diff --git a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/graph/HowUniquePredicate.java b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/graph/HowUniquePredicate.java
index d91dfbd10c2..b723dbd9eac 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/graph/HowUniquePredicate.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/graph/HowUniquePredicate.java
@@ -34,20 +34,30 @@ public class HowUniquePredicate implements Predicate
     @Override
     public boolean match(Node<?> node)
     {
+        if (node.getSelections().isEmpty())
+        {
+            // Empty selection list (no uniqueness to it)
+            return false;
+        }
+        
+        // Assume no match
         boolean ret = false;
-
+        
         for (Selection selection : node.getSelections())
         {
             if (how.equalsIgnoreCase(selection.getHow()))
             {
+                // Found a match
                 ret = true;
-                continue; // this how is always valid.
+                continue; // this 'how' is always valid.
             }
-            if (selection.isExplicit())
+            else if (selection.isExplicit())
             {
-                ret = false;
+                // Automatic failure
+                return false;
             }
         }
+
         return ret;
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/jetty-start/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/DistTest.java b/jetty-start/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/DistTest.java
index ec330467d5b..62ece208bad 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/DistTest.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/test/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/DistTest.java
@@ -160,7 +160,6 @@ public class DistTest
         execMain(cmds);
         
         Path startIni = basePath.resolve("start.ini");
-        
         assertThat("start.ini", startIni, fileExists());
 
         // Now add 'deploy' module.