Index: ELF/InputFiles.h
===================================================================
--- ELF/InputFiles.h
+++ ELF/InputFiles.h
@@ -242,6 +242,8 @@
   MemoryBufferRef getMember(const Archive::Symbol *Sym);
 
 private:
+  void maybeWarnOnEmptyArchive();
+
   std::unique_ptr<Archive> File;
   llvm::DenseSet<uint64_t> Seen;
 };
Index: ELF/InputFiles.cpp
===================================================================
--- ELF/InputFiles.cpp
+++ ELF/InputFiles.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@
 
 std::vector<InputFile *> InputFile::Pool;
 
+static bool isBitcode(MemoryBufferRef MB) {
+  using namespace sys::fs;
+  return identify_magic(MB.getBuffer()) == file_magic::bitcode;
+}
+
 // Deletes all InputFile instances created so far.
 void InputFile::freePool() {
   // Files are freed in reverse order so that files created
@@ -424,19 +429,11 @@
 
 template <class ELFT> void ArchiveFile::parse() {
   File = check(Archive::create(MB), "failed to parse archive");
+  maybeWarnOnEmptyArchive();
 
   // Read the symbol table to construct Lazy objects.
-  bool IsEmpty = true;
-  for (const Archive::Symbol &Sym : File->symbols()) {
+  for (const Archive::Symbol &Sym : File->symbols())
     Symtab<ELFT>::X->addLazyArchive(this, Sym);
-    IsEmpty = false;
-  }
-
-  if (IsEmpty)
-    warn(getName() + " has no symbol. Chances are you are doing "
-         "an LTO build and forgot to use an ar command that can create "
-         "a symbol table for LLVM bitcode files. If so, use llvm-ar or "
-         "GNU ar + plugin.");
 }
 
 // Returns a buffer pointing to a member file containing a given symbol.
@@ -460,6 +457,27 @@
   return Ret;
 }
 
+// Checks for a common usage error of ar command. This is purely optional.
+// This function doesn't affect the program's behavior.
+void ArchiveFile::maybeWarnOnEmptyArchive() {
+  if (File->symbols().begin() != File->symbols().end())
+    return;
+
+  Error Err;
+  for (const ErrorOr<Archive::Child> &COrErr : File->children(Err)) {
+    Archive::Child C = check(COrErr);
+    if (!isBitcode(check(C.getMemoryBufferRef())))
+      return;
+  }
+  if (Err)
+    Error(Err);
+
+  warn(getName() + " has no symbol."
+       " Chances are you are doing an LTO build and forgot to use an ar"
+       " command that can create a symbol table for LLVM bitcode files."
+       " If so, use llvm-ar or GNU ar + plugin.");
+}
+
 template <class ELFT>
 SharedFile<ELFT>::SharedFile(MemoryBufferRef M)
     : ELFFileBase<ELFT>(Base::SharedKind, M), AsNeeded(Config->AsNeeded) {}
@@ -767,11 +785,6 @@
       StringRef((char *)ELFData.data(), Size), MB.getBufferIdentifier()));
 }
 
-static bool isBitcode(MemoryBufferRef MB) {
-  using namespace sys::fs;
-  return identify_magic(MB.getBuffer()) == file_magic::bitcode;
-}
-
 InputFile *elf::createObjectFile(MemoryBufferRef MB, StringRef ArchiveName) {
   InputFile *F =
       isBitcode(MB) ? new BitcodeFile(MB) : createELFFile<ObjectFile>(MB);
Index: test/ELF/empty-archive.s
===================================================================
--- test/ELF/empty-archive.s
+++ test/ELF/empty-archive.s
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
 // RUN: llvm-ar rc %t.a
 // RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64-pc-linux %s -o %t.o
-// RUN: ld.lld -shared %t.o %t.a -o t 2>&1 | FileCheck %s
-
-// CHECK: has no symbol.
+// RUN: ld.lld -shared %t.o %t.a -o t
Index: test/ELF/lto/archive.ll
===================================================================
--- test/ELF/lto/archive.ll
+++ test/ELF/lto/archive.ll
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@
 ; RUN: ld.lld -m elf_x86_64 %t2.o --whole-archive %t.a -o %t3 -shared
 ; RUN: llvm-readobj -t %t3 | FileCheck %s
 
+; RUN: llvm-ar rcS %t4.a %t1.o
+; RUN: ld.lld -m elf_x86_64 %t2.o %t4.a -o %t3 -shared 2>&1 \
+; RUN:   | FileCheck -check-prefix=WARN %s
 
 ; CHECK:      Name: g (
 ; CHECK-NEXT: Value:
@@ -25,6 +28,8 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT: Other: 0
 ; CHECK-NEXT: Section: .text
 
+; WARN: has no symbol.
+
 target datalayout = "e-m:e-i64:64-f80:128-n8:16:32:64-S128"
 target triple = "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu"