diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 0287ee397d..27ba1b33c1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@
 - fix #399.  Make sure {envtmpdir} is created if it doesn't exist at the
   start of a testenvironment run. Thanks Manuel Jacob.
 
+- fix #316: Lack of commands key in ini file is now treated as an error.
+  Reported virtualenv status is 'nothing to do' instead of 'commands
+  succeeded', with relevant error message displayed. Thanks Lukasz Rogalski.
 
 2.4.1
 -----
diff --git a/tests/test_venv.py b/tests/test_venv.py
index c156076231..4918cfe308 100644
--- a/tests/test_venv.py
+++ b/tests/test_venv.py
@@ -610,6 +610,7 @@ def test_run_install_command(newmocksession):
 def test_run_custom_install_command(newmocksession):
     mocksession = newmocksession([], """
         [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
         install_command=easy_install {opts} {packages}
     """)
     venv = mocksession.getenv('python')
@@ -626,6 +627,7 @@ def test_run_custom_install_command(newmocksession):
 def test_command_relative_issue26(newmocksession, tmpdir, monkeypatch):
     mocksession = newmocksession([], """
         [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
     """)
     x = tmpdir.ensure("x")
     venv = mocksession.getenv("python")
@@ -700,3 +702,14 @@ def tox_runtest_post(self, venv):
     assert l == []
     mocksession.runtestenv(venv)
     assert l == ['started', 'finished']
+
+
+def test_error_when_commands_missing(newmocksession):
+    mocksession = newmocksession([], """
+        [testenv]
+    """)
+
+    venv = mocksession.getenv('python')
+    venv.status = None
+    mocksession.runtestenv(venv)
+    assert venv.status == 'nothing to do'
diff --git a/tests/test_z_cmdline.py b/tests/test_z_cmdline.py
index 51a9d48a96..febeecb3c0 100644
--- a/tests/test_z_cmdline.py
+++ b/tests/test_z_cmdline.py
@@ -351,6 +351,8 @@ def test_venv_special_chars_issue252(cmd, initproj):
         'tox.ini': '''
             [tox]
             envlist = special&&1
+            [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
             [testenv:special&&1]
             changedir=tests
         '''
@@ -468,7 +470,10 @@ def test_package_install_fails(cmd, initproj):
                 install_requires=['qweqwe123'],
                 )
             """,
-        'tox.ini': '',
+        'tox.ini': """
+        [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
+        """,
     })
     result = cmd.run("tox", )
     assert result.ret
@@ -541,6 +546,8 @@ def test_json(self, cmd, example123):
 
 def test_develop(initproj, cmd):
     initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
+        [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
     """})
     result = cmd.run("tox", "-vv", "--develop")
     assert not result.ret
@@ -550,6 +557,7 @@ def test_develop(initproj, cmd):
 def test_usedevelop(initproj, cmd):
     initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
             [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
             usedevelop=True
     """})
     result = cmd.run("tox", "-vv")
@@ -559,6 +567,8 @@ def test_usedevelop(initproj, cmd):
 
 def test_usedevelop_mixed(initproj, cmd):
     initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
+            [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
             [testenv:devenv]
             usedevelop=True
             [testenv:nondev]
@@ -648,6 +658,7 @@ def test_notest(initproj, cmd):
     initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
         # content of: tox.ini
         [testenv:py26]
+        commands={envpython} --version
         basepython=python
     """})
     result = cmd.run("tox", "-v", "--notest")
@@ -664,7 +675,10 @@ def test_notest(initproj, cmd):
 
 
 def test_PYC(initproj, cmd, monkeypatch):
-    initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': ''})
+    initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
+        [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
+    """})
     monkeypatch.setenv("PYTHONDOWNWRITEBYTECODE", 1)
     result = cmd.run("tox", "-v", "--notest")
     assert not result.ret
@@ -674,7 +688,10 @@ def test_PYC(initproj, cmd, monkeypatch):
 
 
 def test_env_VIRTUALENV_PYTHON(initproj, cmd, monkeypatch):
-    initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': ''})
+    initproj("example123", filedefs={'tox.ini': """
+        [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
+    """})
     monkeypatch.setenv("VIRTUALENV_PYTHON", '/FOO')
     result = cmd.run("tox", "-v", "--notest")
     assert not result.ret, result.stdout.lines
@@ -700,6 +717,8 @@ def test_separate_sdist_no_sdistfile(cmd, initproj):
         'tox.ini': """
             [tox]
             distshare=%s
+            [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
         """ % distshare
     })
     result = cmd.run("tox", "--sdistonly")
@@ -717,6 +736,8 @@ def test_separate_sdist(cmd, initproj):
             [tox]
             distshare=%s
             sdistsrc={distshare}/pkg123-0.7.zip
+            [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
         """ % distshare
     })
     result = cmd.run("tox", "--sdistonly")
@@ -737,6 +758,8 @@ def test_sdist_latest(tmpdir, newconfig):
             [tox]
             distshare=%s
             sdistsrc={distshare}/pkg123-*
+            [testenv]
+            commands={envpython} --version
     """ % distshare)
     p = distshare.ensure("pkg123-1.4.5.zip")
     distshare.ensure("pkg123-1.4.5a1.zip")
@@ -789,6 +812,7 @@ def test_verbosity(cmd, initproj, verbosity):
     initproj("pkgX-0.0.5", filedefs={
         'tox.ini': """
         [testenv]
+        commands={envpython} --version
     """})
     result = cmd.run("tox", verbosity)
     assert result.ret == 0
diff --git a/tox/session.py b/tox/session.py
index ac9d3a5061..0a40b78e1e 100644
--- a/tox/session.py
+++ b/tox/session.py
@@ -565,7 +565,11 @@ def subcommand_test(self):
         return retcode
 
     def runtestenv(self, venv, redirect=False):
-        if not self.config.option.notest:
+        if not venv.envconfig.commands:
+            self.report.error(("Commands not specified. Please update "
+                               "relevant section of {0}").format(self.config.toxinipath))
+            venv.status = "nothing to do"
+        elif not self.config.option.notest:
             if venv.status:
                 return
             self.hook.tox_runtest_pre(venv=venv)