diff --git a/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementMaintenanceWorkflow.php b/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementMaintenanceWorkflow.php
index 6c2f64b31c..513891c5c6 100644
--- a/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementMaintenanceWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementMaintenanceWorkflow.php
@@ -1,104 +1,104 @@
 <?php
 
 final class PhabricatorRepositoryManagementMaintenanceWorkflow
   extends PhabricatorRepositoryManagementWorkflow {
 
   protected function didConstruct() {
     $this
       ->setName('maintenance')
       ->setExamples(
         "**maintenance** --start __message__ __repository__ ...\n".
         "**maintenance** --stop __repository__")
       ->setSynopsis(
         pht('Set or clear read-only mode for repository maintenance.'))
       ->setArguments(
         array(
           array(
             'name' => 'start',
             'param' => 'message',
             'help' => pht(
               'Put repositories into maintenance mode.'),
           ),
           array(
             'name' => 'stop',
             'help' => pht(
               'Take repositories out of maintenance mode, returning them '.
               'to normal service.'),
           ),
           array(
             'name' => 'repositories',
             'wildcard' => true,
           ),
         ));
   }
 
   public function execute(PhutilArgumentParser $args) {
     $viewer = $this->getViewer();
 
     $repositories = $this->loadRepositories($args, 'repositories');
     if (!$repositories) {
       throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
         pht('Specify one or more repositories to act on.'));
     }
 
     $message = $args->getArg('start');
-    $is_start = (bool)strlen($message);
+    $is_start = $message !== null;
     $is_stop = $args->getArg('stop');
 
     if (!$is_start && !$is_stop) {
       throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
         pht(
           'Use "--start <message>" to put repositories into maintenance '.
           'mode, or "--stop" to take them out of maintenance mode.'));
     }
 
     if ($is_start && $is_stop) {
       throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
         pht(
           'Specify either "--start" or "--stop", but not both.'));
     }
 
     $content_source = $this->newContentSource();
     $diffusion_phid = id(new PhabricatorDiffusionApplication())->getPHID();
 
     if ($is_start) {
       $new_value = $message;
     } else {
       $new_value = null;
     }
 
     foreach ($repositories as $repository) {
       $xactions = array();
 
       $xactions[] = $repository->getApplicationTransactionTemplate()
         ->setTransactionType(
           PhabricatorRepositoryMaintenanceTransaction::TRANSACTIONTYPE)
         ->setNewValue($new_value);
 
       $repository->getApplicationTransactionEditor()
         ->setActor($viewer)
         ->setActingAsPHID($diffusion_phid)
         ->setContentSource($content_source)
         ->setContinueOnNoEffect(true)
         ->setContinueOnMissingFields(true)
         ->applyTransactions($repository, $xactions);
 
       if ($is_start) {
         echo tsprintf(
           "%s\n",
           pht(
             'Put repository "%s" into maintenance mode.',
             $repository->getDisplayName()));
       } else {
         echo tsprintf(
           "%s\n",
           pht(
             'Took repository "%s" out of maintenance mode.',
             $repository->getDisplayName()));
       }
     }
 
     return 0;
   }
 
 }