diff --git a/.changeset/chatty-plums-watch.md b/.changeset/chatty-plums-watch.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9be3afd01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/chatty-plums-watch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@changesets/cli": minor
+---
+
+`changeset status` command no longer errors when no packages have been changed.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/add/createChangeset.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/add/createChangeset.ts
index e52ebed99..527a8c814 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/add/createChangeset.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/add/createChangeset.ts
@@ -218,7 +218,6 @@ export default async function createChangeset(
       )}? (current version is ${pkg.packageJson.version})`,
       ["patch", "minor", "major"]
     );
-    console.log(type);
     if (type === "major") {
       let shouldReleaseAsMajor = await confirmMajorRelease(pkg.packageJson);
       if (!shouldReleaseAsMajor) {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/index.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/index.test.ts
index bf33cf49c..44a724081 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/index.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { defaultConfig } from "@changesets/config";
 import * as path from "path";
 import * as pre from "@changesets/pre";
 import { Config } from "@changesets/types";
+import { temporarilySilenceLogs } from "@changesets/test-utils";
 
 let changelogPath = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../changelog");
 let modifiedDefaultConfig: Config = {
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ jest.mock("../publishPackages.ts");
 jest.mock("@changesets/pre");
 
 describe("Publish command", () => {
+  temporarilySilenceLogs();
   let cwd: string;
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/publishPackages.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/publishPackages.test.ts
index ad1533b59..ac3ffe179 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/publishPackages.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish/__tests__/publishPackages.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import fixtures from "fixturez";
 import publishPackages from "../publishPackages";
 import * as npmUtils from "../npm-utils";
 import { getPackages } from "@manypkg/get-packages";
+import { temporarilySilenceLogs } from "@changesets/test-utils";
 
 jest.mock("../npm-utils");
 jest.mock("is-ci", () => true);
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ jest.mock("is-ci", () => true);
 const f = fixtures(__dirname);
 
 describe("publishPackages", () => {
+  temporarilySilenceLogs();
   let cwd: string;
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/status/__tests__/status.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/status/__tests__/status.ts
index 1a57df630..376f1e04d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/status/__tests__/status.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/status/__tests__/status.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import fixtures from "fixturez";
 import fs from "fs-extra";
 import path from "path";
+import * as git from "@changesets/git";
 import { defaultConfig } from "@changesets/config";
 import { temporarilySilenceLogs } from "@changesets/test-utils";
 import writeChangeset from "@changesets/write";
@@ -9,8 +10,10 @@ import status from "..";
 
 import humanId from "human-id";
 import { NewChangeset, ReleasePlan } from "@changesets/types";
+import { Package } from "@manypkg/get-packages";
 
 jest.mock("human-id");
+jest.mock("@changesets/git");
 
 const f = fixtures(__dirname);
 
@@ -53,7 +56,16 @@ const simpleReleasePlan: ReleasePlan = {
   preState: undefined
 };
 
-jest.mock("@changesets/git");
+const simpleChangedPackagesList: Package[] = [
+  {
+    packageJson: { name: "pkg-a", version: "1.0.0", dependencies: {} },
+    dir: "/fake/folder/doesnt/matter"
+  },
+  {
+    packageJson: { name: "pkg-b", version: "1.0.0" },
+    dir: "/fake/folder/doesnt/matter"
+  }
+];
 
 const writeChangesets = (changesets: NewChangeset[], cwd: string) => {
   return Promise.all(changesets.map(commit => writeChangeset(commit, cwd)));
@@ -71,16 +83,61 @@ describe("status", () => {
     const changesetID = "ascii";
     // @ts-ignore
     humanId.mockReturnValueOnce(changesetID);
+    // @ts-ignore
+    git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef.mockImplementation(
+      () => simpleChangedPackagesList
+    );
 
     await writeChangesets([simpleChangeset], cwd);
     const releaseObj = await status(cwd, {}, defaultConfig);
     expect(releaseObj).toEqual(simpleReleasePlan);
   });
-  it("should exit with a non-zero error code when there are no changesets", async () => {
+
+  it("should exit early with a non-zero error code when there are changed packages but no changesets", async () => {
     // @ts-ignore
-    const mockExit = jest.spyOn(process, "exit").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    jest.spyOn(process, "exit").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    // @ts-ignore
+    git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef.mockImplementation(
+      () => simpleChangedPackagesList
+    );
+
     await status(cwd, {}, defaultConfig);
-    expect(mockExit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+
+    expect(process.exit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+  });
+
+  it("should not exit early with a non-zero error code when there are no changed packages", async () => {
+    // @ts-ignore
+    jest.spyOn(process, "exit").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    // @ts-ignore
+    git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef.mockImplementation(() => []);
+
+    const releaseObj = await status(cwd, {}, defaultConfig);
+
+    expect(process.exit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(releaseObj).toEqual({
+      changesets: [],
+      releases: [],
+      preState: undefined
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("should not exit early with a non-zero code when there are changed packages and also a changeset", async () => {
+    // @ts-ignore
+    jest.spyOn(process, "exit").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    // @ts-ignore
+    git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef.mockImplementation(
+      () => simpleChangedPackagesList
+    );
+    const changesetID = "ascii";
+    // @ts-ignore
+    humanId.mockReturnValueOnce(changesetID);
+
+    await writeChangesets([simpleChangeset], cwd);
+    const releaseObj = await status(cwd, {}, defaultConfig);
+
+    expect(releaseObj).toEqual(simpleReleasePlan);
+    expect(process.exit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it.skip("should respect since master flag", () => false);
@@ -88,6 +145,10 @@ describe("status", () => {
   it("should respect the output flag", async () => {
     const output = "nonsense.json";
 
+    // @ts-ignore
+    git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef.mockImplementation(
+      () => simpleChangedPackagesList
+    );
     const changesetID = "ascii";
     // @ts-ignore
     humanId.mockReturnValueOnce(changesetID);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/status/index.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/status/index.ts
index f53eba24b..0dcecae91 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/status/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/status/index.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import chalk from "chalk";
 import table from "tty-table";
 import fs from "fs-extra";
 import path from "path";
+
+import * as git from "@changesets/git";
 import getReleasePlan from "@changesets/get-release-plan";
 import { error, log, info, warn } from "@changesets/logger";
 import {
@@ -32,16 +34,22 @@ export default async function getStatus(
     );
     warn("Use --since=master instead");
   }
-  const releasePlan = await getReleasePlan(
-    cwd,
-    since === undefined ? (sinceMaster ? "master" : undefined) : since,
-    config
-  );
-
+  const sinceBranch =
+    since === undefined ? (sinceMaster ? "master" : undefined) : since;
+  const releasePlan = await getReleasePlan(cwd, sinceBranch, config);
   const { changesets, releases } = releasePlan;
+  const changedPackages = await git.getChangedPackagesSinceRef({
+    cwd,
+    ref: sinceBranch || config.baseBranch
+  });
 
-  if (changesets.length < 1) {
-    error("No changesets present");
+  if (changedPackages.length > 0 && changesets.length === 0) {
+    error(
+      "Some packages have been changed but no changesets were found. Run `changeset add` to resolve this error."
+    );
+    error(
+      "If this change doesn't need a release, run `changeset add --empty`."
+    );
     process.exit(1);
   }