diff --git a/src/ostree/ot-builtin-commit.c b/src/ostree/ot-builtin-commit.c
index 99687c52..85c4c65d 100644
--- a/src/ostree/ot-builtin-commit.c
+++ b/src/ostree/ot-builtin-commit.c
@@ -437,13 +437,6 @@ ostree_builtin_commit (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError
         goto out;
     }
 
-  if (!opt_subject)
-    {
-      g_set_error_literal (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED,
-                           "A subject must be specified with --subject");
-      goto out;
-    }
-
   if (!ostree_repo_prepare_transaction (repo, NULL, cancellable, error))
     goto out;
 
diff --git a/tests/basic-test.sh b/tests/basic-test.sh
index 0373fcbc..93f67f17 100755
--- a/tests/basic-test.sh
+++ b/tests/basic-test.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
-echo "1..56"
+echo "1..57"
 
 $OSTREE checkout test2 checkout-test2
 echo "ok checkout"
@@ -103,6 +103,12 @@ $OSTREE commit -b test2-no-parent -s '' --parent=none $test_tmpdir/checkout-test
 assert_streq $($OSTREE log test2-no-parent |grep '^commit' | wc -l) "1"
 echo "ok commit no parent"
 
+cd ${test_tmpdir}
+empty_rev=$($OSTREE commit -b test2-no-subject -s '' --timestamp="2005-10-29 12:43:29 +0000" $test_tmpdir/checkout-test2-4)
+omitted_rev=$($OSTREE commit -b test2-no-subject-2 --timestamp="2005-10-29 12:43:29 +0000" $test_tmpdir/checkout-test2-4)
+assert_streq $empty_rev $omitted_rev
+echo "ok commit no subject"
+
 cd ${test_tmpdir}
 $OSTREE commit -b test2-custom-parent -s '' $test_tmpdir/checkout-test2-4
 $OSTREE commit -b test2-custom-parent -s '' $test_tmpdir/checkout-test2-4