diff --git a/cmd/bazel-git/archive.go b/cmd/bazel-git/archive.go
index 47a3a6f8f71da90ad67eb0e9968ecf5bacb61945..438a8bf7c5810426ed422ba9aaef062d8e622de3 100644
--- a/cmd/bazel-git/archive.go
+++ b/cmd/bazel-git/archive.go
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ func writeTar(repo *git.Repository, commit *object.Commit, prefix string, archiv
 	if err = writeCommitHash(commit, archive); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	if err = writeRoot(commit, prefix, archive); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
 	for {
 		name, entry, err := walker.Next()
@@ -169,6 +172,23 @@ func writeMetadata(repo *git.Repository, commit *object.Commit, name string, ent
 	return nil
 }
 
+func writeRoot(commit *object.Commit, prefix string, archive *tar.Writer) error {
+	header := &tar.Header{
+		Name:     prefix,
+		Mode:     0775,
+		Size:     0,
+		Typeflag: tar.TypeDir,
+		ModTime:  commit.Committer.When,
+	}
+
+	err := archive.WriteHeader(header)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func adjustName(entry object.TreeEntry, name string, prefix string) string {
 	name = prefix + name
 	if entry.Mode == filemode.Dir || entry.Mode == filemode.Submodule {