diff --git a/builtin/ls-remote.c b/builtin/ls-remote.c
index 70f5622d9d..8ee91eb547 100644
--- a/builtin/ls-remote.c
+++ b/builtin/ls-remote.c
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 #include "remote.h"
 
 static const char ls_remote_usage[] =
-"git ls-remote [--heads] [--tags]  [-u <exec> | --upload-pack <exec>] <repository> <refs>...";
+"git ls-remote [--heads] [--tags]  [-u <exec> | --upload-pack <exec>]\n"
+"                     [<repository> [<refs>...]]";
 
 /*
  * Is there one among the list of patterns that match the tail part
@@ -73,9 +74,6 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		break;
 	}
 
-	if (!dest)
-		usage(ls_remote_usage);
-
 	if (argv[i]) {
 		int j;
 		pattern = xcalloc(sizeof(const char *), argc - i + 1);
@@ -87,6 +85,11 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		}
 	}
 	remote = remote_get(dest);
+	if (!remote) {
+		if (dest)
+			die("bad repository '%s'", dest);
+		die("No remote configured to list refs from.");
+	}
 	if (!remote->url_nr)
 		die("remote %s has no configured URL", dest);
 	transport = transport_get(remote, NULL);
diff --git a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
index 1dd8eed5bb..3cf1b3da40 100755
--- a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
+++ b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
@@ -49,4 +49,62 @@ test_expect_success 'ls-remote self' '
 
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'dies when no remote specified and no default remotes found' '
+
+	test_must_fail git ls-remote
+
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'use "origin" when no remote specified' '
+
+	git remote add origin "$(pwd)/.git" &&
+	git ls-remote >actual &&
+	test_cmp expected.all actual
+
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'use branch.<name>.remote if possible' '
+
+	#
+	# Test that we are indeed using branch.<name>.remote, not "origin", even
+	# though the "origin" remote has been set.
+	#
+
+	# setup a new remote to differentiate from "origin"
+	git clone . other.git &&
+	(
+		cd other.git &&
+		echo "$(git rev-parse HEAD)	HEAD"
+		git show-ref	| sed -e "s/ /	/"
+	) >exp &&
+
+	git remote add other other.git &&
+	git config branch.master.remote other &&
+
+	git ls-remote >actual &&
+	test_cmp exp actual
+
+'
+
+cat >exp <<EOF
+fatal: 'refs*master' does not appear to be a git repository
+fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly
+EOF
+test_expect_success 'confuses pattern as remote when no remote specified' '
+	#
+	# Do not expect "git ls-remote <pattern>" to work; ls-remote, correctly,
+	# confuses <pattern> for <remote>. Although ugly, this behaviour is akin
+	# to the confusion of refspecs for remotes by git-fetch and git-push,
+	# eg:
+	#
+	#   $ git fetch branch
+	#
+
+	# We could just as easily have used "master"; the "*" emphasizes its
+	# role as a pattern.
+	test_must_fail git ls-remote refs*master >actual 2>&1 &&
+	test_cmp exp actual
+
+'
+
 test_done