diff --git a/cc/cc.go b/cc/cc.go
index e71f859..fb7c8cf 100644
--- a/cc/cc.go
+++ b/cc/cc.go
@@ -2559,17 +2559,20 @@
 					// in the context of proper cc.Modules.
 					if ccWholeStaticLib, ok := ccDep.(*Module); ok {
 						staticLib := ccWholeStaticLib.linker.(libraryInterface)
-						if missingDeps := staticLib.getWholeStaticMissingDeps(); missingDeps != nil {
-							postfix := " (required by " + ctx.OtherModuleName(dep) + ")"
-							for i := range missingDeps {
-								missingDeps[i] += postfix
-							}
-							ctx.AddMissingDependencies(missingDeps)
-						}
-						if _, ok := ccWholeStaticLib.linker.(prebuiltLinkerInterface); ok {
-							depPaths.WholeStaticLibsFromPrebuilts = append(depPaths.WholeStaticLibsFromPrebuilts, linkFile.Path())
+						if objs := staticLib.objs(); len(objs.objFiles) > 0 {
+							depPaths.WholeStaticLibObjs = depPaths.WholeStaticLibObjs.Append(objs)
 						} else {
-							depPaths.WholeStaticLibObjs = depPaths.WholeStaticLibObjs.Append(staticLib.objs())
+							// This case normally catches prebuilt static
+							// libraries, but it can also occur when
+							// AllowMissingDependencies is on and the
+							// dependencies has no sources of its own
+							// but has a whole_static_libs dependency
+							// on a missing library.  We want to depend
+							// on the .a file so that there is something
+							// in the dependency tree that contains the
+							// error rule for the missing transitive
+							// dependency.
+							depPaths.WholeStaticLibsFromPrebuilts = append(depPaths.WholeStaticLibsFromPrebuilts, linkFile.Path())
 						}
 					} else {
 						ctx.ModuleErrorf(
diff --git a/cc/cc_test.go b/cc/cc_test.go
index 132d091..e0d4640 100644
--- a/cc/cc_test.go
+++ b/cc/cc_test.go
@@ -3780,3 +3780,46 @@
 		t.Errorf("expected -DBAR in cppflags, got %q", libfoo.flags.Local.CppFlags)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestEmptyWholeStaticLibsAllowMissingDependencies(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	bp := `
+		cc_library_static {
+			name: "libfoo",
+			srcs: ["foo.c"],
+			whole_static_libs: ["libbar"],
+		}
+
+		cc_library_static {
+			name: "libbar",
+			whole_static_libs: ["libmissing"],
+		}
+	`
+
+	config := TestConfig(buildDir, android.Android, nil, bp, nil)
+	config.TestProductVariables.Allow_missing_dependencies = BoolPtr(true)
+
+	ctx := CreateTestContext()
+	ctx.SetAllowMissingDependencies(true)
+	ctx.Register(config)
+
+	_, errs := ctx.ParseFileList(".", []string{"Android.bp"})
+	android.FailIfErrored(t, errs)
+	_, errs = ctx.PrepareBuildActions(config)
+	android.FailIfErrored(t, errs)
+
+	libbar := ctx.ModuleForTests("libbar", "android_arm64_armv8-a_static").Output("libbar.a")
+	if g, w := libbar.Rule, android.ErrorRule; g != w {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected libbar rule to be %q, got %q", w, g)
+	}
+
+	if g, w := libbar.Args["error"], "missing dependencies: libmissing"; !strings.Contains(g, w) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected libbar error to contain %q, was %q", w, g)
+	}
+
+	libfoo := ctx.ModuleForTests("libfoo", "android_arm64_armv8-a_static").Output("libfoo.a")
+	if g, w := libfoo.Inputs.Strings(), libbar.Output.String(); !android.InList(w, g) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected libfoo.a to depend on %q, got %q", w, g)
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/cc/library.go b/cc/library.go
index 8048f00..bf7868f 100644
--- a/cc/library.go
+++ b/cc/library.go
@@ -338,10 +338,6 @@
 	flagExporter
 	stripper Stripper
 
-	// If we're used as a whole_static_lib, our missing dependencies need
-	// to be given
-	wholeStaticMissingDeps []string
-
 	// For whole_static_libs
 	objects Objects
 
@@ -682,7 +678,6 @@
 }
 
 type libraryInterface interface {
-	getWholeStaticMissingDeps() []string
 	static() bool
 	shared() bool
 	objs() Objects
@@ -889,8 +884,6 @@
 
 	library.coverageOutputFile = TransformCoverageFilesToZip(ctx, library.objects, ctx.ModuleName())
 
-	library.wholeStaticMissingDeps = ctx.GetMissingDependencies()
-
 	ctx.CheckbuildFile(outputFile)
 
 	return outputFile
@@ -1182,10 +1175,6 @@
 		BoolDefault(library.SharedProperties.Shared.Enabled, true)
 }
 
-func (library *libraryDecorator) getWholeStaticMissingDeps() []string {
-	return append([]string(nil), library.wholeStaticMissingDeps...)
-}
-
 func (library *libraryDecorator) objs() Objects {
 	return library.objects
 }