_of_actions);
         return 0;
     }
 
-    free(number_of_actions);
-
     size_t action_idx = 0;
     while (content[idx] && action_idx < (size_t)actions) {
         idx++;