diff --git a/olmo/train.py b/olmo/train.py
index fd909eb29..af5c99710 100644
--- a/olmo/train.py
+++ b/olmo/train.py
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ def load_trainer_state_dict(self, state_dict: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
         ]
         self.ephemeral_checkpoints = [
             path
-            for path in state_dict["ephemeral_checkpoints"]
+            for path in state_dict.get("ephemeral_checkpoints", [])
             if path.is_dir() and path.resolve().parent == Path(self.cfg.save_folder).resolve()
         ]