diff --git a/swift/obj/ssync_sender.py b/swift/obj/ssync_sender.py
index 50662da84c..0657b0fd59 100644
--- a/swift/obj/ssync_sender.py
+++ b/swift/obj/ssync_sender.py
@@ -134,10 +134,10 @@ class Sender(object):
             # will be rebuilding them
             self.connection.putheader(
                 'X-Backend-Ssync-Frag-Index', self.node.get(
-                    'index', self.job.get('frag_index')))
+                    'index', self.job.get('frag_index', '')))
             # a revert job to a handoff will not have a node index
             self.connection.putheader('X-Backend-Ssync-Node-Index',
-                                      self.node.get('index'))
+                                      self.node.get('index', ''))
             self.connection.endheaders()
         with exceptions.MessageTimeout(
                 self.daemon.node_timeout, 'connect receive'):
diff --git a/test/unit/obj/test_ssync_sender.py b/test/unit/obj/test_ssync_sender.py
index b6f75ba659..11cd06f22e 100644
--- a/test/unit/obj/test_ssync_sender.py
+++ b/test/unit/obj/test_ssync_sender.py
@@ -272,6 +272,75 @@ class TestSender(BaseTestSender):
                                   method_name, mock_method.mock_calls,
                                   expected_calls))
 
+    def test_connect_handoff(self):
+        node = dict(replication_ip='1.2.3.4', replication_port=5678,
+                    device='sda1')
+        job = dict(partition='9', policy=POLICIES[1], frag_index=9)
+        self.sender = ssync_sender.Sender(self.daemon, node, job, None)
+        self.sender.suffixes = ['abc']
+        with mock.patch(
+                'swift.obj.ssync_sender.bufferedhttp.BufferedHTTPConnection'
+        ) as mock_conn_class:
+            mock_conn = mock_conn_class.return_value
+            mock_resp = mock.MagicMock()
+            mock_resp.status = 200
+            mock_conn.getresponse.return_value = mock_resp
+            self.sender.connect()
+        mock_conn_class.assert_called_once_with('1.2.3.4:5678')
+        expectations = {
+            'putrequest': [
+                mock.call('SSYNC', '/sda1/9'),
+            ],
+            'putheader': [
+                mock.call('Transfer-Encoding', 'chunked'),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Storage-Policy-Index', 1),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Ssync-Frag-Index', 9),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Ssync-Node-Index', ''),
+            ],
+            'endheaders': [mock.call()],
+        }
+        for method_name, expected_calls in expectations.items():
+            mock_method = getattr(mock_conn, method_name)
+            self.assertEquals(expected_calls, mock_method.mock_calls,
+                              'connection method "%s" got %r not %r' % (
+                                  method_name, mock_method.mock_calls,
+                                  expected_calls))
+
+    def test_connect_handoff_replicated(self):
+        node = dict(replication_ip='1.2.3.4', replication_port=5678,
+                    device='sda1')
+        # no frag_index in rsync job
+        job = dict(partition='9', policy=POLICIES[1])
+        self.sender = ssync_sender.Sender(self.daemon, node, job, None)
+        self.sender.suffixes = ['abc']
+        with mock.patch(
+                'swift.obj.ssync_sender.bufferedhttp.BufferedHTTPConnection'
+        ) as mock_conn_class:
+            mock_conn = mock_conn_class.return_value
+            mock_resp = mock.MagicMock()
+            mock_resp.status = 200
+            mock_conn.getresponse.return_value = mock_resp
+            self.sender.connect()
+        mock_conn_class.assert_called_once_with('1.2.3.4:5678')
+        expectations = {
+            'putrequest': [
+                mock.call('SSYNC', '/sda1/9'),
+            ],
+            'putheader': [
+                mock.call('Transfer-Encoding', 'chunked'),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Storage-Policy-Index', 1),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Ssync-Frag-Index', ''),
+                mock.call('X-Backend-Ssync-Node-Index', ''),
+            ],
+            'endheaders': [mock.call()],
+        }
+        for method_name, expected_calls in expectations.items():
+            mock_method = getattr(mock_conn, method_name)
+            self.assertEquals(expected_calls, mock_method.mock_calls,
+                              'connection method "%s" got %r not %r' % (
+                                  method_name, mock_method.mock_calls,
+                                  expected_calls))
+
     def test_call(self):
         def patch_sender(sender):
             sender.connect = mock.MagicMock()