diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 01689e2..e1b6a83 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -545,6 +545,11 @@ so the merged branch goes and the ones above it are restacked onto trunk before
 otherwise the next PR up would show the merged commits too. A dry run only says which branches that
 would be.
 
+GitHub won't open a PR for a branch with no commits of its own, so submit stops before pushing
+anything when such a branch (without a PR already) sits under another one it is about to submit,
+and tells you the `git stack reorder` that moves it to the top (or to pop it, or commit on it). At
+the top of what's submitted it's only a notice.
+
 Branches are pushed with `--force-with-lease`, so after a restack your branches are force
 pushed. If a branch has commits on the remote that aren't in your local one (someone else pushed
 to it), submit refuses rather than overwrite them. `git sync` pulls them in when the remote is
diff --git a/pkg/app/submit.go b/pkg/app/submit.go
index d787ade..a580086 100644
--- a/pkg/app/submit.go
+++ b/pkg/app/submit.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/DomBlack/git-stack/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/DomBlack/git-stack/pkg/forge"
 	"github.com/DomBlack/git-stack/pkg/git"
+	"github.com/DomBlack/git-stack/pkg/shell"
 	"github.com/DomBlack/git-stack/pkg/stack"
 )
 
@@ -192,6 +193,10 @@ func (a *App) submit(ctx context.Context, repo git.Repo, o SubmitOptions) (Submi
 		}
 	}
 
+	if err := a.checkEmpty(ctx, repo, s, live(s.Branches), len(live(scope)), before, o.DryRun, &res); err != nil {
+		return res, err
+	}
+
 	var newBranches []string
 	for _, b := range live(scope) {
 		pr, has := before[b.Name]
@@ -767,3 +772,56 @@ func (a *App) closePending(ctx context.Context, repo git.Repo, prs []forge.PullR
 		res.Notices = append(res.Notices, fmt.Sprintf("could not update the list of pull requests to close: %v", err))
 	}
 }
+
+// checkEmpty looks for branches about to be submitted that have no commits
+// of their own (everything in them is in the branch below) and no open pull
+// request. GitHub won't open a pull request with no commits, so at the top
+// that is a notice; under another branch being submitted it stops the
+// submit, since the pull requests above have nothing to stack on. The way
+// out is to move it to the top, drop it or commit on it. branches are the
+// stack's live branches, the first n of them being submitted. A dry run
+// only says so.
+func (a *App) checkEmpty(ctx context.Context, repo git.Repo, s *stack.Stack, branches []stack.Branch, n int, prs map[string]forge.PullRequest, dryRun bool, res *SubmitResult) error {
+	var empty []string
+	parent := s.Trunk
+	for i, b := range branches[:n] {
+		pr, has := prs[b.Name]
+		open := has && (pr.State == forge.StateOpen || pr.State == forge.StateDraft)
+		count, err := a.d.Git.CountCommits(ctx, repo, parent, b.Name)
+		parent = b.Name
+		if err != nil || count > 0 || open {
+			continue
+		}
+		if i == n-1 {
+			res.Notices = append(res.Notices, fmt.Sprintf("%s has no commits of its own, so GitHub won't open a pull request for it yet", b.Name))
+			continue
+		}
+		empty = append(empty, b.Name)
+	}
+	if len(empty) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	order := slices.DeleteFunc(s.Names(), func(name string) bool { return slices.Contains(empty, name) })
+	order = append(order, empty...)
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf("%s %s no commits of its own, so GitHub can't open a pull request for %s for the ones above to stack on",
+		joinNames(empty), pluralise(len(empty), "has", "have"), pluralise(len(empty), "it", "them"))
+	if dryRun {
+		res.Notices = append(res.Notices, msg+"; a real submit stops here")
+		return nil
+	}
+	// Branch names can't hold control characters, so quoting never fails.
+	quote := func(name string) string {
+		q, _ := shell.Arg(name)
+		return q
+	}
+	args := make([]string, len(order))
+	for i, name := range order {
+		args[i] = quote(name)
+	}
+	first := empty[0]
+	return stack.New(stack.KindInvalidArgs, msg).WithSteps(
+		fmt.Sprintf("move %s to the top: git stack reorder %s", pluralise(len(empty), "it", "them"), strings.Join(args, " ")),
+		fmt.Sprintf("or drop %s: git stack checkout %s, then git stack pop", first, quote(first)),
+		fmt.Sprintf("or commit on %s: git stack checkout %s, then git stack modify", first, quote(first)),
+	)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/app/submit_test.go b/pkg/app/submit_test.go
index 457f4d4..5755948 100644
--- a/pkg/app/submit_test.go
+++ b/pkg/app/submit_test.go
@@ -855,3 +855,38 @@ func kindOf(err error) stack.Kind {
 	}
 	return stack.KindUnknown
 }
+
+// An empty branch under another one being submitted stops the submit
+// before anything is pushed, saying how to move it to the top; at the top
+// it is only a notice.
+func TestSubmitRefusesAnEmptyBranchInTheMiddle(t *testing.T) {
+	deps, sf, _, repo, dir := submitFixture(t)
+	gittest.Run(t, dir, "branch", "empty", "a")
+	graph := stack.NewGraph([]stack.Stack{{Trunk: "main", Branches: []stack.Branch{{Name: "a"}, {Name: "empty"}, {Name: "b"}}}})
+	deps.Meta = memMeta{graph}
+	sf.graph = graph
+
+	res, err := app.New(deps).Submit(context.Background(), repo, app.SubmitOptions{DryRun: true})
+	if err != nil || !slices.ContainsFunc(res.Notices, func(n string) bool { return strings.Contains(n, "empty has no commits of its own") }) {
+		t.Errorf("dry run: %v %q", err, res.Notices)
+	}
+
+	_, err = app.New(deps).Submit(context.Background(), repo, app.SubmitOptions{NoEdit: true})
+	se, ok := errors.AsType[*stack.Error](err)
+	if !ok || se.Kind != stack.KindInvalidArgs || !slices.Contains(se.NextSteps, "move it to the top: git stack reorder a b empty") {
+		t.Fatalf("err = %#v", err)
+	}
+	if len(sf.opts) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("nothing may be submitted: %+v", sf.opts)
+	}
+
+	// At the top it's only a notice.
+	graph = stack.NewGraph([]stack.Stack{{Trunk: "main", Branches: []stack.Branch{{Name: "a"}, {Name: "b"}, {Name: "empty"}}}})
+	deps.Meta = memMeta{graph}
+	sf.graph = graph
+	gittest.Run(t, dir, "branch", "-f", "empty", "b")
+	res, err = app.New(deps).Submit(context.Background(), repo, app.SubmitOptions{NoEdit: true})
+	if err != nil || !slices.ContainsFunc(res.Notices, func(n string) bool { return strings.Contains(n, "won't open a pull request for it yet") }) {
+		t.Errorf("top: %v %q", err, res.Notices)
+	}
+}