diff --git a/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/EncodingTest.scala b/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/EncodingTest.scala
index 7b62e98..21598f9 100644
--- a/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/EncodingTest.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/EncodingTest.scala
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ class EncodingSuite extends FunSuite {
     val builder = new MessageBuilder();
     val root = builder.initRoot(TestAnyPointer.factory);
 
-
     val oldReader = {
       val oldVersion = root.getAnyPointerField().initAs(TestOldVersion.factory);
       oldVersion.setOld1(123);
@@ -211,6 +210,17 @@ class EncodingSuite extends FunSuite {
     assert(12345 == GLOBAL_INT);
   }
 
+  test("EmptyStruct") {
+    val builder = new MessageBuilder();
+    val root = builder.initRoot(TestAnyPointer.factory);
+    root.hasAnyPointerField() should equal (false);
+    val any = root.getAnyPointerField();
+    any.isNull() should equal (true);
+    any.initAs(TestEmptyStruct.factory);
+    any.isNull() should equal (false);
+    root.hasAnyPointerField() should equal (true);
+  }
+
   // to debug, do this:
   //Serialize.writeMessage((new java.io.FileOutputStream("/Users/dwrensha/Desktop/test.dat")).getChannel(),
   //                       message);
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/AnyPointer.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/AnyPointer.java
index e28ea59..e5cdc1e 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/AnyPointer.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/AnyPointer.java
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ public final class AnyPointer {
 
     public final static class Reader {
         final SegmentReader segment;
-        final int pointer;
+        final int pointer; // offset in words
         final int nestingLimit;
 
         public Reader(SegmentReader segment, int pointer, int nestingLimit) {
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ public final class AnyPointer {
             this.nestingLimit = nestingLimit;
         }
 
+        public final boolean isNull() {
+            return WirePointer.isNull(this.segment.buffer.getLong(this.pointer * Constants.BYTES_PER_WORD));
+        }
+
         public final <T> T getAs(FromPointerReader<T> factory) {
             return factory.fromPointerReader(this.segment, this.pointer, this.nestingLimit);
         }
@@ -48,6 +52,10 @@ public final class AnyPointer {
             this.pointer = pointer;
         }
 
+        public final boolean isNull() {
+            return WirePointer.isNull(this.segment.buffer.getLong(this.pointer * Constants.BYTES_PER_WORD));
+        }
+
         public final <T> T getAs(FromPointerBuilder<T> factory) {
             return factory.fromPointerBuilder(this.segment, this.pointer);
         }
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
index db527e4..875738f 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
@@ -48,7 +48,10 @@ final class WireHelpers {
                                    int amount, // in words
                                    byte kind) {
 
-        // TODO check for nullness, amount == 0 case.
+        if (amount == 0 && kind == WirePointer.STRUCT) {
+            WirePointer.setKindAndTargetForEmptyStruct(segment.buffer, refOffset);
+            return new AllocateResult(refOffset, refOffset, segment);
+        }
 
         int ptr = segment.allocate(amount);
         if (ptr == SegmentBuilder.FAILED_ALLOCATION) {
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WirePointer.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WirePointer.java
index e5deda9..23920d4 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WirePointer.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WirePointer.java
@@ -50,6 +50,19 @@ final class WirePointer {
                       (((targetOffset - offset) - 1) << 2) | kind);
     }
 
+    public static void setKindAndTargetForEmptyStruct(ByteBuffer buffer, int offset) {
+        //# This pointer points at an empty struct. Assuming the
+        //# WirePointer itself is in-bounds, we can set the target to
+        //# point either at the WirePointer itself or immediately after
+        //# it. The latter would cause the WirePointer to be "null"
+        //# (since for an empty struct the upper 32 bits are going to
+        //# be zero). So we set an offset of -1, as if the struct were
+        //# allocated immediately before this pointer, to distinguish
+        //# it from null.
+
+        buffer.putInt(offset * 8, 0xfffffffc);
+    }
+
     public static void setOffsetAndKind(ByteBuffer buffer, int offset, int offsetAndKind) {
         buffer.putInt(offset * 8, offsetAndKind);
     }