diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
index 8ebcb77436..492fd2c63b 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
@@ -392,6 +392,10 @@ - (void)displayLayer:(CALayer *)layer {
 
 #pragma mark - ShaderRendererDelegate
 
+- (BOOL)canDraw {
+    return _draw_data.points != NULL;
+}
+
 - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
     float scale = (float)(viewParams.backingScaleFactor / [self scaleFactorForBackingScaleFactor:viewParams.backingScaleFactor]);
 
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
index df9c3c66f6..aa977153ef 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } ShaderRendererParams;
 
 @protocol ShaderRendererDelegate
+- (BOOL)canDraw;
 - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(nonnull id <MTLDevice>)device encoder:(nonnull id <MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)params;
 @end
 
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
index 9e54fed1f5..8797e69cc7 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
@@ -110,6 +110,9 @@ - (void)drawableResize:(CGSize)drawableSize
 }
 
 - (void)renderToMetalLayer:(nonnull CAMetalLayer*)metalLayer viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
+    if (![self.delegate canDraw]) {
+        return;
+    }
     if (_viewportSize.width == 0 || _viewportSize.height == 0) {
         return;
     }
@@ -132,7 +135,6 @@ - (void)renderToMetalLayer:(nonnull CAMetalLayer*)metalLayer viewParams:(ShaderR
 
     id <MTLRenderCommandEncoder> renderEncoder =
     [commandBuffer renderCommandEncoderWithDescriptor:_drawableRenderDescriptor];
-    renderEncoder.label = @"MyRenderEncoder";
 
     // begin
 
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
index 96232c11c1..496308296f 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
@@ -437,6 +437,10 @@ - (void)displayLayer:(CALayer *)layer {
 
 #pragma mark - ShaderRendererDelegate
 
+- (BOOL)canDraw {
+    return _draw_data.bars != NULL;
+}
+
 - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
 
     struct SpectrumFragParams params;
@@ -474,7 +478,9 @@ - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>
         // The buffer is not bigger than ~2.5KB (211 bars * 12 bytes),
         // therefore it should be safe to use setFragmentBytes.
         [encoder setFragmentBytes:_draw_data.bars length:_draw_data.bar_count * sizeof (struct SpectrumFragBar) atIndex:1];
-    }
 
+        // This buffer is unused in this scenario, but necessary to shut up API validator
+        [encoder setFragmentBytes:_draw_data.bars length:4 atIndex:2];
+    }
 }
 @end