diff --git a/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist.go b/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist.go
index 11df4c25..a08f1e5a 100644
--- a/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist.go
+++ b/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist.go
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ func init() {
 			return nil, distribution.Descriptor{}, err
 		}
 
-		if m.MediaType != v1.MediaTypeImageIndex {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("mediaType in image index should be '%s' not '%s'",
+		if m.MediaType != "" && m.MediaType != v1.MediaTypeImageIndex {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("if present, mediaType in image index should be '%s' not '%s'",
 				v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, m.MediaType)
 
 			return nil, distribution.Descriptor{}, err
@@ -205,5 +205,12 @@ func (m *DeserializedManifestList) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 // Payload returns the raw content of the manifest list. The contents can be
 // used to calculate the content identifier.
 func (m DeserializedManifestList) Payload() (string, []byte, error) {
-	return m.MediaType, m.canonical, nil
+	var mediaType string
+	if m.MediaType == "" {
+		mediaType = v1.MediaTypeImageIndex
+	} else {
+		mediaType = m.MediaType
+	}
+
+	return mediaType, m.canonical, nil
 }
diff --git a/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist_test.go b/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist_test.go
index 00b43900..e72292f0 100644
--- a/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist_test.go
+++ b/manifest/manifestlist/manifestlist_test.go
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ func TestMediaTypes(t *testing.T) {
 	mediaTypeTest(t, MediaTypeManifestList, "", true)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, MediaTypeManifestList, MediaTypeManifestList, false)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, MediaTypeManifestList, MediaTypeManifestList+"XXX", true)
-	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, "", true)
+	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, "", false)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, false)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex+"XXX", true)
 }
diff --git a/manifest/ocischema/manifest.go b/manifest/ocischema/manifest.go
index a6850fde..6de17f9a 100644
--- a/manifest/ocischema/manifest.go
+++ b/manifest/ocischema/manifest.go
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ func (m *DeserializedManifest) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if manifest.MediaType != v1.MediaTypeImageManifest {
-		return fmt.Errorf("mediaType in manifest should be '%s' not '%s'",
+	if manifest.MediaType != "" && manifest.MediaType != v1.MediaTypeImageManifest {
+		return fmt.Errorf("if present, mediaType in manifest should be '%s' not '%s'",
 			v1.MediaTypeImageManifest, manifest.MediaType)
 	}
 
@@ -120,5 +120,5 @@ func (m *DeserializedManifest) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 // Payload returns the raw content of the manifest. The contents can be used to
 // calculate the content identifier.
 func (m DeserializedManifest) Payload() (string, []byte, error) {
-	return m.MediaType, m.canonical, nil
+	return v1.MediaTypeImageManifest, m.canonical, nil
 }
diff --git a/manifest/ocischema/manifest_test.go b/manifest/ocischema/manifest_test.go
index de53806d..c39d1c9f 100644
--- a/manifest/ocischema/manifest_test.go
+++ b/manifest/ocischema/manifest_test.go
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func mediaTypeTest(t *testing.T, mediaType string, shouldError bool) {
 }
 
 func TestMediaTypes(t *testing.T) {
-	mediaTypeTest(t, "", true)
+	mediaTypeTest(t, "", false)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageManifest, false)
 	mediaTypeTest(t, v1.MediaTypeImageManifest+"XXX", true)
 }
diff --git a/registry/storage/manifeststore.go b/registry/storage/manifeststore.go
index 6543f6fd..73bff573 100644
--- a/registry/storage/manifeststore.go
+++ b/registry/storage/manifeststore.go
@@ -106,6 +106,18 @@ func (ms *manifestStore) Get(ctx context.Context, dgst digest.Digest, options ..
 			return ms.ocischemaHandler.Unmarshal(ctx, dgst, content)
 		case manifestlist.MediaTypeManifestList, v1.MediaTypeImageIndex:
 			return ms.manifestListHandler.Unmarshal(ctx, dgst, content)
+		case "":
+			// OCI image or image index - no media type in the content
+
+			// First see if it looks like an image index
+			res, err := ms.manifestListHandler.Unmarshal(ctx, dgst, content)
+			resIndex := res.(*manifestlist.DeserializedManifestList)
+			if err == nil && resIndex.Manifests != nil {
+				return resIndex, nil
+			}
+
+			// Otherwise, assume it must be an image manifest
+			return ms.ocischemaHandler.Unmarshal(ctx, dgst, content)
 		default:
 			return nil, distribution.ErrManifestVerification{fmt.Errorf("unrecognized manifest content type %s", versioned.MediaType)}
 		}