diff --git a/lmformatenforcer/jsonschemaparser.py b/lmformatenforcer/jsonschemaparser.py
index 01631cd..7df02e4 100644
--- a/lmformatenforcer/jsonschemaparser.py
+++ b/lmformatenforcer/jsonschemaparser.py
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ def can_end(self) -> bool:
     def get_allowed_control_characters(self):
         num_items = self.num_items_seen
         is_on_top = self.root.context.active_parser.object_stack[-1] == self
-        if (not is_on_top) and self.root.last_non_whitespace_character != "[":
+        if (not is_on_top) and self.root.context.active_parser.last_non_whitespace_character != "[":
             # If there is an active parser above us, and the last character is not [, 
             # there is an active item parser on the stack that we did not count yet.
             num_items += 1
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ def get_allowed_control_characters(self):
         has_enough_items = self.min_items is None or num_items >= self.min_items
         can_add_another_item = self.max_items is None or num_items < self.max_items
 
-        if can_add_another_item:
+        if num_items > 0 and can_add_another_item:
             control_characters += ","
         if has_enough_items:
             control_characters += "]"
diff --git a/tests/test_jsonschemaparser.py b/tests/test_jsonschemaparser.py
index fd3556b..3d8c6f5 100644
--- a/tests/test_jsonschemaparser.py
+++ b/tests/test_jsonschemaparser.py
@@ -344,3 +344,13 @@ class EmptyListOKModel(BaseModel):
     
     no_strings = '{"num":1,"list_of_strings":[\n]}'
     _test_json_schema_parsing_with_string(no_strings, EmptyListOKModel.model_json_schema(), True)
+
+
+def test_comma_cannot_start_list():
+    class FlightRoute(BaseModel):
+        airports: List[str]
+    output_notok = """ { "airports": [,"name"] } """
+    output_ok = """ { "airports": ["name"] } """
+    
+    _test_json_schema_parsing_with_string(output_ok, FlightRoute.model_json_schema(), True)
+    _test_json_schema_parsing_with_string(output_notok, FlightRoute.model_json_schema(), False)