diff --git a/src/runtime/proc.go b/src/runtime/proc.go
index 5ef9b32417..c3315cd2db 100644
--- a/src/runtime/proc.go
+++ b/src/runtime/proc.go
@@ -5361,6 +5361,7 @@ func gcd(a, b uint32) uint32 {
 }
 
 // An initTask represents the set of initializations that need to be done for a package.
+// Keep in sync with ../../test/initempty.go:initTask
 type initTask struct {
 	// TODO: pack the first 3 fields more tightly?
 	state uintptr // 0 = uninitialized, 1 = in progress, 2 = done
diff --git a/test/initempty.go b/test/initempty.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..60bd9fb35e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/initempty.go
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// run
+
+// Copyright 2019 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// Test that empty init functions are skipped.
+
+package main
+
+import _ "unsafe" // for go:linkname
+
+type initTask struct {
+	state uintptr
+	ndeps uintptr
+	nfns  uintptr
+}
+
+//go:linkname main_inittask main..inittask
+var main_inittask initTask
+
+func main() {
+	if nfns := main_inittask.nfns; nfns != 0 {
+		println(nfns)
+		panic("unexpected init funcs")
+	}
+}
+
+func init() {
+}
+
+func init() {
+	if false {
+	}
+}
+
+func init() {
+	for false {
+	}
+}