diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/msi.plt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/msi.plt
index 414912583..332defb13 100644
--- a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/msi.plt
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/msi.plt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 use strict;
 use Test;
 
-BEGIN {plan tests => 9}
+BEGIN {plan tests => 11}
 
 # Check include/substitute command model
 ok(msi('-I .. ../t1-template.txt'),             slurp('../t1-result.txt'));
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ ok(msi('-I.. -D -o t8.txt ../t1-template.txt'), slurp('../t8-result.txt'));
 # Dependency generation, dbLoadTemplate format
 ok(msi('-I.. -D -ot9.txt -S ../t2-substitution.txt'), slurp('../t9-result.txt'));
 
+# Substitution file, variable format, with 0 variable definitions
+ok(msi('-I. -I.. -S ../t10-substitute.txt'), slurp('../t10-result.txt'));
+
+# Substitution file, pattern format, with 0 pattern definitions
+ok(msi('-I. -I.. -S ../t11-substitute.txt'), slurp('../t11-result.txt'));
+
 
 # Test support routines
 
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-result.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-result.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..47b594ecb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-result.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# comment line
+a=$(a)
+# comment line
+a=gbl
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-substitute.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-substitute.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aec88bb6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-substitute.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+file t10-template.txt {
+    {}
+}
+
+global { a=gbl }
+file t10-template.txt {
+    {}
+}
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-template.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-template.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7958885a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t10-template.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# comment line
+a=$(a)
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-result.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-result.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..47b594ecb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-result.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# comment line
+a=$(a)
+# comment line
+a=gbl
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-substitute.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-substitute.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94dcdbc12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-substitute.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+file t11-template.txt {
+    pattern {}
+    {}
+}
+
+global { a=gbl }
+file t11-template.txt {
+    pattern {}
+    {}
+}
diff --git a/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-template.txt b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-template.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7958885a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ioc/dbtemplate/test/t11-template.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# comment line
+a=$(a)