diff --git a/doc/bugs/error_out_on_file_size_0_from_external_spec_remote.mdwn b/doc/bugs/error_out_on_file_size_0_from_external_spec_remote.mdwn
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b2358f32a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/bugs/error_out_on_file_size_0_from_external_spec_remote.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+### Please describe the problem.
+
+Here is a reproducer using the place where I encountered it -- using git-annex-remote-rclone (tiny bash script; needs fixing though for recent rclone -- take from [my fork where I am tuning testing etc](https://github.com/yarikoptic/git-annex-remote-rclone/blob/enh-tests/git-annex-remote-rclone)) [https://github.com/DanielDent/git-annex-remote-rclone/](https://github.com/DanielDent/git-annex-remote-rclone/)
+
+<details>
+<summary>this is a reproducer which creates repo and commits to annex of size 0</summary> 
+
+```bash
+#!/bin/bash
+
+cd "$(mktemp -d ${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/dl-XXXXXXX)"
+
+set -eux
+
+# provide versioning information to possibly ease troubleshooting
+git annex version
+rclone --version
+
+export HOME=$PWD
+echo -e '[local]\ntype = local\nnounc =' > ~/.rclone.conf
+# to pacify git/git-annex
+git config --global user.name Me
+git config --global user.email me@example.com
+git config --global init.defaultBranch master
+
+# Prepare rclone remote local store
+mkdir rclone-local
+export RCLONE_PREFIX=$PWD/rclone-local
+
+git-annex version
+mkdir testrepo
+cd testrepo
+git init .
+git-annex init
+git-annex initremote GA-rclone-CI type=external externaltype=rclone target=local prefix=$RCLONE_PREFIX chunk=100MiB encryption=shared mac=HMACSHA512
+
+# Rudimentary test, spaces in the filename must be ok, 0 length files should be ok
+
+touch "test 0"
+
+#echo 1 > "test 1"
+
+git-annex add *
+git-annex copy * --to GA-rclone-CI
+git-annex drop *
+git-annex get --debug *
+
+```
+</details> 
+
+where it ends with
+
+```
++ git-annex get --debug 'test 0'
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.668338168] (Utility.Process) process [1022440] read: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","ls-files","--stage","-z","--error-unmatch","--","test 0"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.668784836] (Utility.Process) process [1022441] chat: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","cat-file","--batch-check=%(objectname) %(objecttype) %(objectsize)","--buffer"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.669111286] (Utility.Process) process [1022442] chat: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","cat-file","--batch=%(objectname) %(objecttype) %(objectsize)","--buffer"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.66965775] (Utility.Process) process [1022443] read: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","show-ref","git-annex"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.670318546] (Utility.Process) process [1022443] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.67074703] (Utility.Process) process [1022444] read: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","show-ref","--hash","refs/heads/git-annex"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.671504449] (Utility.Process) process [1022444] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.672125442] (Utility.Process) process [1022445] read: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","log","refs/heads/git-annex..0da4aa78e4397feb9906400d1e08aaebccac1be1","--pretty=%H","-n1"]
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.673019668] (Utility.Process) process [1022445] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.673440353] (Utility.Process) process [1022446] chat: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","cat-file","--batch=%(objectname) %(objecttype) %(objectsize)","--buffer"]
+get test 0 [2022-06-09 13:16:20.674594171] (Utility.Process) process [1022448] chat: git ["--git-dir=.git","--work-tree=.","--literal-pathspecs","-c","annex.debug=true","cat-file","--batch"]
+(from GA-rclone-CI...) 
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682205613] (Annex.Perms) freezing content directory .git/annex/objects/pX/ZJ/SHA256E-s0--e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855
+
+git-annex: .git/annex/tmp/SHA256E-s0--e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855: rename: does not exist (No such file or directory)
+failed
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682296739] (Utility.Process) process [1022446] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682333234] (Utility.Process) process [1022442] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682384256] (Utility.Process) process [1022441] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682408227] (Utility.Process) process [1022440] done ExitSuccess
+[2022-06-09 13:16:20.682701178] (Utility.Process) process [1022448] done ExitSuccess
+get: 1 failed
+
+```
+
+- you can see that there is not even an attempt to talk to the remote. git-annex crashes before then with that " rename: does not exist (No such file or directory)"
+
+so I do not think it is an issue of the remote (which might also have some size 0 issues from looking at some conditions)
+
+
+### What version of git-annex are you using? On what operating system?
+
+
+tried both 8.20211123 and  10.20220504 from debian