diff --git a/gdb/ChangeLog b/gdb/ChangeLog
index b3aa092e78d..5cec8d53d6d 100644
--- a/gdb/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2014-06-16  Keith Seitz  <keiths@redhat.com>
+
+	PR mi/15863
+	* mi/mi-cmd-var.c (mi_cmd_var_update_iter): Do not attempt
+	to update the varobj if inferior_ptid is null_ptid.
+
 2014-06-16  Tom Tromey  <tromey@redhat.com>
 
 	* target.h (struct target_ops) <to_info_proc>: Make parameter
diff --git a/gdb/mi/mi-cmd-var.c b/gdb/mi/mi-cmd-var.c
index 90596161a7f..08a87bf72bc 100644
--- a/gdb/mi/mi-cmd-var.c
+++ b/gdb/mi/mi-cmd-var.c
@@ -642,7 +642,9 @@ mi_cmd_var_update_iter (struct varobj *var, void *data_pointer)
 
   thread_id = varobj_get_thread_id (var);
 
-  if (thread_id == -1 && is_stopped (inferior_ptid))
+  if (thread_id == -1
+      && (ptid_equal (inferior_ptid, null_ptid)
+	  || is_stopped (inferior_ptid)))
     thread_stopped = 1;
   else
     {
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 17e2a1aa31a..cb671f5306a 100644
--- a/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2014-06-16  Keith Seitz  <keiths@redhat.com>
+
+	PR mi/15863
+	* gdb.mi/mi-var-cmd.exp: Add test for -var-update before
+	the inferior is started.
+
 2014-06-16  Pedro Alves  <palves@redhat.com>
 
 	* gdb.base/break-main-file-remove-fail.c: New file.
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/mi-var-cmd.exp b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/mi-var-cmd.exp
index 46a4e9e5049..03e1b4c5f97 100644
--- a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/mi-var-cmd.exp
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/mi-var-cmd.exp
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ mi_gdb_load ${binfile}
 
 mi_create_varobj "global_simple" "global_simple" "create global variable"
 
+# PR mi/15863
+# Attempt to update the varobj before running the inferior.
+mi_gdb_test "-var-update *" \
+	"\\^done,changelist=\\\[\\\]" \
+	"update varobj before running inferior"
+
 # Test: c_variable-1.2
 # Desc: Create non-existent variable