diff --git a/content/local/store_test.go b/content/local/store_test.go
index 54e90c7cf..86e284a77 100644
--- a/content/local/store_test.go
+++ b/content/local/store_test.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/content"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/content/testsuite"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/testutil"
 
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
@@ -174,7 +175,9 @@ func TestContentWriter(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// now, attempt to write the same data again
 	checkCopy(t, int64(len(p)), cw, bufio.NewReader(ioutil.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(p))))
-	if err := cw.Commit(ctx, int64(len(p)), expected); err != nil {
+	if err := cw.Commit(ctx, int64(len(p)), expected); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected already exists error")
+	} else if !errdefs.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
index 366926c16..908facbdf 100644
--- a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
+++ b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/content"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/testutil"
 	digest "github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
 	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ import (
 func ContentSuite(t *testing.T, name string, storeFn func(ctx context.Context, root string) (context.Context, content.Store, func() error, error)) {
 	t.Run("Writer", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkContentStoreWriter))
 	t.Run("UpdateStatus", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkUpdateStatus))
+	t.Run("CommitExists", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkCommitExists))
 	t.Run("Resume", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkResumeWriter))
 	t.Run("ResumeTruncate", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkResume(resumeTruncate)))
 	t.Run("ResumeDiscard", makeTest(t, name, storeFn, checkResume(resumeDiscard)))
@@ -281,6 +283,39 @@ func checkResumeWriter(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	}
 }
 
+func checkCommitExists(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
+	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
+	if err := content.WriteBlob(ctx, cs, "c1", bytes.NewReader(c1), ocispec.Descriptor{Digest: d1}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	for i, tc := range []struct {
+		expected digest.Digest
+	}{
+		{
+			expected: d1,
+		},
+		{},
+	} {
+		w, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(fmt.Sprintf("c1-commitexists-%d", i)))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if _, err := w.Write(c1); err != nil {
+			w.Close()
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		err = w.Commit(ctx, int64(len(c1)), tc.expected)
+		w.Close()
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("(%d) Expected already exists error", i)
+		} else if !errdefs.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
+			t.Fatalf("(%d) Unexpected error: %+v", i, err)
+		}
+
+	}
+}
+
 func checkUpdateStatus(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
 
@@ -353,7 +388,7 @@ func checkUpdateStatus(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 func checkLabels(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
 
-	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c1"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
+	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c1-checklabels"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}