diff --git a/libraries/test_data/src/test/assets/transformerdumps/mp4/sample_with_increasing_timestamps_320w_240h.mp4/clipped_to_empty.dump b/libraries/test_data/src/test/assets/transformerdumps/mp4/sample_with_increasing_timestamps_320w_240h.mp4/clipped_to_empty.dump
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a299a17038
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/test_data/src/test/assets/transformerdumps/mp4/sample_with_increasing_timestamps_320w_240h.mp4/clipped_to_empty.dump
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+format audio:
+  averageBitrate = 192181
+  peakBitrate = 192181
+  id = 2
+  sampleMimeType = audio/mp4a-latm
+  codecs = mp4a.40.2
+  maxInputSize = 643
+  channelCount = 2
+  sampleRate = 48000
+  language = en
+  metadata = entries=[TSSE: description=null: values=[Lavf58.76.100], Mp4Timestamp: creation time=0, modification time=0, timescale=1000]
+  initializationData:
+    data = length 2, hash 560
+format video:
+  id = 1
+  sampleMimeType = video/avc
+  codecs = avc1.42C015
+  maxInputSize = 14839
+  width = 320
+  height = 240
+  frameRate = 59.997425
+  colorInfo:
+    colorSpace = 2
+    colorRange = 1
+    colorTransfer = 3
+    lumaBitdepth = 8
+    chromaBitdepth = 8
+  metadata = entries=[TSSE: description=null: values=[Lavf58.76.100], Mp4Timestamp: creation time=0, modification time=0, timescale=1000]
+  initializationData:
+    data = length 31, hash 4B108214
+    data = length 9, hash FBA158BB
+container metadata = entries=[TSSE: description=null: values=[Lavf58.76.100], Mp4Timestamp: creation time=0, modification time=0, timescale=1000]
+container metadata = entries=[TSSE: description=null: values=[Lavf58.76.100], Mp4Timestamp: creation time=0, modification time=0, timescale=1000]
+released = true
diff --git a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/ExoAssetLoaderBaseRenderer.java b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/ExoAssetLoaderBaseRenderer.java
index d67842e23f..9d9d99c692 100644
--- a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/ExoAssetLoaderBaseRenderer.java
+++ b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/ExoAssetLoaderBaseRenderer.java
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.RequiresNonNull;
 
   @Override
   public boolean isReady() {
-    return isSourceReady();
+    return true;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/FrameworkMuxer.java b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/FrameworkMuxer.java
index cb5393525e..8012120ea0 100644
--- a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/FrameworkMuxer.java
+++ b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/FrameworkMuxer.java
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
   private int videoTrackIndex;
 
   private boolean isStarted;
+  private boolean isReleased;
 
   private FrameworkMuxer(MediaMuxer mediaMuxer, long videoDurationMs) {
     this.mediaMuxer = mediaMuxer;
@@ -140,15 +141,10 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
     }
 
     if (!isStarted) {
-      isStarted = true;
       if (Util.SDK_INT < 30 && presentationTimeUs < 0) {
         trackIndexToPresentationTimeOffsetUs.put(trackIndex, -presentationTimeUs);
       }
-      try {
-        mediaMuxer.start();
-      } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-        throw new MuxerException("Failed to start the muxer", e);
-      }
+      startMuxer();
     }
 
     int offset = data.position();
@@ -204,11 +200,16 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 
   @Override
   public void release(boolean forCancellation) throws MuxerException {
-    if (!isStarted) {
-      mediaMuxer.release();
+    if (isReleased) {
       return;
     }
 
+    if (!isStarted) {
+      // Start the muxer even if no samples have been written so that it throws instead of silently
+      // writing nothing to the output file.
+      startMuxer();
+    }
+
     if (videoDurationUs != C.TIME_UNSET && videoTrackIndex != C.INDEX_UNSET) {
       writeSampleData(
           videoTrackIndex,
@@ -227,9 +228,19 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
       }
     } finally {
       mediaMuxer.release();
+      isReleased = true;
     }
   }
 
+  private void startMuxer() throws MuxerException {
+    try {
+      mediaMuxer.start();
+    } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+      throw new MuxerException("Failed to start the muxer", e);
+    }
+    isStarted = true;
+  }
+
   // Accesses MediaMuxer state via reflection to ensure that muxer resources can be released even
   // if stopping fails.
   @SuppressLint("PrivateApi")
diff --git a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MuxerWrapper.java b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MuxerWrapper.java
index ed31a14f79..41390f6959 100644
--- a/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MuxerWrapper.java
+++ b/libraries/transformer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MuxerWrapper.java
@@ -561,13 +561,13 @@ import org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.MonotonicNonNull;
   }
 
   /**
-   * Notifies the muxer that all the samples have been {@linkplain #writeSample(int, ByteBuffer,
-   * boolean, long) written} for a given track.
+   * Attempts to notify the muxer that all the samples have been {@linkplain #writeSample(int,
+   * ByteBuffer, boolean, long) written} for a given track.
    *
    * @param trackType The {@link C.TrackType}.
    */
   public void endTrack(@C.TrackType int trackType) {
-    if (!contains(trackTypeToInfo, trackType)) {
+    if (!isReady || !contains(trackTypeToInfo, trackType)) {
       return;
     }
 
diff --git a/libraries/transformer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MediaItemExportTest.java b/libraries/transformer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MediaItemExportTest.java
index c28f825f26..081b431ebb 100644
--- a/libraries/transformer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MediaItemExportTest.java
+++ b/libraries/transformer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/transformer/MediaItemExportTest.java
@@ -160,6 +160,32 @@ public final class MediaItemExportTest {
             /* modifications...= */ "clipped"));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void start_withClippingStartAndEndEqual_completesSuccessfully() throws Exception {
+    CapturingMuxer.Factory muxerFactory = new CapturingMuxer.Factory(/* handleAudioAsPcm= */ false);
+    Transformer transformer =
+        createTransformerBuilder(muxerFactory, /* enableFallback= */ false).build();
+    MediaItem mediaItem =
+        new MediaItem.Builder()
+            .setUri(ASSET_URI_PREFIX + FILE_AUDIO_VIDEO_INCREASING_TIMESTAMPS_15S)
+            .setClippingConfiguration(
+                new MediaItem.ClippingConfiguration.Builder()
+                    .setStartPositionMs(0)
+                    .setEndPositionMs(0)
+                    .build())
+            .build();
+
+    transformer.start(mediaItem, outputDir.newFile().getPath());
+    TransformerTestRunner.runLooper(transformer);
+
+    DumpFileAsserts.assertOutput(
+        context,
+        muxerFactory.getCreatedMuxer(),
+        getDumpFileName(
+            /* originalFileName= */ FILE_AUDIO_VIDEO_INCREASING_TIMESTAMPS_15S,
+            /* modifications...= */ "clipped_to_empty"));
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void start_trimOptimizationEnabled_clippingConfigurationUnset_outputMatchesOriginal()
       throws Exception {