diff --git a/src/groups/mqb/mqbcmd/mqbcmd_parseutil.cpp b/src/groups/mqb/mqbcmd/mqbcmd_parseutil.cpp
index 236c4b4ea..4d74825d3 100644
--- a/src/groups/mqb/mqbcmd/mqbcmd_parseutil.cpp
+++ b/src/groups/mqb/mqbcmd/mqbcmd_parseutil.cpp
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ int parseDomainQueue(DomainQueue*  queue,
 
     const bslstl::StringRef subcommand = next();
 
-    if (name.empty()) {
+    if (subcommand.empty()) {
         *error = "DOMAINS DOMAIN <name> QUEUE <queue_name> command must have "
                  "a subcommand, such as PURGE, INTERNALS, or LIST.";
         return -1;  // RETURN