diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set.go
index b808b7c98a..81d7ab0f53 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set.go
@@ -28,6 +28,19 @@ func testResourceNestedSet() *schema.Resource {
 				Optional: true,
 				ForceNew: true,
 			},
+			"type_list": {
+				Type:     schema.TypeList,
+				Optional: true,
+				Elem: &schema.Resource{
+					Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
+						"value": {
+							Type:     schema.TypeString,
+							ForceNew: true,
+							Optional: true,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
 			"single": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeSet,
 				Optional: true,
@@ -98,7 +111,6 @@ func testResourceNestedSet() *schema.Resource {
 							Type:     schema.TypeString,
 							Required: true,
 						},
-
 						"list": {
 							Type:     schema.TypeList,
 							Optional: true,
@@ -106,6 +118,18 @@ func testResourceNestedSet() *schema.Resource {
 								Type: schema.TypeString,
 							},
 						},
+						"list_block": {
+							Type:     schema.TypeList,
+							Optional: true,
+							Elem: &schema.Resource{
+								Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
+									"unused": {
+										Type:     schema.TypeString,
+										Optional: true,
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
 					},
 				},
 			},
diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set_test.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set_test.go
index f85e2a1909..99e7651cee 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_set_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package test
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -56,6 +57,118 @@ resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
 	})
 }
 
+// the empty type_list must be passed to the provider with 1 nil element
+func TestResourceNestedSet_emptyBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
+		root := s.ModuleByPath(addrs.RootModuleInstance)
+		res := root.Resources["test_resource_nested_set.foo"]
+		for k, v := range res.Primary.Attributes {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(k, "type_list") && v != "1" {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unexpected set value: %s:%s", k, v)
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
+	type_list {
+	}
+}
+				`),
+				Check: checkFunc,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func TestResourceNestedSet_emptyNestedListBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
+		root := s.ModuleByPath(addrs.RootModuleInstance)
+		res := root.Resources["test_resource_nested_set.foo"]
+		found := false
+		for k, v := range res.Primary.Attributes {
+			if !regexp.MustCompile(`^with_list\.\d+\.list_block\.`).MatchString(k) {
+				continue
+			}
+			found = true
+
+			if strings.HasSuffix(k, ".#") {
+				if v != "1" {
+					return fmt.Errorf("expected block with no objects: got %s:%s", k, v)
+				}
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// there should be no other attribute values for an empty block
+			return fmt.Errorf("unexpected attribute: %s:%s", k, v)
+		}
+		if !found {
+			return fmt.Errorf("with_list.X.list_block not found")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
+	with_list {
+		required = "ok"
+		list_block {
+		}
+	}
+}
+				`),
+				Check: checkFunc,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+func TestResourceNestedSet_emptyNestedList(t *testing.T) {
+	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
+		root := s.ModuleByPath(addrs.RootModuleInstance)
+		res := root.Resources["test_resource_nested_set.foo"]
+		found := false
+		for k, v := range res.Primary.Attributes {
+			if regexp.MustCompile(`^with_list\.\d+\.list\.#$`).MatchString(k) {
+				found = true
+				if v != "0" {
+					return fmt.Errorf("expected empty list: %s, got %s", k, v)
+				}
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if !found {
+			return fmt.Errorf("with_list.X.nested_list not found")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
+	with_list {
+		required = "ok"
+		list = []
+	}
+}
+				`),
+				Check: checkFunc,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func TestResourceNestedSet_addRemove(t *testing.T) {
 	var id string
 	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
@@ -339,3 +452,50 @@ resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
 		},
 	})
 }
+
+// This is the same as forceNewEmptyString, but we start with the empty value,
+// instead of changing it.
+func TestResourceNestedSet_nestedSetEmptyString(t *testing.T) {
+	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
+		return nil
+	}
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
+	multi {
+		set {
+			required = ""
+		}
+	}
+}
+				`),
+				Check: checkFunc,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func TestResourceNestedSet_emptySet(t *testing.T) {
+	checkFunc := func(s *terraform.State) error {
+		return nil
+	}
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource_nested_set" "foo" {
+	multi {
+	}
+}
+				`),
+				Check: checkFunc,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_test.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_test.go
index d1a9c1b73e..9237b52fca 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_nested_test.go
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ resource "test_resource_nested" "foo" {
 						"nested.0.nested_again.0.string": "a",
 						"nested.1.string":                "",
 						"nested.1.optional":              "false",
+						"nested.1.nested_again.#":        "0",
 					}
 					delete(got, "id") // it's random, so not useful for testing
 
diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_test.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_test.go
index b9eb064552..12bf568faa 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_test.go
@@ -521,3 +521,23 @@ resource "test_resource" "two" {
 		},
 	})
 }
+
+func TestResource_emptyMapValue(t *testing.T) {
+	resource.UnitTest(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckResourceDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: strings.TrimSpace(`
+resource "test_resource" "foo" {
+	required     = "ok"
+	required_map = {
+		a = "a"
+		b = ""
+	}
+}
+				`),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}