diff --git a/cluster/service.go b/cluster/service.go
index fd583b2eac..186cf8434c 100644
--- a/cluster/service.go
+++ b/cluster/service.go
@@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ func (s *Service) processMapShardRequest(w io.Writer, buf []byte) error {
 			return fmt.Errorf("next chunk: %s", err)
 		}
 
+		// NOTE: Even if the chunk is nil, we still need to send one
+		// empty response to let the other side know we're out of data.
+
 		if chunk != nil {
 			b, err := json.Marshal(chunk)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -270,12 +273,11 @@ func (s *Service) processMapShardRequest(w io.Writer, buf []byte) error {
 
 		// Write to connection.
 		resp.SetCode(0)
-		v := chunk.(*tsdb.MapperOutput)
 		if err := writeMapShardResponseMessage(w, &resp); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		if v == nil {
+		if chunk == nil {
 			// All mapper data sent.
 			return nil
 		}
diff --git a/tsdb/mapper.go b/tsdb/mapper.go
index b3e2d7d077..22ad9b74d4 100644
--- a/tsdb/mapper.go
+++ b/tsdb/mapper.go
@@ -271,7 +271,10 @@ func (lm *LocalMapper) NextChunk() (interface{}, error) {
 		b, err := lm.remote.NextChunk()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
+		} else if b == nil {
+			return nil, nil
 		}
+
 		mo := &MapperOutput{}
 		if err := json.Unmarshal(b.([]byte), mo); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ func (lm *LocalMapper) NextChunk() (interface{}, error) {
 // nextChunkRaw returns the next chunk of data. Data comes in the same order as the
 // tags return by TagSets. A chunk never contains data for more than 1 tagset.
 // If there is no more data for any tagset, nil will be returned.
-func (lm *LocalMapper) nextChunkRaw() (*MapperOutput, error) {
+func (lm *LocalMapper) nextChunkRaw() (interface{}, error) {
 	var output *MapperOutput
 	for {
 		if lm.currCursorIndex == len(lm.cursors) {
@@ -335,7 +338,7 @@ func (lm *LocalMapper) nextChunkRaw() (*MapperOutput, error) {
 // for the current tagset. Tagsets are always processed in the same order as that
 // returned by AvailTagsSets(). When there is no more data for any tagset nil
 // is returned.
-func (lm *LocalMapper) nextChunkAgg() (*MapperOutput, error) {
+func (lm *LocalMapper) nextChunkAgg() (interface{}, error) {
 	var output *MapperOutput
 	for {
 		if lm.currCursorIndex == len(lm.cursors) {