diff --git a/connect.c b/connect.c
index 067cf409a8..5ccbd1041e 100644
--- a/connect.c
+++ b/connect.c
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ struct ref **get_remote_heads(int in, char *src_buf, size_t src_len,
 	 * response does not necessarily mean an ACL problem, though.
 	 */
 	int saw_response;
+	int got_dummy_ref_with_capabilities_declaration = 0;
 
 	*list = NULL;
 	for (saw_response = 0; ; saw_response = 1) {
@@ -172,8 +173,21 @@ struct ref **get_remote_heads(int in, char *src_buf, size_t src_len,
 			continue;
 		}
 
+		if (!strcmp(name, "capabilities^{}")) {
+			if (saw_response)
+				die("protocol error: unexpected capabilities^{}");
+			if (got_dummy_ref_with_capabilities_declaration)
+				die("protocol error: multiple capabilities^{}");
+			got_dummy_ref_with_capabilities_declaration = 1;
+			continue;
+		}
+
 		if (!check_ref(name, flags))
 			continue;
+
+		if (got_dummy_ref_with_capabilities_declaration)
+			die("protocol error: unexpected ref after capabilities^{}");
+
 		ref = alloc_ref(buffer + GIT_SHA1_HEXSZ + 1);
 		oidcpy(&ref->old_oid, &old_oid);
 		*list = ref;
diff --git a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
index 819b9ddd0f..befdfeefc6 100755
--- a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
+++ b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
@@ -207,5 +207,45 @@ test_expect_success 'ls-remote --symref omits filtered-out matches' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_lazy_prereq GIT_DAEMON '
+	test_tristate GIT_TEST_GIT_DAEMON &&
+	test "$GIT_TEST_GIT_DAEMON" != false
+'
+
+# This test spawns a daemon, so run it only if the user would be OK with
+# testing with git-daemon.
+test_expect_success PIPE,JGIT,GIT_DAEMON 'indicate no refs in standards-compliant empty remote' '
+	JGIT_DAEMON_PORT=${JGIT_DAEMON_PORT-${this_test#t}} &&
+	JGIT_DAEMON_PID= &&
+	git init --bare empty.git &&
+	>empty.git/git-daemon-export-ok &&
+	mkfifo jgit_daemon_output &&
+	{
+		jgit daemon --port="$JGIT_DAEMON_PORT" . >jgit_daemon_output &
+		JGIT_DAEMON_PID=$!
+	} &&
+	test_when_finished kill "$JGIT_DAEMON_PID" &&
+	{
+		read line &&
+		case $line in
+		Exporting*)
+			;;
+		*)
+			echo "Expected: Exporting" &&
+			false;;
+		esac &&
+		read line &&
+		case $line in
+		"Listening on"*)
+			;;
+		*)
+			echo "Expected: Listening on" &&
+			false;;
+		esac
+	} <jgit_daemon_output &&
+	# --exit-code asks the command to exit with 2 when no
+	# matching refs are found.
+	test_expect_code 2 git ls-remote --exit-code git://localhost:$JGIT_DAEMON_PORT/empty.git
+'
 
 test_done