diff --git a/DATA/production/configurations/asyncReco/setenv_extra.sh b/DATA/production/configurations/asyncReco/setenv_extra.sh
index 15c201f4d..6a1ee1f63 100644
--- a/DATA/production/configurations/asyncReco/setenv_extra.sh
+++ b/DATA/production/configurations/asyncReco/setenv_extra.sh
@@ -128,11 +128,12 @@ export ADD_EXTRA_WORKFLOW=
 export ARGS_EXTRA_PROCESS_o2_ctf_reader_workflow+=" --allow-missing-detectors $REMAPPING"
 
 # possibility to only process some TFs
-if [[ -z ${ALIEN_JDL_RUN_TIME_SPAN_FILE+x} ]]; then
+if [[ ! -z ${ALIEN_JDL_RUN_TIME_SPAN_FILE} ]]; then
   export ARGS_EXTRA_PROCESS_o2_ctf_reader_workflow+=" --run-time-span-file $ALIEN_JDL_RUN_TIME_SPAN_FILE "
-fi
-if [[ ${ALIEN_JDL_INVERT_IRFRAME_SELECTION} == 1 ]]; then
-  export ARGS_EXTRA_PROCESS_o2_ctf_reader_workflow+=" --invert-irframe-selection "
+  # the following option makes sense only if we have the previous
+  if [[ ${ALIEN_JDL_INVERT_IRFRAME_SELECTION} == 1 ]]; then
+    export ARGS_EXTRA_PROCESS_o2_ctf_reader_workflow+=" --invert-irframe-selection "
+  fi
 fi
 
 # other settings