builtin/column.c | 2 ++
 column.c         | 4 ++--
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

[…]

diff --git c/column.c w/column.c
index ff2f0abf39..9cc703832a 100644
--- c/column.c
+++ w/column.c

@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ void print_columns(const struct string_list *list,

unsigned int colopts,
 	memset(&nopts, 0, sizeof(nopts));
 	nopts.indent = opts && opts->indent ? opts->indent : "";
 	nopts.nl = opts && opts->nl ? opts->nl : "\n";
-	nopts.padding = opts ? opts->padding : 1;
+	nopts.padding = (opts && 0 < opts->padding) ? opts->padding : 1;

 	nopts.width = opts && opts->width ? opts->width : term_columns() - 1;
 	if (!column_active(colopts)) {
 		display_plain(list, "", "\n");

@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ int run_column_filter(int colopts, const struct

column_options *opts)
 		strvec_pushf(argv, "--width=%d", opts->width);
 	if (opts && opts->indent)
 		strvec_pushf(argv, "--indent=%s", opts->indent);
-	if (opts && opts->padding)
+	if (opts && 0 < opts->padding)
 		strvec_pushf(argv, "--padding=%d", opts->padding);

 	fflush(stdout);