diff --git a/lib/mqtt.c b/lib/mqtt.c
index e324ec3dd..edcd6d72c 100644
--- a/lib/mqtt.c
+++ b/lib/mqtt.c
@@ -124,6 +124,10 @@ static CURLcode mqtt_send(struct connectdata *conn,
     mq->sendleftovers = sendleftovers;
     mq->nsend = nsend;
   }
+  else {
+    mq->sendleftovers = NULL;
+    mq->nsend = 0;
+  }
   return result;
 }