diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/FdoHelper.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/FdoHelper.java
index dbeac97..72067af 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/FdoHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/FdoHelper.java
@@ -169,11 +169,11 @@
           branchFdoMode = BranchFdoMode.LLVM_CS_FDO;
         }
       }
-      if (branchFdoMode != BranchFdoMode.XBINARY_FDO
+      if ((branchFdoMode != BranchFdoMode.XBINARY_FDO)
+          && (branchFdoMode != BranchFdoMode.AUTO_FDO)
           && cppConfiguration.getXFdoProfileLabelUnsafeSinceItCanReturnValueFromWrongConfiguration()
               != null) {
-        ruleContext.throwWithRuleError(
-            "--xbinary_fdo cannot accept profile input other than *.xfdo");
+        ruleContext.throwWithRuleError("--xbinary_fdo only accepts *.xfdo and *.afdo");
       }
 
       if (configuration.isCodeCoverageEnabled()) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcToolchainTest.java b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcToolchainTest.java
index 475268e..5d30bc4 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcToolchainTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcToolchainTest.java
@@ -477,15 +477,27 @@
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testXFdoOptimizeRejectAFdoInput() throws Exception {
+  public void testXFdoOptimizeAcceptAFdoInput() throws Exception {
     reporter.removeHandler(failFastHandler);
     scratch.file(
         "a/BUILD",
         "cc_toolchain_alias(name = 'b')",
         "fdo_profile(name='out.afdo', profile='profile.afdo')");
     useConfiguration("-c", "opt", "--xbinary_fdo=//a:out.afdo");
+    assertThat(getConfiguredTarget("//a:b")).isNotNull();
+    assertNoEvents();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testXFdoOptimizeRejectFdoInput() throws Exception {
+    reporter.removeHandler(failFastHandler);
+    scratch.file(
+        "a/BUILD",
+        "cc_toolchain_alias(name = 'b')",
+        "fdo_profile(name='out.fdo', profile='profile.profdata')");
+    useConfiguration("-c", "opt", "--xbinary_fdo=//a:out.fdo");
     assertThat(getConfiguredTarget("//a:b")).isNull();
-    assertContainsEvent("--xbinary_fdo cannot accept profile input other than *.xfdo");
+    assertContainsEvent("--xbinary_fdo only accepts");
   }
 
   @Test