diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c b/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
index ab389f42da..36fdf5b115 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-cmds.c
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ void qmp_boxed_union(UserDefListUnion *arg, Error **errp)
 {
 }
 
+void qmp_boxed_empty(Empty1 *arg, Error **errp)
+{
+}
+
 __org_qemu_x_Union1 *qmp___org_qemu_x_command(__org_qemu_x_EnumList *a,
                                               __org_qemu_x_StructList *b,
                                               __org_qemu_x_Union2 *c,
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/commands.py b/scripts/qapi/commands.py
index b929e07be4..7e3dd1068a 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/commands.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/commands.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ def gen_call(name, arg_type, boxed, ret_type):
 
     argstr = ''
     if boxed:
-        assert arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty()
+        assert arg_type
         argstr = '&arg, '
     elif arg_type:
         assert not arg_type.variants
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def gen_marshal_decl(name):
 
 
 def gen_marshal(name, arg_type, boxed, ret_type):
-    have_args = arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty()
+    have_args = boxed or (arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty())
 
     ret = mcgen('''
 
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/common.py b/scripts/qapi/common.py
index f5583d3eac..6e25479939 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/common.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/common.py
@@ -1684,12 +1684,7 @@ class QAPISchemaCommand(QAPISchemaEntity):
             self.arg_type = schema.lookup_type(self._arg_type_name)
             assert isinstance(self.arg_type, QAPISchemaObjectType)
             self.arg_type.check(schema)
-            if self.boxed:
-                if self.arg_type.is_empty():
-                    raise QAPISemError(self.info,
-                                       "Cannot use 'boxed' with empty type")
-            else:
-                assert not self.arg_type.variants
+            assert not self.arg_type.variants or self.boxed
         elif self.boxed:
             raise QAPISemError(self.info, "Use of 'boxed' requires 'data'")
         if self._ret_type_name:
@@ -1718,12 +1713,7 @@ class QAPISchemaEvent(QAPISchemaEntity):
             self.arg_type = schema.lookup_type(self._arg_type_name)
             assert isinstance(self.arg_type, QAPISchemaObjectType)
             self.arg_type.check(schema)
-            if self.boxed:
-                if self.arg_type.is_empty():
-                    raise QAPISemError(self.info,
-                                       "Cannot use 'boxed' with empty type")
-            else:
-                assert not self.arg_type.variants
+            assert not self.arg_type.variants or self.boxed
         elif self.boxed:
             raise QAPISemError(self.info, "Use of 'boxed' requires 'data'")
 
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/events.py b/scripts/qapi/events.py
index b732581046..e0abfef7b0 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/events.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/events.py
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ def gen_event_send(name, arg_type, boxed, event_enum_name, event_emit):
     # practice, we can rename our local variables with a leading _ prefix,
     # or split the code into a wrapper function that creates a boxed
     # 'param' object then calls another to do the real work.
+    have_args = boxed or (arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty())
+
     ret = mcgen('''
 
 %(proto)s
@@ -73,15 +75,13 @@ def gen_event_send(name, arg_type, boxed, event_enum_name, event_emit):
 ''',
                 proto=build_event_send_proto(name, arg_type, boxed))
 
-    if arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty():
+    if have_args:
         ret += mcgen('''
     QObject *obj;
     Visitor *v;
 ''')
         if not boxed:
             ret += gen_param_var(arg_type)
-    else:
-        assert not boxed
 
     ret += mcgen('''
 
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def gen_event_send(name, arg_type, boxed, event_enum_name, event_emit):
 ''',
                  name=name)
 
-    if arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty():
+    if have_args:
         ret += mcgen('''
     v = qobject_output_visitor_new(&obj);
 ''')
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def gen_event_send(name, arg_type, boxed, event_enum_name, event_emit):
                  event_emit=event_emit,
                  c_enum=c_enum_const(event_enum_name, name))
 
-    if arg_type and not arg_type.is_empty():
+    if have_args:
         ret += mcgen('''
     visit_free(v);
 ''')
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index 3723496959..f653a1172d 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -312,7 +312,6 @@ qapi-schema += args-array-empty.json
 qapi-schema += args-array-unknown.json
 qapi-schema += args-bad-boxed.json
 qapi-schema += args-boxed-anon.json
-qapi-schema += args-boxed-empty.json
 qapi-schema += args-boxed-string.json
 qapi-schema += args-int.json
 qapi-schema += args-invalid.json
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.err b/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.err
deleted file mode 100644
index 039603e85c..0000000000
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.err
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.json:3: Cannot use 'boxed' with empty type
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.exit b/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.exit
deleted file mode 100644
index d00491fd7e..0000000000
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.exit
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-1
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.json b/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 52717e065f..0000000000
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-# 'boxed' requires a non-empty type
-{ 'struct': 'Empty', 'data': {} }
-{ 'command': 'foo', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'Empty' }
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.out b/tests/qapi-schema/args-boxed-empty.out
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb2..0000000000
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
index 0fadb4ddd7..e6dbbbd328 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@
 { 'command': 'guest-sync', 'data': { 'arg': 'any' }, 'returns': 'any' }
 { 'command': 'boxed-struct', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'UserDefZero' }
 { 'command': 'boxed-union', 'data': 'UserDefListUnion', 'boxed': true }
+{ 'command': 'boxed-empty', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'Empty1' }
 
 # Smoke test on out-of-band and allow-preconfig-test
 { 'command': 'test-flags-command', 'allow-oob': true, 'allow-preconfig': true }
@@ -181,6 +182,7 @@
   'data': { 'a' : 'EventStructOne', 'b' : 'str', '*c': 'str', '*enum3': 'EnumOne' } }
 { 'event': 'EVENT_E', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'UserDefZero' }
 { 'event': 'EVENT_F', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'UserDefFlatUnion' }
+{ 'event': 'EVENT_G', 'boxed': true, 'data': 'Empty1' }
 
 # test that we correctly compile downstream extensions, as well as munge
 # ticklish names
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
index 5470a525f5..fb00a21996 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ command boxed-struct UserDefZero -> None
    gen=True success_response=True boxed=True oob=False preconfig=False
 command boxed-union UserDefListUnion -> None
    gen=True success_response=True boxed=True oob=False preconfig=False
+command boxed-empty Empty1 -> None
+   gen=True success_response=True boxed=True oob=False preconfig=False
 command test-flags-command None -> None
    gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=True preconfig=True
 object UserDefOptions
@@ -254,6 +256,8 @@ event EVENT_E UserDefZero
    boxed=True
 event EVENT_F UserDefFlatUnion
    boxed=True
+event EVENT_G Empty1
+   boxed=True
 enum __org.qemu_x-Enum
     member __org.qemu_x-value
 object __org.qemu_x-Base
