diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/conf.py b/roots/test-excerpt/conf.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9fefc4cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/conf.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+extensions = ["ablog"]
diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-default.rst b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-default.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e962a3ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-default.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+:blogpost: true
+:date: December 03, 2020
+
+excerpt-default
+===============
+
+DEFAULTFIRSTPARA must be shown.
+
+DEFAULTSECONDPARA must not be shown.
diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-one.rst b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-one.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6d7f2b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-one.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+:blogpost: true
+:date: December 02, 2020
+:excerpt: 1
+
+excerpt-one
+===========
+
+ONEFIRSTPARA must be shown.
+
+ONESECONDPARA must not be shown.
diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-zero.rst b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-zero.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..47142a3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/excerpt-zero.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+:blogpost: true
+:date: December 01, 2020
+:excerpt: 0
+
+excerpt-zero
+============
+
+ZEROFIRSTPARA must not be shown.
+
+ZEROSECONDPARA must not be shown.
diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/index.rst b/roots/test-excerpt/index.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c5ada29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/index.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+test-excerpt
+============
+
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 1
+
+   excerpt-zero
+   excerpt-one
+   excerpt-default
+   postlist
diff --git a/roots/test-excerpt/postlist.rst b/roots/test-excerpt/postlist.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6a8ec6b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roots/test-excerpt/postlist.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+postlist
+========
+
+.. postlist::
+   :excerpts:
diff --git a/src/ablog/post.py b/src/ablog/post.py
index c68bcea4..f44941d3 100644
--- a/src/ablog/post.py
+++ b/src/ablog/post.py
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ def apply(self):
         node.document = self.document
         node = _update_post_node(node, metadata, [])
         node["date"] = metadata.get("date")
-        if not metadata.get("excerpt"):
+        if metadata.get("excerpt") is None:
             blog = Blog(self.app)
             node["excerpt"] = blog.post_auto_excerpt
         sections = list(self.document.findall(nodes.section))
diff --git a/src/ablog/tests/test_excerpt.py b/src/ablog/tests/test_excerpt.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50f7447a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ablog/tests/test_excerpt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import pytest
+
+
+def read_text(path):
+    """
+    Support function to give backward compatibility with older sphinx (v2).
+    """
+    if hasattr(path, "read_text"):
+        return path.read_text()
+    return path.text()
+
+
+# ``CheckFrontMatter`` reaches the Sphinx application through the deprecated
+# ``SphinxTransform.app`` property. That is orthogonal to the excerpt handling
+# exercised here, and the suite turns warnings into errors, so it is filtered
+# rather than worked around.
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.filterwarnings("ignore:'ablog.post.CheckFrontMatter.app' is deprecated")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.sphinx("html", testroot="excerpt")  # using roots/test-excerpt
+def test_excerpt_zero_in_front_matter_is_respected(app, status, warning):
+    """
+    An ``:excerpt: 0`` given as page front-matter must suppress the excerpt.
+
+    Regression test: ``0`` is falsy, so it used to be overridden by
+    ``post_auto_excerpt`` and the first paragraph leaked into the postlist.
+    """
+    app.build()
+
+    assert app.statuscode == 0
+    html = read_text(app.outdir / "postlist.html")
+
+    assert "ZEROFIRSTPARA" not in html
+    assert "ZEROSECONDPARA" not in html
+
+
+@pytest.mark.sphinx("html", testroot="excerpt")
+def test_excerpt_count_in_front_matter_is_respected(app, status, warning):
+    """
+    A non-zero ``:excerpt:`` still yields that many paragraphs.
+    """
+    app.build()
+
+    assert app.statuscode == 0
+    html = read_text(app.outdir / "postlist.html")
+
+    assert "ONEFIRSTPARA" in html
+    assert "ONESECONDPARA" not in html
+
+
+@pytest.mark.sphinx("html", testroot="excerpt")
+def test_excerpt_absent_falls_back_to_auto_excerpt(app, status, warning):
+    """
+    With no ``:excerpt:`` at all, ``post_auto_excerpt`` still applies.
+    """
+    app.build()
+
+    assert app.statuscode == 0
+    html = read_text(app.outdir / "postlist.html")
+
+    assert "DEFAULTFIRSTPARA" in html
+    assert "DEFAULTSECONDPARA" not in html
+
+
+@pytest.mark.sphinx("html", testroot="excerpt", confoverrides={"post_auto_excerpt": 2})
+def test_excerpt_zero_overrides_post_auto_excerpt(app, status, warning):
+    """
+    An explicit ``0`` wins over a non-default ``post_auto_excerpt``.
+    """
+    app.build()
+
+    assert app.statuscode == 0
+    html = read_text(app.outdir / "postlist.html")
+
+    assert "ZEROFIRSTPARA" not in html
+    assert "DEFAULTSECONDPARA" in html