diff --git a/changes/ticket10060 b/changes/ticket10060
index 6ad0feb04b..867c46436b 100644
--- a/changes/ticket10060
+++ b/changes/ticket10060
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
   o Minor features:
-    - Adding --allow-missing-torrc commandline option 
-      that allows Tor to run if configuration file specified
-      by -f is not available, but default torrc is. 
+    - Adding --allow-missing-torrc commandline option that allows Tor to
+      run if configuration file specified by -f is not available.
       Implements ticket 10060.
 
diff --git a/doc/tor.1.txt b/doc/tor.1.txt
index 82f4e33763..b457ee5a7e 100644
--- a/doc/tor.1.txt
+++ b/doc/tor.1.txt
@@ -55,6 +55,11 @@ COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
     configuration file, and by those on the command line. (Default:
     @CONFDIR@/torrc-defaults.)
 
+[[opt-ignore-missing-torrc]] **--ignore-missing-torrc**::
+    Specifies that Tor should treat a missing torrc file as though it
+    were empty. Ordinarily, Tor does this for missing default torrc files,
+    but not for those specified on the command line.
+
 [[opt-hash-password]] **--hash-password** __PASSWORD__::
     Generates a hashed password for control port access.
 
diff --git a/src/test/test_cmdline_args.py b/src/test/test_cmdline_args.py
index 2213bb5702..e8edaa0263 100755
--- a/src/test/test_cmdline_args.py
+++ b/src/test/test_cmdline_args.py
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ def strip_log_junk(line):
         return ""+line
     return m.group(2).strip()
 
+def randstring(entropy_bytes):
+    s = os.urandom(entropy_bytes)
+    return binascii.b2a_hex(s)
+
 class CmdlineTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_version(self):
@@ -247,5 +251,17 @@ class CmdlineTests(unittest.TestCase):
                            "ORPort 9003",
                            "SocksPort 9090"])
 
+    def test_missing_torrc(self):
+        fname = "nonexistent_file_"+randstring(8)
+        out = run_tor(["-f", fname, "--verify-config"], failure=True)
+        ln = [ strip_log_junk(l) for l in lines(out) ]
+        self.assert_("Unable to open configuration file" in ln[-2])
+        self.assert_("Reading config failed" in ln[-1])
+
+        out = run_tor(["-f", fname, "--verify-config", "--ignore-missing-torrc"])
+        ln = [ strip_log_junk(l) for l in lines(out) ]
+        self.assert_(", using reasonable defaults" in ln[-2])
+        self.assert_("Configuration was valid" in ln[-1])
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()