diff --git a/cros_mark_as_stable.py b/cros_mark_as_stable.py
index 9a3ab5221c..56a589c682 100755
--- a/cros_mark_as_stable.py
+++ b/cros_mark_as_stable.py
@@ -93,8 +93,12 @@ def _BestEBuild(ebuilds):
   return winner
 
 
-def _FindStableEBuilds(files):
-  """Return a list of stable ebuilds from specified list of files.
+def _FindUprevCandidates(files):
+  """Return a list of uprev candidates from specified list of files.
+
+  Usually an uprev candidate is a the stable ebuild in a cros_workon directory.
+  However, if no such stable ebuild exists (someone just checked in the 9999
+  ebuild), this is the unstable ebuild.
 
   Args:
     files: List of files.
@@ -131,7 +135,8 @@ def _FindStableEBuilds(files):
     if not unstable_ebuilds:
       Die('Missing 9999 ebuild in %s' % os.path.dirname(path))
     if not stable_ebuilds:
-      Die('Missing stable ebuild in %s' % os.path.dirname(path))
+      Warning('Missing stable ebuild in %s' % os.path.dirname(path))
+      return unstable_ebuilds[0]
 
   if stable_ebuilds:
     return stable_ebuilds[0]
@@ -153,7 +158,7 @@ def _BuildEBuildDictionary(overlays, all, packages):
     for package_dir, dirs, files in os.walk(overlay):
       # Add stable ebuilds to overlays[overlay].
       paths = [os.path.join(package_dir, path) for path in files]
-      ebuild = _FindStableEBuilds(paths)
+      ebuild = _FindUprevCandidates(paths)
 
       # If the --all option isn't used, we only want to update packages that
       # are in packages.
@@ -377,8 +382,8 @@ class _EBuild(object):
     else:
       # Has no revision so we stripped the version number instead.
       ebuild_no_version = ebuild_no_rev
-      ebuild_no_rev = ebuild_path.rpartition('.ebuild')[0]
-      rev_string = "0"
+      ebuild_no_rev = ebuild_path.rpartition('9999.ebuild')[0] + '0.0.1'
+      rev_string = '0'
     revision = int(rev_string)
     return (ebuild_no_rev, ebuild_no_version, revision)
 
@@ -448,8 +453,10 @@ class EBuildStableMarker(object):
       _Print('Adding new stable ebuild to git')
       _SimpleRunCommand('git add %s' % new_ebuild_path)
 
-      _Print('Removing old ebuild from git')
-      _SimpleRunCommand('git rm %s' % old_ebuild_path)
+      if self._ebuild.is_stable:
+        _Print('Removing old ebuild from git')
+        _SimpleRunCommand('git rm %s' % old_ebuild_path)
+
       return True
 
   def CommitChange(self, message):
diff --git a/cros_mark_as_stable_unittest.py b/cros_mark_as_stable_unittest.py
index 73985ae4d2..e7fd3317b2 100755
--- a/cros_mark_as_stable_unittest.py
+++ b/cros_mark_as_stable_unittest.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class EBuildTest(mox.MoxTestBase):
   def testParseEBuildPathNoRevisionNumber(self):
     # Test with ebuild without revision number.
     no_rev, no_version, revision = cros_mark_as_stable._EBuild._ParseEBuildPath(
-        '/path/test_package-0.0.1.ebuild')
+        '/path/test_package-9999.ebuild')
     self.assertEquals(no_rev, '/path/test_package-0.0.1')
     self.assertEquals(no_version, '/path/test_package')
     self.assertEquals(revision, 0)
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ class EBuildStableMarkerTest(mox.MoxTestBase):
     self.mox.StubOutWithMock(cros_mark_as_stable, 'RunCommand')
     self.mox.StubOutWithMock(os, 'unlink')
     self.m_ebuild = self.mox.CreateMock(cros_mark_as_stable._EBuild)
+    self.m_ebuild.is_stable = True
     self.m_ebuild.package = 'test_package'
     self.m_ebuild.current_revision = 1
     self.m_ebuild.ebuild_path_no_revision = '/path/test_package-0.0.1'
@@ -281,13 +282,13 @@ class BuildEBuildDictionaryTest(mox.MoxTestBase):
     self.package_path = self.root + '/test_package-0.0.1.ebuild'
     paths = [[self.root, [], []]]
     cros_mark_as_stable.os.walk("/overlay").AndReturn(paths)
-    self.mox.StubOutWithMock(cros_mark_as_stable, '_FindStableEBuilds')
+    self.mox.StubOutWithMock(cros_mark_as_stable, '_FindUprevCandidates')
 
 
   def testWantedPackage(self):
     overlays = {"/overlay": []}
     package = _Package(self.package)
-    cros_mark_as_stable._FindStableEBuilds([]).AndReturn(package)
+    cros_mark_as_stable._FindUprevCandidates([]).AndReturn(package)
     self.mox.ReplayAll()
     cros_mark_as_stable._BuildEBuildDictionary(overlays, False, [self.package])
     self.mox.VerifyAll()
@@ -297,7 +298,7 @@ class BuildEBuildDictionaryTest(mox.MoxTestBase):
   def testUnwantedPackage(self):
     overlays = {"/overlay": []}
     package = _Package(self.package)
-    cros_mark_as_stable._FindStableEBuilds([]).AndReturn(package)
+    cros_mark_as_stable._FindUprevCandidates([]).AndReturn(package)
     self.mox.ReplayAll()
     cros_mark_as_stable._BuildEBuildDictionary(overlays, False, [])
     self.assertEquals(len(overlays), 1)