diff --git a/nova/objects/cell_mapping.py b/nova/objects/cell_mapping.py
index ffebbd98ccfb..d11237022bd1 100644
--- a/nova/objects/cell_mapping.py
+++ b/nova/objects/cell_mapping.py
@@ -129,9 +129,10 @@ class CellMapping(base.NovaTimestampObject, base.NovaObject):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _format_db_url(url):
-        if CONF.database.connection is None and '{' in url:
-            LOG.error('Cell mapping database_connection is a template, but '
-                      '[database]/connection is not set')
+        if CONF.database.connection is None:
+            if '{' in url:
+                LOG.error('Cell mapping database_connection is a template, '
+                          'but [database]/connection is not set')
             return url
         try:
             return CellMapping._format_url(url, CONF.database.connection)
@@ -142,9 +143,10 @@ class CellMapping(base.NovaTimestampObject, base.NovaObject):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _format_mq_url(url):
-        if CONF.transport_url is None and '{' in url:
-            LOG.error('Cell mapping transport_url is a template, but '
-                      '[DEFAULT]/transport_url is not set')
+        if CONF.transport_url is None:
+            if '{' in url:
+                LOG.error('Cell mapping transport_url is a template, but '
+                          '[DEFAULT]/transport_url is not set')
             return url
         try:
             return CellMapping._format_url(url, CONF.transport_url)
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/objects/test_cell_mapping.py b/nova/tests/unit/objects/test_cell_mapping.py
index 326ac6160833..3182269cc576 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/objects/test_cell_mapping.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/objects/test_cell_mapping.py
@@ -247,6 +247,23 @@ class _TestCellMappingObject(object):
         self.assertEqual(varurl, mapping_obj.database_connection)
         self.assertEqual(varurl, mapping_obj.transport_url)
 
+    @mock.patch.object(cell_mapping.CellMapping, '_get_by_uuid_from_db')
+    @mock.patch.object(cell_mapping.CellMapping, '_format_url')
+    def test_non_formatted_url_with_no_base(self, mock_format, mock_get):
+        # Make sure we just pass through the template URL if the base
+        # URLs are not set, i.e. we don't try to format the URL to a template.
+        url = 'foo'
+        self.flags(transport_url=None)
+        self.flags(connection=None, group='database')
+        db_mapping = get_db_mapping(transport_url=url,
+                                    database_connection=url)
+        mock_get.return_value = db_mapping
+        mapping_obj = objects.CellMapping().get_by_uuid(self.context,
+                db_mapping['uuid'])
+        self.assertEqual(url, mapping_obj.database_connection)
+        self.assertEqual(url, mapping_obj.transport_url)
+        mock_format.assert_not_called()
+
 
 class TestCellMappingObject(test_objects._LocalTest,
                             _TestCellMappingObject):