diff --git a/bids-validator/validators/bids/fullTest.js b/bids-validator/validators/bids/fullTest.js
index edf0b4054..867c7b941 100644
--- a/bids-validator/validators/bids/fullTest.js
+++ b/bids-validator/validators/bids/fullTest.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ const fullTest = (fileList, options, annexed, dir, schema, callback) => {
   }
   const jsonFiles = []
   const headers = []
-  const participants = null
+  const participants = {list: [], file: null}
   const phenotypeParticipants = []
 
   const tsvs = []
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@ const fullTest = (fileList, options, annexed, dir, schema, callback) => {
     })
     .then(({ tsvIssues, participantsTsvContent }) => {
       self.issues = self.issues.concat(tsvIssues)
-
       // extract metadata on participants to metadata.age and
       // return metadata on each subject from participants.tsv
       summary.subjectMetadata = collectSubjectMetadata(participantsTsvContent)
diff --git a/bids-validator/validators/bids/subjects.js b/bids-validator/validators/bids/subjects.js
index ea0d0963c..2d937e493 100644
--- a/bids-validator/validators/bids/subjects.js
+++ b/bids-validator/validators/bids/subjects.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ const Issue = utils.issues.Issue
 
 const participantsInSubjects = (participants, subjects) => {
   const issues = []
-  if (participants) {
+  if (participants && participants.file) {
     const participantsFromFile = participants.list.sort()
     const participantsFromFolders = subjects.sort()
     if (
diff --git a/bids-validator/validators/tsv/validate.js b/bids-validator/validators/tsv/validate.js
index dba18e7af..19ad3e7ce 100644
--- a/bids-validator/validators/tsv/validate.js
+++ b/bids-validator/validators/tsv/validate.js
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ const validate = (
           function (tsvIssues, participantList, stimFiles) {
             if (participantList) {
               if (file.name.endsWith('participants.tsv')) {
-                participants = {
+                Object.assign(participants, {
                   list: participantList,
                   file: file,
-                }
+                })
                 // save content for metadata extraction
                 participantsTsvContent = contents
               } else if (file.relativePath.includes('phenotype/')) {