diff --git a/pipeline.go b/pipeline.go
index e4ba149..06d462f 100644
--- a/pipeline.go
+++ b/pipeline.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func BuildPaginationPipeline(skip, limit int64, filter bson.M, sort bson.D) mong
   }
 
   // 2. GLOBAL SORT: Sort here so both 'total' and 'data' facets use the same order
-  if sort != nil {
+  if sort != nil && len(sort) > 0 {
     pipe = append(pipe, bson.D{{Key: "$sort", Value: sort}})
   }