diff --git a/src/API.jl b/src/API.jl
index 4bb75ff974..51bbd92648 100644
--- a/src/API.jl
+++ b/src/API.jl
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ function free(ctx::Context, pkgs::Vector{PackageSpec}; all_pkgs::Bool=false, kwa
     manifest_resolve!(ctx.env.manifest, pkgs)
     ensure_resolved(ctx.env.manifest, pkgs)
 
-    Operations.free(ctx, pkgs)
+    Operations.free(ctx, pkgs; err_if_free = !all_pkgs)
     return
 end
 
diff --git a/src/Operations.jl b/src/Operations.jl
index d398211a5a..294b29bcbc 100644
--- a/src/Operations.jl
+++ b/src/Operations.jl
@@ -1355,7 +1355,7 @@ function pin(ctx::Context, pkgs::Vector{PackageSpec})
     build_versions(ctx, new)
 end
 
-function update_package_free!(registries::Vector{Registry.RegistryInstance}, pkg::PackageSpec, entry::PackageEntry)
+function update_package_free!(registries::Vector{Registry.RegistryInstance}, pkg::PackageSpec, entry::PackageEntry, err_if_free::Bool)
     if entry.pinned
         pkg.pinned = false
         is_stdlib(pkg.uuid) && return # nothing left to do
@@ -1371,14 +1371,17 @@ function update_package_free!(registries::Vector{Registry.RegistryInstance}, pkg
         end
         return # -> name, uuid
     end
-    pkgerror("expected package $(err_rep(pkg)) to be pinned, tracking a path,",
+    if err_if_free
+        pkgerror("expected package $(err_rep(pkg)) to be pinned, tracking a path,",
              " or tracking a repository")
+    end
+    return
 end
 
 # TODO: this is two techinically different operations with the same name
 # split into two subfunctions ...
-function free(ctx::Context, pkgs::Vector{PackageSpec})
-    foreach(pkg -> update_package_free!(ctx.registries, pkg, manifest_info(ctx.env.manifest, pkg.uuid)), pkgs)
+function free(ctx::Context, pkgs::Vector{PackageSpec}; err_if_free=true)
+    foreach(pkg -> update_package_free!(ctx.registries, pkg, manifest_info(ctx.env.manifest, pkg.uuid), err_if_free), pkgs)
 
     if any(pkg -> pkg.version == VersionSpec(), pkgs)
         pkgs = load_direct_deps(ctx.env, pkgs)
diff --git a/test/new.jl b/test/new.jl
index 6d615919c2..50ed92e5e9 100644
--- a/test/new.jl
+++ b/test/new.jl
@@ -1867,6 +1867,9 @@ end
             @test pkg.name == "Example"
             @test !pkg.is_pinned
         end
+        Pkg.add("Profile")
+        Pkg.pin("Example")
+        Pkg.free(all_pkgs = true) # test that this doesn't error because Profile is already free
         Pkg.rm(all_pkgs = true)
         @test !haskey(Pkg.dependencies(), exuuid)