diff --git a/osc/commandline.py b/osc/commandline.py
index 80c56472..3ed519d7 100644
--- a/osc/commandline.py
+++ b/osc/commandline.py
@@ -4315,7 +4315,7 @@ Please submit there instead, or use --nodevelproject to force direct submission.
     @cmdln.option('-F', '--file', metavar='FILE',
                   help='read log message from FILE, \'-\' denotes standard input.')
     @cmdln.option('-f', '--force', default=False, action="store_true",
-                  help='ignored')
+                  help='force commit, even if there were no changes')
     @cmdln.option('--skip-validation', default=False, action="store_true",
                   help='deprecated, don\'t use it')
     @cmdln.option('-v', '--verbose', default=False, action="store_true",
@@ -4414,13 +4414,13 @@ Please submit there instead, or use --nodevelproject to force direct submission.
                     if repl in('y', 'Y'):
                         can_branch = True
 
-                prj.commit(packages, msg=msg, files=files, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose, can_branch=can_branch)
+                prj.commit(packages, msg=msg, files=files, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose, can_branch=can_branch, force=opts.force)
                 store_unlink_file(prj.absdir, '_commit_msg')
             for pac in single_paths:
                 p = Package(pac)
                 if not msg and not opts.no_message:
                     msg = get_commit_msg(p.absdir, [p])
-                p.commit(msg, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose)
+                p.commit(msg, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose, force=opts.force)
                 store_unlink_file(p.absdir, '_commit_msg')
         else:
             for p in pacs:
@@ -4429,7 +4429,7 @@ Please submit there instead, or use --nodevelproject to force direct submission.
                 p.todo.sort()
                 if not msg and not opts.no_message:
                     msg = get_commit_msg(p.absdir, [p])
-                p.commit(msg, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose)
+                p.commit(msg, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, verbose=opts.verbose, force=opts.force)
                 store_unlink_file(p.absdir, '_commit_msg')
 
     @cmdln.option('-r', '--revision', metavar='REV',
diff --git a/osc/core.py b/osc/core.py
index 09b5aa75..1ec2b203 100644
--- a/osc/core.py
+++ b/osc/core.py
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ class Project:
             finally:
                 self.write_packages()
 
-    def commit(self, pacs = (), msg = '', files = {}, verbose = False, skip_local_service_run = False, can_branch=False):
+    def commit(self, pacs = (), msg = '', files = {}, verbose = False, skip_local_service_run = False, can_branch=False, force=False):
         if len(pacs):
             try:
                 for pac in pacs:
@@ -931,7 +931,7 @@ class Project:
                         else:
                             p = Package(os.path.join(self.dir, pac))
                         p.todo = todo
-                        p.commit(msg, verbose=verbose, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, can_branch=can_branch)
+                        p.commit(msg, verbose=verbose, skip_local_service_run=skip_local_service_run, can_branch=can_branch, force=force)
                     elif pac in self.pacs_unvers and not is_package_dir(os.path.join(self.dir, pac)):
                         print('osc: \'%s\' is not under version control' % pac)
                     elif pac in self.pacs_broken:
@@ -1349,7 +1349,7 @@ class Package:
             todo.append(n.get('name'))
         return todo
 
-    def commit(self, msg='', verbose=False, skip_local_service_run=False, can_branch=False):
+    def commit(self, msg='', verbose=False, skip_local_service_run=False, can_branch=False, force=False):
         # commit only if the upstream revision is the same as the working copy's
         upstream_rev = self.latest_rev()
         if self.rev != upstream_rev:
@@ -1421,7 +1421,7 @@ class Package:
                         % (filename, st))
                 todo_send[filename] = f.md5
 
-        if not real_send and not todo_delete and not self.islinkrepair() and not self.ispulled():
+        if not force and not real_send and not todo_delete and not self.islinkrepair() and not self.ispulled():
             print('nothing to do for package %s' % self.name)
             return 1