diff --git a/lib/tasks/gather.js b/lib/tasks/gather.js
index 6aaba5fb..c6f4e538 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/gather.js
+++ b/lib/tasks/gather.js
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ class TaskGather extends SttTask {
 
     if (cs.hasGlobalSttHints && !this.maskGlobalSttHints) {
       const {hints, hintsBoost} = cs.globalSttHints;
-      const setOfHints = new Set(this.data.recognizer.hints
+      const setOfHints = new Set((this.data.recognizer.hints || [])
         .concat(hints)
         .filter((h) => typeof h === 'string' && h.length > 0));
       this.data.recognizer.hints = [...setOfHints];