diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/templated-project/git/common-config/zuul.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/templated-project/git/common-config/zuul.yaml
index b4773f1e03..22a2d6d90e 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/config/templated-project/git/common-config/zuul.yaml
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/templated-project/git/common-config/zuul.yaml
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@
 - job:
     name: layered-project-foo-test5
 
+- job:
+    name: project-test6
+
 - project:
     name: org/templated-project
     templates:
diff --git a/zuul/model.py b/zuul/model.py
index 06639f1a75..a77183c0dc 100644
--- a/zuul/model.py
+++ b/zuul/model.py
@@ -1771,6 +1771,11 @@ class Layout(object):
                     if variant not in inherited:
                         frozen_job.inheritFrom(variant)
                         inherited.add(variant)
+            if not inherited:
+                # A change must match at least one defined job variant
+                # (that is to say that it must match more than just
+                # the job that is defined in the tree).
+                continue
             if job not in inherited:
                 # Only update from the job in the tree if it is
                 # unique, otherwise we might unset an attribute we