diff --git a/pagure/api/project.py b/pagure/api/project.py
index 643302c..152315e 100644
--- a/pagure/api/project.py
+++ b/pagure/api/project.py
@@ -564,9 +564,23 @@ def api_projects():
         private=private, namespace=namespace, owner=owner, limit=query_limit,
         start=query_start)
 
+    # prepare the output json
+    jsonout = {
+        'total_projects': project_count,
+        'projects': projects,
+        'args': {
+            'tags': tags,
+            'username': username,
+            'fork': fork,
+            'pattern': pattern,
+            'namespace': namespace,
+            'owner': owner,
+            'short': short,
+        }
+    }
     if not projects:
-        raise pagure.exceptions.APIError(
-            404, error_code=APIERROR.ENOPROJECTS)
+        jsonout['projects'] = []
+        return flask.jsonify(jsonout)
 
     if not short:
         projects = [p.to_json(api=True, public=True) for p in projects]
@@ -582,19 +596,7 @@ def api_projects():
             for p in projects
         ]
 
-    jsonout = {
-        'total_projects': project_count,
-        'projects': projects,
-        'args': {
-            'tags': tags,
-            'username': username,
-            'fork': fork,
-            'pattern': pattern,
-            'namespace': namespace,
-            'owner': owner,
-            'short': short,
-        }
-    }
+    jsonout['projects'] = projects
     if pagination_metadata:
         jsonout['args']['page'] = page
         jsonout['args']['per_page'] = per_page
diff --git a/tests/test_pagure_flask_api_project.py b/tests/test_pagure_flask_api_project.py
index 9367556..8055ea7 100644
--- a/tests/test_pagure_flask_api_project.py
+++ b/tests/test_pagure_flask_api_project.py
@@ -360,11 +360,23 @@ class PagureFlaskApiProjecttests(tests.Modeltests):
 
         # Check the API
         output = self.app.get('/api/0/projects?tags=inf')
-        self.assertEqual(output.status_code, 404)
+        self.assertEqual(output.status_code, 200)
         data = json.loads(output.data)
         self.assertDictEqual(
             data,
-            {'error_code': 'ENOPROJECTS', 'error': 'No projects found'}
+            {
+                "total_projects": 0,
+                "projects": [],
+                "args": {
+                    "fork": None,
+                    "namespace": None,
+                    "owner": None,
+                    "pattern": None,
+                    "short": False,
+                    "tags": ["inf"],
+                    "username": None
+                }
+            }
         )
         output = self.app.get('/api/0/projects?tags=infra')
         self.assertEqual(output.status_code, 200)
@@ -1287,7 +1299,7 @@ class PagureFlaskApiProjecttests(tests.Modeltests):
         tests.create_projects(self.session)
 
         output = self.app.get('/api/0/projects?page=99999')
-        self.assertEqual(output.status_code, 404)
+        self.assertEqual(output.status_code, 200)
 
     def test_api_modify_project_main_admin(self):
         """ Test the api_modify_project method of the flask api when the