diff --git a/weed/mq/client/cmd/weed_pub/publisher.go b/weed/mq/client/cmd/weed_pub/publisher.go
index 3ac037973..419f68f42 100644
--- a/weed/mq/client/cmd/weed_pub/publisher.go
+++ b/weed/mq/client/cmd/weed_pub/publisher.go
@@ -43,18 +43,21 @@ func main() {
 		CreateTopicPartitionCount: int32(*partitionCount),
 	}
 	publisher := pub_client.NewTopicPublisher(*namespace, *topic, config)
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg.Add(1)
 	go func() {
 		brokers := strings.Split(*seedBrokers, ",")
-		if err := publisher.StartSchedulerThread(brokers); err != nil {
+		if err := publisher.StartSchedulerThread(brokers, &wg); err != nil {
 			fmt.Println(err)
 			return
 		}
 	}()
 
+	wg.Wait()
+
 	startTime := time.Now()
 
 	// Start multiple publishers
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	for i := 0; i < *concurrency; i++ {
 		wg.Add(1)
 		go func(id int) {
diff --git a/weed/mq/client/pub_client/scheduler.go b/weed/mq/client/pub_client/scheduler.go
index e617af09f..9d02d5f7b 100644
--- a/weed/mq/client/pub_client/scheduler.go
+++ b/weed/mq/client/pub_client/scheduler.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ type EachPartitionPublishJob struct {
 	generation int
 	inputQueue *buffered_queue.BufferedQueue[*mq_pb.DataMessage]
 }
-func (p *TopicPublisher) StartSchedulerThread(bootstrapBrokers []string) error {
+func (p *TopicPublisher) StartSchedulerThread(bootstrapBrokers []string, wg *sync.WaitGroup) error {
 
 	if err := p.doEnsureConfigureTopic(bootstrapBrokers); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("configure topic %s/%s: %v", p.namespace, p.topic, err)
@@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ func (p *TopicPublisher) StartSchedulerThread(bootstrapBrokers []string) error {
 	generation := 0
 	var errChan chan EachPartitionError
 	for {
-		glog.V(0).Infof("lookup partitions gen %d topic %s/%s", generation, p.namespace, p.topic)
+		glog.V(0).Infof("lookup partitions gen %d topic %s/%s", generation+1, p.namespace, p.topic)
 		if assignments, err := p.doLookupTopicPartitions(bootstrapBrokers); err == nil {
 			generation++
-			glog.V(0).Infof("start generation %d", generation)
+			glog.V(0).Infof("start generation %d with %d assignments", generation, len(assignments))
 			if errChan == nil {
 				errChan = make(chan EachPartitionError, len(assignments))
 			}
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ func (p *TopicPublisher) StartSchedulerThread(bootstrapBrokers []string) error {
 			continue
 		}
 
+		if generation == 1 {
+			wg.Done()
+		}
+
 		// wait for any error to happen. If so, consume all remaining errors, and retry
 		for {
 			select {
@@ -237,6 +241,10 @@ func (p *TopicPublisher) doLookupTopicPartitions(bootstrapBrokers []string) (ass
 					return err
 				}
 
+				if len(lookupResp.BrokerPartitionAssignments) == 0 {
+					return fmt.Errorf("no broker partition assignments")
+				}
+
 				assignments = lookupResp.BrokerPartitionAssignments
 
 				return nil