diff --git a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
index 13c666ea435cf..c7447669c2d68 100644
--- a/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
+++ b/source/extensions/common/wasm/wasm.cc
@@ -343,6 +343,7 @@ bool createWasm(const PluginSharedPtr& plugin, const Stats::ScopeSharedPtr& scop
         ENVOY_LOG_TO_LOGGER(Envoy::Logger::Registry::getLog(Envoy::Logger::Id::wasm), warn,
                             "createWasm: failed to load (in progress) from {}", source);
         cb(nullptr);
+        return false;
       }
       code = it->second.code;
       if (code.empty()) {