diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/encoding_empty.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/encoding_empty.txtar
index e4e343e847d..734e50e9927 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/encoding_empty.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/encoding_empty.txtar
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ cmp stdout as-cue.stdout
 stderr 'unexpected end of JSON input'
 ! exec cue export jsonl: empty
 stderr '^panic: '
-! exec cue export yaml: empty
-stderr '^panic: '
+exec cue export yaml: empty
+cmp stdout as-yaml.stdout
 exec cue export toml: empty
 cmp stdout as-toml.stdout
 
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ cmp stdout as-cue.stdout
 stderr 'unexpected end of JSON input'
 ! exec cue export jsonl: newlines
 stderr '^panic: '
-! exec cue export yaml: newlines
-stderr '^panic: '
+exec cue export yaml: newlines
+cmp stdout as-yaml.stdout
 exec cue export toml: newlines
 cmp stdout as-toml.stdout
 
@@ -41,13 +41,15 @@ cmp stdout as-cue.stdout
 stderr 'invalid character ./. looking for beginning of value'
 ! exec cue export jsonl: slash-comments
 stderr 'invalid character ./. looking for beginning of value'
-! exec cue export yaml: hash-comments
-stderr '^panic: '
+exec cue export yaml: hash-comments
+cmp stdout as-yaml.stdout
 exec cue export toml: hash-comments
 cmp stdout as-toml.stdout
 
 -- as-cue.stdout --
 {}
+-- as-yaml.stdout --
+null
 -- as-toml.stdout --
 {}
 -- empty --
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/import_list.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/import_list.txtar
index c4656963576..120a61eb81e 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/import_list.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/import_list.txtar
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@ module: "test.example"
 language: version: "v0.9.0"
 -- issue2721/empty.yaml --
 -- issue2721/empty.cue.golden --
-[]
+[null]
diff --git a/internal/encoding/yaml/decode.go b/internal/encoding/yaml/decode.go
index 05a969b8885..25f66e78750 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/yaml/decode.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/yaml/decode.go
@@ -120,10 +120,7 @@ func (d *decoder) Decode() (ast.Expr, error) {
 			// If the input is empty, we produce a single null literal with EOF.
 			// Note that when the input contains "---", we get an empty document
 			// with a null scalar value inside instead.
-			//
-			// TODO(mvdan): the old decoder seemingly intended to do this,
-			// but returned a "null" literal with io.EOF, which consumers ignored.
-			if false && !d.yamlNonEmpty {
+			if !d.yamlNonEmpty {
 				return &ast.BasicLit{
 					Kind:  token.NULL,
 					Value: "null",
diff --git a/internal/encoding/yaml/decode_test.go b/internal/encoding/yaml/decode_test.go
index 1fddbeda226..9e3757437a5 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/yaml/decode_test.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/yaml/decode_test.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ var unmarshalTests = []struct {
 }{
 	{
 		"",
-		"",
+		"null",
 	},
 	{
 		"{}",
@@ -862,7 +862,7 @@ var decoderTests = []struct {
 	want string
 }{{
 	"",
-	"",
+	"null",
 }, {
 	"a: b",
 	`a: "b"`,
diff --git a/pkg/encoding/yaml/testdata/gen.txtar b/pkg/encoding/yaml/testdata/gen.txtar
index 88f103ac59c..1843ced0bce 100644
--- a/pkg/encoding/yaml/testdata/gen.txtar
+++ b/pkg/encoding/yaml/testdata/gen.txtar
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ unmarshalStream: {
 	}, {
 		b: 2
 	}]
-	empty: []
+	empty: [null]
 	nums: [1, 2]
 	null1: [1, null, 2]
 	null2: [1, null, 2]