diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index 3dfdd86..e4aef50 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ inputs:
     default: "master"
   tag_prefix:
     description: "The prefix to use to identify tags"
-    required: true
+    required: false
     default: "v"
   major_pattern:
     description: "a string which, if present in a git commit, indicates that a change represents a major (breaking) change"
diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index 7daec53..4fb52c0 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -674,7 +674,7 @@ async function run() {
     const remoteExists = remote !== '';
     const remotePrefix = remoteExists ? 'origin/' : '';
 
-    const tagPrefix = core.getInput('tag_prefix', { required: true });
+    const tagPrefix = core.getInput('tag_prefix') || '';
     const branch = `${remotePrefix}${core.getInput('branch', { required: true })}`;
     const majorPattern = core.getInput('major_pattern', { required: true });
     const minorPattern = core.getInput('minor_pattern', { required: true });
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index ab0310a..8dec0ca 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async function run() {
     const remoteExists = remote !== '';
     const remotePrefix = remoteExists ? 'origin/' : '';
 
-    const tagPrefix = core.getInput('tag_prefix', { required: true });
+    const tagPrefix = core.getInput('tag_prefix') || '';
     const branch = `${remotePrefix}${core.getInput('branch', { required: true })}`;
     const majorPattern = core.getInput('major_pattern', { required: true });
     const minorPattern = core.getInput('minor_pattern', { required: true });
diff --git a/index.test.js b/index.test.js
index ac8b8c4..8fdae2d 100644
--- a/index.test.js
+++ b/index.test.js
@@ -251,4 +251,17 @@ test('Format input is respected', () => {
     expect(result).toMatch('M1m2p4i0');
 
     repo.clean();
-})
+});
+
+test('Version prefixes are not required/can be empty', () => {
+    const repo = createTestRepo({ tag_prefix: '' }); // 0.0.0
+
+    repo.makeCommit('Initial Commit'); // 0.0.1
+    repo.exec('git tag 0.0.1');
+    repo.makeCommit(`Second Commit`); // 0.0.2
+    const result = repo.runAction();
+
+    expect(result).toMatch('Version is 0.0.2');
+
+    repo.clean();
+});