diff --git a/addon/commands/make-list-command.ts b/addon/commands/make-list-command.ts
index 7b4239243..51598a602 100644
--- a/addon/commands/make-list-command.ts
+++ b/addon/commands/make-list-command.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import ModelTreeWalker from '@lblod/ember-rdfa-editor/model/util/model-tree-walk
 import ModelPosition from '@lblod/ember-rdfa-editor/model/model-position';
 import { PropertyState } from '../model/util/types';
 import { logExecute } from '@lblod/ember-rdfa-editor/utils/logging-utils';
+import ModelText from '../model/model-text';
 
 /**
  * Command will convert all nodes in the selection to a list, if they are not already in a list.
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ export default class MakeListCommand extends Command {
     }
 
     const confinedRanges = range.getMinimumConfinedRanges();
-    const result = [[]];
+    const result: ModelNode[][] = [[]];
     let pos = 0;
 
     for (const range of confinedRanges) {
@@ -165,6 +166,9 @@ export default class MakeListCommand extends Command {
         }
       }
     }
+    if (result[0].length === 0) {
+      result[0].push(new ModelText());
+    }
 
     return result;
   }
diff --git a/addon/model/model-range.ts b/addon/model/model-range.ts
index 5c2c53fb2..2b65acf2f 100644
--- a/addon/model/model-range.ts
+++ b/addon/model/model-range.ts
@@ -191,6 +191,9 @@ export default class ModelRange {
   }
 
   static fromAroundNode(node: ModelNode) {
+    if (!node.parent) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentError('Cannot create a range around the root');
+    }
     const start = ModelPosition.fromBeforeNode(node);
     const end = ModelPosition.fromAfterNode(node);
     return new ModelRange(start, end);
diff --git a/addon/model/util/datastore/datastore.ts b/addon/model/util/datastore/datastore.ts
index 8da2d8257..17cc68a07 100644
--- a/addon/model/util/datastore/datastore.ts
+++ b/addon/model/util/datastore/datastore.ts
@@ -483,7 +483,14 @@ export class EditorStore implements Datastore {
       mapping = this.asObjectNodeMapping();
     }
     for (const node of mapping.nodes()) {
-      const searchRange = ModelRange.fromAroundNode(node);
+      let searchRange;
+      // we test if the node is root, which will be the case when the
+      // rdfa knowledge is defined above the document root.
+      if (node.parent) {
+        searchRange = ModelRange.fromAroundNode(node);
+      } else {
+        searchRange = ModelRange.fromInNode(node);
+      }
       results.push(...matchText(searchRange, regex));
     }
     return results;
diff --git a/addon/model/util/gen-tree-walker.ts b/addon/model/util/gen-tree-walker.ts
index a39df8a5a..1f3515269 100644
--- a/addon/model/util/gen-tree-walker.ts
+++ b/addon/model/util/gen-tree-walker.ts
@@ -295,7 +295,6 @@ export default class GenTreeWalker<T extends Walkable = Walkable> {
       // There is a currentNode, so we can simply walk from it
       next = this.walkNode(this._currentNode, this._reverse);
     }
-
     // whatever we found is now the currentNode
     this._currentNode = next;
     if (!next) {
@@ -391,6 +390,7 @@ export default class GenTreeWalker<T extends Walkable = Walkable> {
       }
       result = this.filterNode(node);
       if (result === FilterResult.FILTER_ACCEPT) {
+        if (node === fromNode) return null;
         return node as T | null;
       }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/commands/make-list-command-test.ts b/tests/unit/commands/make-list-command-test.ts
index b67c5cbda..5638807b1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/commands/make-list-command-test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/commands/make-list-command-test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ module('Unit | commands | make-list-command', (hooks) => {
     const { root: expected } = vdom`
       <modelRoot>
         <ul>
-          <li></li>
+          <li><text></text></li>
         </ul>
       </modelRoot>
     `;
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ module('Unit | commands | make-list-command', (hooks) => {
       <modelRoot>
         <text>${'\n'}</text>
         <ul>
-          <li></li>
+          <li><text></text></li>
         </ul>
       </modelRoot>
     `;