diff --git a/0.245-asserts.patch b/0.245-asserts.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36568a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0.245-asserts.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+diff --git a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
+index 07b8d03d043..bcdd49239cc 100644
+--- a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
++++ b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selgame.cpp
+@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ void menu_select_game::populate(float &customtop, float &custombottom)
+ 		item_append(_("System Settings"), 0, (void *)(uintptr_t)CONF_MACHINE);
+ 		skip_main_items = 3;
+ 
+-		if (m_prev_selected && !have_prev_selected)
++		if (m_prev_selected && !have_prev_selected && item_count() > 0)
+ 			m_prev_selected = item(0).ref();
+ 	}
+ 	else
+diff --git a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
+index da4ad722f2f..051b09b4fcf 100644
+--- a/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
++++ b/src/frontend/mame/ui/selsoft.cpp
+@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ menu_select_software::~menu_select_software()
+ 
+ void menu_select_software::handle(event const *ev)
+ {
+-	if (m_prev_selected == nullptr)
++	if (m_prev_selected == nullptr && item_count() > 0)
+ 		m_prev_selected = item(0).ref();
+ 
+ 	// FIXME: everything above here used run before events were processed
diff --git a/org.mamedev.MAME.yaml b/org.mamedev.MAME.yaml
index 8db1760..079f6b1 100644
--- a/org.mamedev.MAME.yaml
+++ b/org.mamedev.MAME.yaml
@@ -57,3 +57,5 @@ modules:
       path: use-system-lib-flac.patch
     - type: patch
       path: ldopts.patch
+    - type: patch
+      path: 0.245-asserts.patch