diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/project.el b/lisp/progmodes/project.el
index 1251bca2491..9c8a88c80fc 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/project.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/project.el
@@ -101,7 +101,9 @@ that it is not applicable, or a project instance.")
 (defun project-current (&optional maybe-prompt dir)
   "Return the project instance in DIR or `default-directory'.
 When no project found in DIR, and MAYBE-PROMPT is non-nil, ask
-the user for a different directory to look in."
+the user for a different directory to look in.  If that directory
+is not a part of a detectable project either, return a
+`transient' project instance rooted in it."
   (unless dir (setq dir default-directory))
   (let ((pr (project--find-in-directory dir)))
     (cond
@@ -110,7 +112,8 @@ the user for a different directory to look in."
       (setq dir (read-directory-name "Choose the project directory: " dir nil t)
             pr (project--find-in-directory dir))
       (unless pr
-        (user-error "No project found in `%s'" dir))))
+        (message "Using '%s' as a transient project root" dir)
+        (setq pr (cons 'transient dir)))))
     pr))
 
 (defun project--find-in-directory (dir)
@@ -182,6 +185,9 @@ to find the list of ignores for each directory."
        (t
 	(complete-with-action action all-files string pred))))))
 
+(cl-defmethod project-roots ((project (head transient)))
+  (list (cdr project)))
+
 (defgroup project-vc nil
   "Project implementation using the VC package."
   :version "25.1"
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/page.el b/lisp/textmodes/page.el
index 17fda677754..22c73591b91 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/page.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/page.el
@@ -48,12 +48,13 @@ A page boundary is any line whose beginning matches the regexp
     (and (save-excursion (re-search-backward page-delimiter nil t))
 	 (= (match-end 0) (point))
 	 (goto-char (match-beginning 0)))
-    (forward-char -1)
-    (if (re-search-backward page-delimiter nil t)
-	;; We found one--move to the end of it.
-	(goto-char (match-end 0))
-      ;; We found nothing--go to beg of buffer.
-      (goto-char (point-min)))
+    (unless (bobp)
+      (forward-char -1)
+      (if (re-search-backward page-delimiter nil t)
+	  ;; We found one--move to the end of it.
+	  (goto-char (match-end 0))
+	;; We found nothing--go to beg of buffer.
+	(goto-char (point-min))))
     (setq count (1+ count))))
 
 (defun backward-page (&optional count)