diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_computed_set.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_computed_set.go
index 09b49d420..092cd2276 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_computed_set.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_computed_set.go
@@ -70,6 +70,12 @@ func testResourceComputedSet() *schema.Resource {
 					},
 				},
 			},
+			"optional_set": {
+				Type:     schema.TypeSet,
+				Optional: true,
+				Elem:     &schema.Schema{Type: schema.TypeString},
+				Set:      schema.HashString,
+			},
 		},
 	}
 }
@@ -101,6 +107,9 @@ func testResourceComputedSetRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error
 	}
 
 	d.Set("string_set", schema.NewSet(schema.HashString, set))
+
+	// This isn't computed, but we should be able to ignore without issues.
+	d.Set("optional_set", []interface{}{})
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/builtin/providers/test/resource_list.go b/builtin/providers/test/resource_list.go
index 32d4c9da0..a3d01b79e 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/test/resource_list.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/test/resource_list.go
@@ -75,6 +75,36 @@ func testResourceList() *schema.Resource {
 				Computed: true,
 				Elem:     &schema.Schema{Type: schema.TypeString},
 			},
+
+			"never_set": {
+				Type:     schema.TypeList,
+				MaxItems: 1,
+				Optional: true,
+				Computed: true,
+				Elem: &schema.Resource{
+					Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
+						"sublist": {
+							Type:     schema.TypeList,
+							MaxItems: 1,
+							ForceNew: true,
+							Optional: true,
+							Elem: &schema.Resource{
+								Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
+									"bool": {
+										Type:     schema.TypeBool,
+										ForceNew: true,
+										Required: true,
+									},
+									"string": {
+										Type:     schema.TypeString,
+										Computed: true,
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
 		},
 	}
 }
@@ -101,10 +131,21 @@ func testResourceListRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// "computing" these values should insert empty containers into the
+	// never_set block.
+	values := make(map[string]interface{})
+	values["sublist"] = []interface{}{}
+	d.Set("never_set", []interface{}{values})
+
 	return nil
 }
 
 func testResourceListUpdate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
+	block := d.Get("never_set").([]interface{})
+	if len(block) > 0 {
+		// if profiles contains any values, they should not be nil
+		_ = block[0].(map[string]interface{})
+	}
 	return testResourceListRead(d, meta)
 }
 
diff --git a/helper/plugin/grpc_provider.go b/helper/plugin/grpc_provider.go
index 1b046f9d9..b8dacc9bf 100644
--- a/helper/plugin/grpc_provider.go
+++ b/helper/plugin/grpc_provider.go
@@ -798,7 +798,6 @@ func (s *GRPCProviderServer) ApplyResourceChange(_ context.Context, req *proto.A
 	if err != nil {
 		resp.Diagnostics = convert.AppendProtoDiag(resp.Diagnostics, err)
 	}
-
 	newStateVal := cty.NullVal(block.ImpliedType())
 
 	// Always return a null value for destroy.
@@ -1114,8 +1113,6 @@ func normalizeFlatmapContainers(prior map[string]string, attrs map[string]string
 			attrs[k] = "1"
 		case len(indexes) > 0:
 			attrs[k] = strconv.Itoa(len(indexes))
-		default:
-			delete(attrs, k)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/helper/plugin/grpc_provider_test.go b/helper/plugin/grpc_provider_test.go
index 650c1e7b9..cf0b805fa 100644
--- a/helper/plugin/grpc_provider_test.go
+++ b/helper/plugin/grpc_provider_test.go
@@ -671,29 +671,21 @@ func TestNormalizeFlatmapContainers(t *testing.T) {
 		attrs  map[string]string
 		expect map[string]string
 	}{
-		{
-			attrs:  map[string]string{"id": "1", "multi.2.set.#": "1", "multi.1.set.#": "0", "single.#": "0"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"id": "1", "multi.2.set.#": "1"},
-		},
 		{
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"id": "1", "multi.2.set.#": "2", "multi.2.set.1.foo": "bar", "multi.1.set.#": "0", "single.#": "0"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"id": "1", "multi.2.set.#": "1", "multi.2.set.1.foo": "bar"},
+			expect: map[string]string{"id": "1", "multi.2.set.#": "1", "multi.2.set.1.foo": "bar", "multi.1.set.#": "0", "single.#": "0"},
 		},
 		{
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"id": "78629a0f5f3f164f", "multi.#": "1"},
 			expect: map[string]string{"id": "78629a0f5f3f164f", "multi.#": "1"},
 		},
-		{
-			attrs:  map[string]string{"id": "78629a0f5f3f164f", "multi.#": "0"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"id": "78629a0f5f3f164f"},
-		},
 		{
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"multi.529860700.set.#": "0", "multi.#": "1", "id": "78629a0f5f3f164f"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"id": "78629a0f5f3f164f", "multi.#": "1"},
+			expect: map[string]string{"multi.529860700.set.#": "0", "multi.#": "1", "id": "78629a0f5f3f164f"},
 		},
 		{
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"set.2.required": "bar", "set.2.list.#": "1", "set.2.list.0": "x", "set.1.list.#": "0", "set.#": "2"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"set.2.list.#": "1", "set.2.list.0": "x", "set.2.required": "bar", "set.#": "1"},
+			expect: map[string]string{"set.2.required": "bar", "set.2.list.#": "1", "set.2.list.0": "x", "set.1.list.#": "0", "set.#": "2"},
 		},
 		{
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"map.%": hcl2shim.UnknownVariableValue, "list.#": hcl2shim.UnknownVariableValue, "id": "1"},
@@ -702,7 +694,7 @@ func TestNormalizeFlatmapContainers(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			prior:  map[string]string{"map.%": "0"},
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"map.%": "0", "list.#": "0", "id": "1"},
-			expect: map[string]string{"id": "1", "map.%": "0"},
+			expect: map[string]string{"id": "1", "list.#": "0", "map.%": "0"},
 		},
 		{
 			prior:  map[string]string{"map.%": hcl2shim.UnknownVariableValue, "list.#": "0"},
@@ -712,7 +704,7 @@ func TestNormalizeFlatmapContainers(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			prior:  map[string]string{"list.#": "1", "list.0": "old value"},
 			attrs:  map[string]string{"list.#": "0"},
-			expect: map[string]string{},
+			expect: map[string]string{"list.#": "0"},
 		},
 	} {
 		t.Run(strconv.Itoa(i), func(t *testing.T) {