diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 18859c54..e631de04 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ Bug Fixes
 * Fix repeated control-r in traditional reverse isearch.
 * Fix spelling of `ssl-verify-server-cert` option.
 * Improve handling of `ssl-verify-server-cert` False values.
+* Guard against missing contributors file on startup.
 
 
 Internal
diff --git a/mycli/main.py b/mycli/main.py
index ad22c749..7094029f 100755
--- a/mycli/main.py
+++ b/mycli/main.py
@@ -1632,10 +1632,9 @@ def thanks_picker() -> str:
 
     contents = []
     for line in lines:
-        m = re.match(r"^ *\* (.*)", line)
-        if m:
+        if m := re.match(r"^ *\* (.*)", line):
             contents.append(m.group(1))
-    return choice(contents)
+    return choice(contents) if contents else 'our sponsors'
 
 
 @prompt_register("edit-and-execute-command")