diff --git a/cmd/print.go b/cmd/print.go
index 827ef8552..efc6de9e8 100644
--- a/cmd/print.go
+++ b/cmd/print.go
@@ -244,6 +244,10 @@ func PrintProgressBarsOnEvents(w io.Writer, bus event.Bus) {
 	p := mpb.New(mpb.WithWidth(80), mpb.WithOutput(w))
 	progress := map[string]*mpb.Bar{}
 
+	if bus == nil {
+		log.Errorf("event bus is nil")
+		return
+	}
 	// wire up a subscription to print download progress to streams
 	bus.SubscribeTypes(func(_ context.Context, e event.Event) error {
 		lock.Lock()
diff --git a/cmd/qri.go b/cmd/qri.go
index 67844ec42..deaff5f0f 100644
--- a/cmd/qri.go
+++ b/cmd/qri.go
@@ -167,6 +167,10 @@ func (o *QriOptions) Init() (err error) {
 	// being false also disables progress bars, which may be what we want (ahem: TTY
 	// detection), but even if so, isn't the right use of this variable name
 	if shouldColorOutput {
+		// TODO(ramfox): we guard for a nil bus in `PrintProgressBarsOnEvents`
+		// but noting here that no requests that go through http rpc will have
+		// a working bus, so we won't get any progress bars when working over
+		// http rpc until this is adjusted (once we get the events "rpc-ified")
 		PrintProgressBarsOnEvents(o.IOStreams.ErrOut, o.inst.Bus())
 	}