@@ -1317,14 +1317,18 @@ int ref_transaction_create(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 int ref_transaction_delete(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const struct object_id *old_oid,
-			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags,
+			   const char *old_target,
+			   const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err)
 {
 	if (old_oid && is_null_oid(old_oid))
 		BUG("delete called with old_oid set to zeros");
+	if (old_target && !(flags & REF_NO_DEREF))
+		BUG("delete cannot operate on symrefs with deref mode");
 	return ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname,
 				      null_oid(), old_oid,
-				      NULL, NULL, flags,
+				      NULL, old_target, flags,
 				      msg, err);
 }

diff --git a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
index 8784c59a53..fbc6b234cb 100755
--- a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
+++ b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh

@@ -1689,7 +1689,7 @@ do
 		test_cmp before after
 	'
 
-	test_expect_success "stdin ${type} symref-verify no value is treated as zero value" '
+	test_expect_success "stdin ${type} symref-verify fails with no value" '
 		git symbolic-ref refs/heads/symref >expect &&
 		create_stdin_buf ${type} "symref-verify refs/heads/symref" "" &&
 		test_must_fail git update-ref --stdin ${type} --no-deref <stdin