diff --git a/src/ahriman/application/handlers/init.py b/src/ahriman/application/handlers/init.py
index acdaa9c3..beed55da 100644
--- a/src/ahriman/application/handlers/init.py
+++ b/src/ahriman/application/handlers/init.py
@@ -39,4 +39,4 @@ class Init(Handler):
         :param architecture: repository architecture
         :param configuration: configuration instance
         """
-        Application(architecture, configuration)
+        Application(architecture, configuration).repository.repo.init()
diff --git a/src/ahriman/core/alpm/repo.py b/src/ahriman/core/alpm/repo.py
index 6c83e481..077fd9ee 100644
--- a/src/ahriman/core/alpm/repo.py
+++ b/src/ahriman/core/alpm/repo.py
@@ -68,6 +68,16 @@ class Repo:
             cwd=self.paths.repository,
             logger=self.logger)
 
+    def init(self) -> None:
+        """
+        create empty repository database
+        """
+        Repo._check_output(
+            "repo-add", *self.sign_args, str(self.repo_path),
+            exception=None,
+            cwd=self.paths.repository,
+            logger=self.logger)
+
     def remove(self, package: str, filename: Path) -> None:
         """
         remove package from repository
diff --git a/tests/ahriman/application/handlers/test_handler_init.py b/tests/ahriman/application/handlers/test_handler_init.py
index 195365b2..4d70153c 100644
--- a/tests/ahriman/application/handlers/test_handler_init.py
+++ b/tests/ahriman/application/handlers/test_handler_init.py
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ def test_run(args: argparse.Namespace, configuration: Configuration, mocker: Moc
     must run command
     """
     create_tree_mock = mocker.patch("ahriman.models.repository_paths.RepositoryPaths.create_tree")
+    init_mock = mocker.patch("ahriman.core.alpm.repo.Repo.init")
 
     Init.run(args, "x86_64", configuration)
     create_tree_mock.assert_called_once()
+    init_mock.assert_called_once()
diff --git a/tests/ahriman/core/alpm/test_repo.py b/tests/ahriman/core/alpm/test_repo.py
index e2b7a48f..c5db53f6 100644
--- a/tests/ahriman/core/alpm/test_repo.py
+++ b/tests/ahriman/core/alpm/test_repo.py
@@ -24,6 +24,17 @@ def test_repo_add(repo: Repo, mocker: MockerFixture) -> None:
     assert check_output_mock.call_args[0][0] == "repo-add"
 
 
+def test_repo_init(repo: Repo, mocker: MockerFixture) -> None:
+    """
+    must call repo-add with empty package list on repo initializing
+    """
+    check_output_mock = mocker.patch("ahriman.core.alpm.repo.Repo._check_output")
+
+    repo.init()
+    check_output_mock.assert_called_once()
+    assert check_output_mock.call_args[0][0] == "repo-add"
+
+
 def test_repo_remove(repo: Repo, mocker: MockerFixture) -> None:
     """
     must call repo-remove on package addition