diff --git a/bundle/regal/main/main.rego b/bundle/regal/main/main.rego
index 961de0c4..2337e1cc 100644
--- a/bundle/regal/main/main.rego
+++ b/bundle/regal/main/main.rego
@@ -145,11 +145,23 @@ aggregate[category_title] contains entry if {
 	config.for_rule(category, title).level != "ignore"
 	not config.excluded_file(category, title, input.regal.file.name)
 
-	some entry in data.custom.regal.rules[category][title].aggregate
+	entries := _mark_if_empty(data.custom.regal.rules[category][title].aggregate)
 
 	category_title := concat("/", [category, title])
+
+	some entry in entries
 }
 
+# a custom aggregate rule may not come back with entries, but we still need
+# to register the fact that it was called so that we know to call the
+# aggregate_report for the same rule later
+#
+# for these cases we just return an empty map, and let the aggregator on the Go
+# side handle this case
+_mark_if_empty(entries) := {{}} if {
+	count(entries) == 0
+} else := entries
+
 # METADATA
 # description: Check bundled rules using aggregated data
 # schemas:
@@ -187,7 +199,7 @@ aggregate_report contains violation if {
 	not config.excluded_file(category, title, input.regal.file.name)
 
 	input_for_rule := object.remove(
-		object.union(input, {"aggregate": input.aggregates_internal[key]}),
+		object.union(input, {"aggregate": _null_to_empty(input.aggregates_internal[key])}),
 		["aggregates_internal"],
 	)
 
@@ -211,3 +223,7 @@ _ignored(violation, directives) if {
 	ignored_rules := directives[util.to_location_object(violation.location).row + 1]
 	violation.title in ignored_rules
 }
+
+_null_to_empty(x) := [] if {
+	x == null
+} else := x
diff --git a/e2e/cli_test.go b/e2e/cli_test.go
index 027ffba1..112c2fb1 100644
--- a/e2e/cli_test.go
+++ b/e2e/cli_test.go
@@ -429,6 +429,30 @@ func TestAggregatesAreCollectedAndUsed(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("expected 1 violation, got %d", rep.Summary.NumViolations)
 		}
 	})
+
+	t.Run("custom policy where nothing aggregate is a violation", func(t *testing.T) {
+		stdout, stderr := bytes.Buffer{}, bytes.Buffer{}
+
+		err := regal(&stdout, &stderr)("lint", "--format", "json", "--rules",
+			basedir+filepath.FromSlash("/custom/regal/rules/testcase/empty_aggregate/"),
+			basedir+filepath.FromSlash("/two_policies"))
+
+		expectExitCode(t, err, 3, &stdout, &stderr)
+
+		if exp, act := "", stderr.String(); exp != act {
+			t.Errorf("expected stderr %q, got %q", exp, act)
+		}
+
+		var rep report.Report
+
+		if err = json.Unmarshal(stdout.Bytes(), &rep); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("expected JSON response, got %v", stdout.String())
+		}
+
+		if rep.Summary.NumViolations != 1 {
+			t.Errorf("expected 1 violation, got %d", rep.Summary.NumViolations)
+		}
+	})
 }
 
 func TestLintAggregateIgnoreDirective(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/e2e/testdata/aggregates/custom/regal/rules/testcase/empty_aggregate/empty_aggregate.rego b/e2e/testdata/aggregates/custom/regal/rules/testcase/empty_aggregate/empty_aggregate.rego
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3c280318
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/testdata/aggregates/custom/regal/rules/testcase/empty_aggregate/empty_aggregate.rego
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# METADATA
+# description: |
+#   Test to ensure a custom rule that aggregated no data is still reported
+# related_resources:
+#   - description: issue
+#     ref: https://github.com/StyraInc/regal/issues/1259
+package custom.regal.rules.testcase.empty_aggregates
+
+import rego.v1
+
+import data.regal.result
+
+aggregate contains result.aggregate(rego.metadata.chain(), {}) if {
+	input.nope
+}
+
+aggregate_report contains violation if {
+	count(input.aggregate) == 0
+
+	violation := result.fail(rego.metadata.chain(), {})
+}
diff --git a/pkg/linter/linter.go b/pkg/linter/linter.go
index 9491c562..133ebd0c 100644
--- a/pkg/linter/linter.go
+++ b/pkg/linter/linter.go
@@ -914,7 +914,20 @@ func (l Linter) lintWithRegoRules(
 			regoReport.Notices = append(regoReport.Notices, result.Notices...)
 
 			for k := range result.Aggregates {
-				regoReport.Aggregates[k] = append(regoReport.Aggregates[k], result.Aggregates[k]...)
+				// Custom aggregate rules that have been invoked but not returned any data
+				// will return an empty map to signal that they have been called, and that
+				// the aggregate report for this rule should be invoked even when no data
+				// was aggregated. This because the absence of data is exactly what some rules
+				// will want to report on.
+				for _, agg := range result.Aggregates[k] {
+					if len(agg) == 0 {
+						if _, ok := regoReport.Aggregates[k]; !ok {
+							regoReport.Aggregates[k] = make([]report.Aggregate, 0)
+						}
+					} else {
+						regoReport.Aggregates[k] = append(regoReport.Aggregates[k], agg)
+					}
+				}
 			}
 
 			for k := range result.IgnoreDirectives {