diff --git a/plugins/pass/commands/command_test.go b/plugins/pass/commands/command_test.go
index 66ebfafb..f384c8ca 100644
--- a/plugins/pass/commands/command_test.go
+++ b/plugins/pass/commands/command_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,17 @@ func Test_SetCommand(t *testing.T) {
 		_, err := execute(t, mustSetCommand(t), mock, "foo=bar", "--metadata", "invalid")
 		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "invalid metadata pair (expected key=value): invalid")
 	})
+	t.Run("rejects an empty inline value", func(t *testing.T) {
+		mock := teststore.NewMockStore(teststore.WithStoreSaveErr(errors.New("save should not be called for an empty value")))
+		out, err := execute(t, mustSetCommand(t), mock, "foo=")
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, store.ErrEmptySecret)
+		assert.Equal(t, "Error: "+store.ErrEmptySecret.Error()+"\n", out)
+	})
+	t.Run("rejects empty STDIN", func(t *testing.T) {
+		mock := teststore.NewMockStore(teststore.WithStoreSaveErr(errors.New("save should not be called for an empty value")))
+		_, err := executeWithStdin(t, mustSetCommand(t), mock, "", "foo")
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, store.ErrEmptySecret)
+	})
 	t.Run("store error", func(t *testing.T) {
 		errSave := errors.New("save error")
 		mock := teststore.NewMockStore(teststore.WithStoreSaveErr(errSave))
@@ -170,6 +181,16 @@ func Test_SetCommand(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "invalid metadata pair (expected key=value): invalid")
 		assert.NotErrorIs(t, err, client.ErrSecretsEngineNotRunning)
 	})
+	t.Run("--force rejects an empty value before asking the engine", func(t *testing.T) {
+		mock := teststore.NewMockStore(teststore.WithStore(map[store.ID]store.Secret{
+			store.MustParseID("foo"): pass.NewPassValue([]byte("old")),
+		}))
+		cmd := mustSetCommand(t, WithTimeout(time.Second), WithSocketPath(deadSocket(t)))
+		_, err := execute(t, cmd, mock, "foo=", "--force")
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, store.ErrEmptySecret)
+		assert.NotErrorIs(t, err, client.ErrSecretsEngineNotRunning)
+		assertStoredValue(t, mock, "old")
+	})
 	t.Run("--force surfaces upsert error", func(t *testing.T) {
 		errUpsert := errors.New("upsert error")
 		mock := teststore.NewMockStore(teststore.WithStoreUpsertErr(errUpsert))
diff --git a/plugins/pass/commands/set.go b/plugins/pass/commands/set.go
index 753eaa0a..b7586852 100644
--- a/plugins/pass/commands/set.go
+++ b/plugins/pass/commands/set.go
@@ -71,17 +71,7 @@ func SetCommand(options ...ClientOption) (*cobra.Command, error) {
 				return err
 			}
 
-			var s *setPayload
-			switch in, isFile := prompt.UnwrapFile(cmd.InOrStdin()); {
-			case isNotImplicitReadFromStdinSyntax(args):
-				s = &setPayload{val: value}
-			case isFile && term.IsTerminal(in.Fd()):
-				var val string
-				val, err = prompt.ReadMasked(cmd.Context(), in, cmd.ErrOrStderr(), id)
-				s = &setPayload{val: val}
-			default:
-				s, err = secretMappingFromSTDIN(cmd.Context(), cmd.InOrStdin())
-			}
+			s, err := readSecret(cmd, args, value, id)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -131,6 +121,28 @@ func parseMetadataFlags(raw []string) (map[string]string, error) {
 	return m, nil
 }
 
+func readSecret(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, value string, id secrets.ID) (*setPayload, error) {
+	var s *setPayload
+	var err error
+	switch in, isFile := prompt.UnwrapFile(cmd.InOrStdin()); {
+	case isNotImplicitReadFromStdinSyntax(args):
+		s = &setPayload{val: value}
+	case isFile && term.IsTerminal(in.Fd()):
+		var val string
+		val, err = prompt.ReadMasked(cmd.Context(), in, cmd.ErrOrStderr(), id)
+		s = &setPayload{val: val}
+	default:
+		s, err = secretMappingFromSTDIN(cmd.Context(), cmd.InOrStdin())
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if s.val == "" {
+		return nil, secrets.ErrEmptySecret
+	}
+	return s, nil
+}
+
 func isNotImplicitReadFromStdinSyntax(args []string) bool {
 	return strings.Contains(args[0], "=") || len(args) > 1
 }