diff --git a/services/application/application/doc.go b/services/application/application/doc.go
index dc803a7..e90bb42 100644
--- a/services/application/application/doc.go
+++ b/services/application/application/doc.go
@@ -106,7 +106,8 @@
 Usage:
    application remove <application> <profile>
 
-<application> is the full name of the application. <profile> is a profile.
+<application> is the full name of the application. <profile> is a profile.  If
+specified as '*', all profiles are removed.
 
 Application edit
 
diff --git a/services/application/application/impl.go b/services/application/application/impl.go
index a3768a4..406a91a 100644
--- a/services/application/application/impl.go
+++ b/services/application/application/impl.go
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
 	ArgsName: "<application> <profile>",
 	ArgsLong: `
 <application> is the full name of the application.
-<profile> is a profile.`,
+<profile> is a profile.  If specified as '*', all profiles are removed.`,
 }
 
 func runRemove(ctx *context.T, env *cmdline.Env, args []string) error {
diff --git a/services/application/applicationd/service.go b/services/application/applicationd/service.go
index 7ca66b8..ea012ff 100644
--- a/services/application/applicationd/service.go
+++ b/services/application/applicationd/service.go
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@
 			return empty, err
 		}
 		if len(versions) < 1 {
-			return empty, verror.New(ErrInvalidSuffix, ctx)
+			return empty, verror.New(verror.ErrNoExist, ctx)
 		}
 		sort.Strings(versions)
 		version = versions[len(versions)-1]
@@ -226,6 +226,12 @@
 
 func (i *appRepoService) allApplications() ([]string, error) {
 	apps, err := i.store.BindObject("/applications").Children()
+	// There is no actual object corresponding to "/applications" in the
+	// store, so Children() returns ErrNoExist when there are no actual app
+	// objects under /applications.
+	if verror.ErrorID(err) == verror.ErrNoExist.ID {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}