diff --git a/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYmlSchema.java b/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYmlSchema.java
index c7b7bb31c..60bdd3a04 100644
--- a/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYmlSchema.java
+++ b/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYmlSchema.java
@@ -92,8 +92,7 @@ public class ManifestYmlSchema implements YamlSchema {
 		YType t_env = f.ymap(t_string, t_string);
 
 		// define schema structure...
-		TOPLEVEL_TYPE.addProperty(f.yprop("applications", f.yseq(application))
-				.isRequired(true));
+		TOPLEVEL_TYPE.addProperty(f.yprop("applications", f.yseq(application)));
 		TOPLEVEL_TYPE.addProperty("inherit", t_string, descriptionFor("inherit"));
 
 		YTypedPropertyImpl[] props = {
diff --git a/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYamlEditorTest.java b/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYamlEditorTest.java
index b4e6f2f1e..a71260db8 100644
--- a/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYamlEditorTest.java
+++ b/vscode-extensions/vscode-manifest-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/manifest/yaml/ManifestYamlEditorTest.java
@@ -737,19 +737,6 @@ public class ManifestYamlEditorTest {
 
 	}
 
-	@Test public void applicationsPropertyIsRequired() throws Exception {
-		Editor editor;
-
-		//when the file is empty (there is no AST at all)
-		editor = harness.newEditor(
-				"buildpack: some-buildpack"
-		);
-		editor.assertProblems(
-				"buildpack: some-buildpack|'applications' is required"
-		);
-
-	}
-
 	@Test public void namePropertyIsRequired() throws Exception {
 		Editor editor = harness.newEditor(
 				"applications:\n" +