diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
index 9e460d89a2..63d9ef5fff 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
@@ -536,6 +536,10 @@ func validatePullPolicy(ctr *api.Container) errs.ValidationErrorList {
 func validateContainers(containers []api.Container, volumes util.StringSet) errs.ValidationErrorList {
 	allErrs := errs.ValidationErrorList{}
 
+	if len(containers) == 0 {
+		return append(allErrs, errs.NewFieldRequired(""))
+	}
+
 	allNames := util.StringSet{}
 	for i, ctr := range containers {
 		cErrs := errs.ValidationErrorList{}
diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
index d4c7318968..331f6f4429 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -723,6 +723,11 @@ func TestValidatePodSpec(t *testing.T) {
 			Volumes:       []api.Volume{{}},
 			RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 			DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+			Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
+		},
+		"no containers": {
+			RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
+			DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
 		},
 		"bad container": {
 			Containers:    []api.Container{{}},
@@ -732,10 +737,12 @@ func TestValidatePodSpec(t *testing.T) {
 		"bad DNS policy": {
 			DNSPolicy:     api.DNSPolicy("invalid"),
 			RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
+			Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 		},
 		"bad restart policy": {
 			RestartPolicy: "UnknowPolicy",
 			DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+			Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 		},
 	}
 	for k, v := range failureCases {
@@ -784,6 +791,7 @@ func TestValidatePod(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 		"bad namespace": {
@@ -791,6 +799,7 @@ func TestValidatePod(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 		"bad spec": {
@@ -810,12 +819,13 @@ func TestValidatePod(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 	}
 	for k, v := range errorCases {
 		if errs := ValidatePod(&v); len(errs) == 0 {
-			t.Errorf("expected failure for %s", k)
+			t.Errorf("expected failure for %q", k)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -1216,6 +1226,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationControllerUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "abc", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -1227,6 +1238,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationControllerUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "abc", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 				Volumes:       []api.Volume{{Name: "gcepd", VolumeSource: api.VolumeSource{GCEPersistentDisk: &api.GCEPersistentDiskVolumeSource{"my-PD", "ext4", 1, false}}}},
 			},
 		},
@@ -1376,6 +1388,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationController(t *testing.T) {
 			Spec: api.PodSpec{
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "abc", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -1388,6 +1401,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationController(t *testing.T) {
 				Volumes:       []api.Volume{{Name: "gcepd", VolumeSource: api.VolumeSource{GCEPersistentDisk: &api.GCEPersistentDiskVolumeSource{"my-PD", "ext4", 1, false}}}},
 				RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 				DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+				Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "abc", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -1518,6 +1532,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationController(t *testing.T) {
 					Spec: api.PodSpec{
 						RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyOnFailure,
 						DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+						Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 					},
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						Labels: validSelector,
@@ -1536,6 +1551,7 @@ func TestValidateReplicationController(t *testing.T) {
 					Spec: api.PodSpec{
 						RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyNever,
 						DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+						Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 					},
 					ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 						Labels: validSelector,
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
index 0fcd5b802c..11ec7a3b6d 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/config_test.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ func CreateValidPod(name, namespace, source string) api.Pod {
 		Spec: api.PodSpec{
 			RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 			DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+			Containers:    []api.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}},
 		},
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
index 59baba517b..a004c971b9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/http_test.go
@@ -151,8 +151,9 @@ func TestExtractFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 				}),
 		},
 		{
-			desc:      "Single manifest without ID",
-			manifests: v1beta1.ContainerManifest{Version: "v1beta1", UUID: "111"},
+			desc: "Single manifest without ID",
+			manifests: v1beta1.ContainerManifest{Version: "v1beta1", UUID: "111",
+				Containers: []v1beta1.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"}}},
 			expected: CreatePodUpdate(kubelet.SET,
 				kubelet.HTTPSource,
 				api.Pod{
@@ -165,6 +166,11 @@ func TestExtractFromHTTP(t *testing.T) {
 					Spec: api.PodSpec{
 						RestartPolicy: api.RestartPolicyAlways,
 						DNSPolicy:     api.DNSClusterFirst,
+						Containers: []api.Container{{
+							Name:  "ctr",
+							Image: "image",
+							TerminationMessagePath: "/dev/termination-log",
+							ImagePullPolicy:        "IfNotPresent"}},
 					},
 				}),
 		},