diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -826,8 +826,13 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
                 removedsubs.discard(s)
                 if match(s) and wctx.sub(s).dirty():
                     subs.append(s)
-            if (subs or removedsubs) and '.hgsubstate' not in changes[0]:
-                changes[0].insert(0, '.hgsubstate')
+            if (subs or removedsubs):
+                # is hgsub modified and not included?
+                if (not match('.hgsub') and
+                    '.hgsub' in (wctx.modified() + wctx.added())):
+                    raise util.Abort("can't commit subrepos without .hgsub")
+                if '.hgsubstate' not in changes[0]:
+                    changes[0].insert(0, '.hgsubstate')
 
             # make sure all explicit patterns are matched
             if not force and match.files():
diff --git a/tests/test-subrepo b/tests/test-subrepo
--- a/tests/test-subrepo
+++ b/tests/test-subrepo
@@ -15,12 +15,15 @@ echo s = s > .hgsub
 hg add .hgsub
 hg init s
 echo a > s/a
+
+# issue2232 - committing a subrepo without .hgsub
+hg ci -mbad s
+
 hg -R s ci -Ams0
 hg sum
 hg ci -m1
 
 # issue 2022 - update -C
-
 echo b > s/a
 hg sum
 hg co -C 1
diff --git a/tests/test-subrepo.out b/tests/test-subrepo.out
--- a/tests/test-subrepo.out
+++ b/tests/test-subrepo.out
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 % first revision, no sub
 adding a
 % add first sub
+abort: can't commit subrepos without .hgsub
 adding a
 parent: 0:f7b1eb17ad24 tip
  0