diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index cdc106b58..779b3dbcf 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ data/.gitignore
 docs/_build
 docs6/_build
 
+man/man1
+
 miller-*.src.rpm
 mlr.exe
 mlr.linux.x86_64
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/cli-help/0001/expout b/go/regtest/cases/cli-help/0001/expout
index b7ded340b..8d1b41b01 100644
--- a/go/regtest/cases/cli-help/0001/expout
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/cli-help/0001/expout
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ Usage: mlr fill-empty [options]
 Fills empty-string fields with specified fill-value.
 Options:
 -v {string} Fill-value: defaults to "N/A"
+-S          Don't infer type -- so '-v 0' would fill string 0 not int 0.
 
 ================================================================
 filter
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/cmd b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/cmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a5f08415
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/cmd
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+mlr --csv fill-empty -v 0 then put -f ${CASEDIR}/mlr regtest/input/fill-down.csv
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/experr b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/experr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/expout b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/expout
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2fc5b084
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/expout
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+a,b,c,tb
+1,0,3,int
+4,5,6,int
+7,0,9,int
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/mlr b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/mlr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4bdb8b24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0003/mlr
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+$tb = typeof($b)
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/cmd b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/cmd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2218924a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/cmd
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+mlr --csv fill-empty -Sv 0 then put -f ${CASEDIR}/mlr regtest/input/fill-down.csv
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/experr b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/experr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/expout b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/expout
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..41df71a75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/expout
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+a,b,c,tb
+1,0,3,string
+4,5,6,int
+7,0,9,string
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/mlr b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/mlr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4bdb8b24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/0004/mlr
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+$tb = typeof($b)
diff --git a/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/x b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/x
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4bdb8b24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/regtest/cases/verb-fill-empty/x
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+$tb = typeof($b)
diff --git a/go/src/transformers/fill-empty.go b/go/src/transformers/fill-empty.go
index 5e7a03909..680692855 100644
--- a/go/src/transformers/fill-empty.go
+++ b/go/src/transformers/fill-empty.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ func transformerFillEmptyUsage(
 	fmt.Fprintf(o, "Fills empty-string fields with specified fill-value.\n")
 	fmt.Fprintf(o, "Options:\n")
 	fmt.Fprintf(o, "-v {string} Fill-value: defaults to \"%s\"\n", defaultFillEmptyString)
+	fmt.Fprintf(o, "-S          Don't infer type -- so '-v 0' would fill string 0 not int 0.\n")
 
 	if doExit {
 		os.Exit(exitCode)
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ func transformerFillEmptyParseCLI(
 	argi++
 
 	fillString := defaultFillEmptyString
+	inferType := true
 
 	for argi < argc /* variable increment: 1 or 2 depending on flag */ {
 		opt := args[argi]
@@ -62,12 +64,15 @@ func transformerFillEmptyParseCLI(
 		} else if opt == "-v" {
 			fillString = cli.VerbGetStringArgOrDie(verb, opt, args, &argi, argc)
 
+		} else if opt == "-S" {
+			inferType = false
+
 		} else {
 			transformerFillEmptyUsage(os.Stderr, true, 1)
 		}
 	}
 
-	transformer, err := NewTransformerFillEmpty(fillString)
+	transformer, err := NewTransformerFillEmpty(fillString, inferType)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
 		os.Exit(1)
@@ -82,9 +87,15 @@ type TransformerFillEmpty struct {
 	fillValue *types.Mlrval
 }
 
-func NewTransformerFillEmpty(fillString string) (*TransformerFillEmpty, error) {
-	tr := &TransformerFillEmpty{
-		fillValue: types.MlrvalFromString(fillString),
+func NewTransformerFillEmpty(
+	fillString string,
+	inferType bool,
+) (*TransformerFillEmpty, error) {
+	tr := &TransformerFillEmpty{}
+	if inferType {
+		tr.fillValue = types.MlrvalFromInferredType(fillString)
+	} else {
+		tr.fillValue = types.MlrvalFromString(fillString)
 	}
 	return tr, nil
 }