diff --git a/client/client_test.go b/client/client_test.go
index bdee339040..897969af8a 100644
--- a/client/client_test.go
+++ b/client/client_test.go
@@ -2554,7 +2554,7 @@ func TestRotateKeyInvalidRole(t *testing.T) {
 	repo, _ := initializeRepo(t, data.ECDSAKey, "docker.com/notary", ts.URL, false)
 	defer os.RemoveAll(repo.baseDir)
 
-	// the equivalent of: remotely remotely rotating the root key
+	// the equivalent of: remotely rotating the root key
 	// (RotateKey("root", true)), locally rotating the root key (RotateKey("root", false)),
 	// locally rotating the timestamp key (RotateKey("timestamp", false)),
 	// and remotely rotating the targets key (RotateKey(targets, true)), all of which should
diff --git a/cmd/notary/keys.go b/cmd/notary/keys.go
index f4df2c7082..f4debba3bf 100644
--- a/cmd/notary/keys.go
+++ b/cmd/notary/keys.go
@@ -430,7 +430,11 @@ func (k *keyCommander) keysRotate(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return nRepo.RotateKey(rotateKeyRole, k.rotateKeyServerManaged)
+	err = nRepo.RotateKey(rotateKeyRole, k.rotateKeyServerManaged)
+	if err == nil && k.rotateKeyServerManaged {
+		err = nRepo.Publish()
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 func removeKeyInteractively(keyStores []trustmanager.KeyStore, keyID string,
diff --git a/cmd/notary/keys_test.go b/cmd/notary/keys_test.go
index 62d1c0b90d..6e61b9aaca 100644
--- a/cmd/notary/keys_test.go
+++ b/cmd/notary/keys_test.go
@@ -366,9 +366,7 @@ func TestRotateKeyRemoteServerManagesKey(t *testing.T) {
 
 		cl, err := repo.GetChangelist()
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "unable to get changelist: %v", err)
-		assert.Len(t, cl.List(), 1, "expected a single key rotation change")
-
-		assert.NoError(t, repo.Publish())
+		assert.Len(t, cl.List(), 0, "expected the changes to have been published")
 
 		finalKeys := repo.CryptoService.ListAllKeys()
 		assert.Len(t, initialKeys, 3)