diff --git a/t/t3421-rebase-topology-linear.sh b/t/t3421-rebase-topology-linear.sh
index 325072b..57334dc 100755
--- a/t/t3421-rebase-topology-linear.sh
+++ b/t/t3421-rebase-topology-linear.sh
@@ -205,17 +205,17 @@
 test_run_rebase () {
 	result=$1
 	shift
-	test_expect_$result "rebase $* drops empty commit" "
+	test_expect_$result "rebase $* keeps begin-empty commits" "
 		reset_rebase &&
-		git rebase $* c l &&
-		test_cmp_rev c HEAD~2 &&
-		test_linear_range 'd l' c..
+		git rebase $* j l &&
+		test_cmp_rev c HEAD~4 &&
+		test_linear_range 'j d k l' c..
 	"
 }
-test_run_rebase success ''
+test_run_rebase failure ''
 test_run_rebase success -m
 test_run_rebase success -i
-test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase success -p
+test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase failure -p
 
 test_run_rebase () {
 	result=$1
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@
 test_run_rebase success ''
 test_run_rebase success -m
 test_run_rebase success -i
-test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase failure -p
+test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase success -p
 
 test_run_rebase () {
 	result=$1
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@
 test_run_rebase success ''
 test_run_rebase success -m
 test_run_rebase success -i
-test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase failure -p
+test_have_prereq !REBASE_P || test_run_rebase success -p
 test_run_rebase success --rebase-merges
 
 #       m
diff --git a/t/t3424-rebase-empty.sh b/t/t3424-rebase-empty.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..3b716e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t3424-rebase-empty.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='git rebase of commits that start or become empty'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+test_expect_success 'setup test repository' '
+	test_write_lines 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >numbers &&
+	test_write_lines A B C D E F G H I J >letters &&
+	git add numbers letters &&
+	git commit -m A &&
+
+	git branch upstream &&
+	git branch localmods &&
+
+	git checkout upstream &&
+	test_write_lines A B C D E >letters &&
+	git add letters &&
+	git commit -m B &&
+
+	test_write_lines 1 2 3 4 five 6 7 8 9 ten >numbers &&
+	git add numbers &&
+	git commit -m C &&
+
+	git checkout localmods &&
+	test_write_lines 1 2 3 4 five 6 7 8 9 10 >numbers &&
+	git add numbers &&
+	git commit -m C2 &&
+
+	git commit --allow-empty -m D &&
+
+	test_write_lines A B C D E >letters &&
+	git add letters &&
+	git commit -m "Five letters ought to be enough for anybody"
+'
+
+test_expect_failure 'rebase (am-backend) with a variety of empty commits' '
+	test_when_finished "git rebase --abort" &&
+	git checkout -B testing localmods &&
+	# rebase (--am) should not drop commits that start empty
+	git rebase upstream &&
+
+	test_write_lines D C B A >expect &&
+	git log --format=%s >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_failure 'rebase --merge with a variety of empty commits' '
+	test_when_finished "git rebase --abort" &&
+	git checkout -B testing localmods &&
+	# rebase --merge should not halt on the commit that becomes empty
+	git rebase --merge upstream &&
+
+	test_write_lines D C B A >expect &&
+	git log --format=%s >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'rebase --interactive with a variety of empty commits' '
+	git checkout -B testing localmods &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase --interactive upstream &&
+
+	git rebase --skip &&
+
+	test_write_lines D C B A >expect &&
+	git log --format=%s >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_done
diff --git a/t/t3427-rebase-subtree.sh b/t/t3427-rebase-subtree.sh
index bec48e6..8dceef6 100755
--- a/t/t3427-rebase-subtree.sh
+++ b/t/t3427-rebase-subtree.sh
@@ -85,23 +85,23 @@
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD)" = "Empty commit"
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'Rebase -Xsubtree --keep-empty --onto commit' '
+test_expect_success 'Rebase -Xsubtree --onto commit' '
 	reset_rebase &&
 	git checkout -b rebase-onto to-rebase &&
-	test_must_fail git rebase -Xsubtree=files_subtree --keep-empty --onto files-master master &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase -Xsubtree=files_subtree --onto files-master master &&
 	: first pick results in no changes &&
-	git rebase --continue &&
+	git rebase --skip &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD~2)" = "master4" &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD~)" = "files_subtree/master5" &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD)" = "Empty commit"
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'Rebase -Xsubtree --keep-empty --rebase-merges --onto commit' '
+test_expect_success 'Rebase -Xsubtree --rebase-merges --onto commit' '
 	reset_rebase &&
 	git checkout -b rebase-merges-onto to-rebase &&
-	test_must_fail git rebase -Xsubtree=files_subtree --keep-empty --rebase-merges --onto files-master --root &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase -Xsubtree=files_subtree --rebase-merges --onto files-master --root &&
 	: first pick results in no changes &&
-	git rebase --continue &&
+	git rebase --skip &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD~2)" = "master4" &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD~)" = "files_subtree/master5" &&
 	verbose test "$(commit_message HEAD)" = "Empty commit"