diff --git a/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci b/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci
index 99e93a6c2e24..cbf1614163cb 100644
--- a/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci
+++ b/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 /// add a missing namespace tag to a module source file.
 ///
 
+virtual nsdeps
 virtual report
 
 @has_ns_import@
@@ -16,10 +17,15 @@ MODULE_IMPORT_NS(ns);
 
 // Add missing imports, but only adjacent to a MODULE_LICENSE statement.
 // That ensures we are adding it only to the main module source file.
-@do_import depends on !has_ns_import@
+@do_import depends on !has_ns_import && nsdeps@
 declarer name MODULE_LICENSE;
 expression license;
 identifier virtual.ns;
 @@
 MODULE_LICENSE(license);
 + MODULE_IMPORT_NS(ns);
+
+// Dummy rule for report mode that would otherwise be empty and make spatch
+// fail ("No rules apply.")
+@script:python depends on report@
+@@
diff --git a/scripts/nsdeps b/scripts/nsdeps
index 04cea0921673..e547f33b96a6 100644
--- a/scripts/nsdeps
+++ b/scripts/nsdeps
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ fi
 
 generate_deps_for_ns() {
 	$SPATCH --very-quiet --in-place --sp-file \
-		$srctree/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci -D ns=$1 $2
+		$srctree/scripts/coccinelle/misc/add_namespace.cocci -D nsdeps -D ns=$1 $2
 }
 
 generate_deps() {