diff --git a/nova/cmd/status.py b/nova/cmd/status.py
index 38a506771acb..168df57a5990 100644
--- a/nova/cmd/status.py
+++ b/nova/cmd/status.py
@@ -287,9 +287,10 @@ class UpgradeCommands(object):
         cell_mappings = self._get_non_cell0_mappings()
         ctxt = nova_context.get_admin_context()
         num_computes = 0
-        for cell_mapping in cell_mappings:
-            with nova_context.target_cell(ctxt, cell_mapping) as cctxt:
-                num_computes += self._count_compute_nodes(cctxt)
+        if cell_mappings:
+            for cell_mapping in cell_mappings:
+                with nova_context.target_cell(ctxt, cell_mapping) as cctxt:
+                    num_computes += self._count_compute_nodes(cctxt)
         else:
             # There are no cell mappings, cells v2 was maybe not deployed in
             # Newton, but placement might have been, so let's check the single
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/cmd/test_status.py b/nova/tests/unit/cmd/test_status.py
index 499a02bf18be..4fa6fd6a4a17 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/cmd/test_status.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/cmd/test_status.py
@@ -653,6 +653,17 @@ class TestUpgradeCheckResourceProviders(test.NoDBTestCase):
         # create an externally shared IP allocation pool resource provider
         self._create_resource_provider(FAKE_IP_POOL_INVENTORY)
 
+        # Stub out _count_compute_nodes to make sure we never call it without
+        # a cell-targeted context.
+        original_count_compute_nodes = (
+            status.UpgradeCommands._count_compute_nodes)
+
+        def stub_count_compute_nodes(_self, context=None):
+            self.assertIsNotNone(context.db_connection)
+            return original_count_compute_nodes(_self, context=context)
+        self.stub_out('nova.cmd.status.UpgradeCommands._count_compute_nodes',
+                      stub_count_compute_nodes)
+
         result = self.cmd._check_resource_providers()
         self.assertEqual(status.UpgradeCheckCode.SUCCESS, result.code)
         self.assertIsNone(result.details)