diff --git a/Command/Init.hs b/Command/Init.hs
index 0191060511..2abe4c6615 100644
--- a/Command/Init.hs
+++ b/Command/Init.hs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 module Command.Init where
 
-import Control.Monad (when)
+import Control.Monad
 
 import Command
 import qualified Annex
@@ -17,15 +17,13 @@ import Init
 	
 command :: [Command]
 command = [standaloneCommand "init" paramDesc seek
-		"initialize git-annex with repository description"]
+		"initialize git-annex"]
 
 seek :: [CommandSeek]
 seek = [withWords start]
 
 start :: CommandStartWords
 start ws = do
-	when (null description) $
-		error "please specify a description of this repository\n"
 	showStart "init" description
 	next $ perform description
 	where
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 54fdbd835c..7803c9a62a 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ git-annex (3.20110820) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * Set EMAIL when running test suite so that git does not need to be
     configured first. Closes: #638998
   * The wget command will now be used in preference to curl, if available.
+  * init: Make description an optional parameter.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:41:01 -0400
 
diff --git a/doc/git-annex.mdwn b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
index 52599611ed..e7ac9adf7a 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
@@ -119,9 +119,7 @@ Many git-annex commands will stage changes for later `git commit` by you.
   Use this to undo an unlock command if you don't want to modify
   the files, or have made modifications you want to discard.
 
-* init description
-
-  Initializes git-annex with a description of the git repository.
+* init [description]
 
   Until a repository (or one of its remotes) has been initialized,
   git-annex will refuse to operate on it, to avoid accidentially