diff --git a/codegen-server/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/server/smithy/protocols/ServerHttpProtocolGenerator.kt b/codegen-server/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/server/smithy/protocols/ServerHttpProtocolGenerator.kt
index 4956624491d56a6dc0a6d815354c3b2ad13c7965..da31f42c765796eba7d92e7707b0bb7270020bae 100644
--- a/codegen-server/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/server/smithy/protocols/ServerHttpProtocolGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen-server/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/server/smithy/protocols/ServerHttpProtocolGenerator.kt
@@ -451,12 +451,12 @@ private class ServerHttpProtocolImplGenerator(
         bindings: List<HttpBindingDescriptor>,
     ) {
         val structuredDataSerializer = protocol.structuredDataSerializer(operationShape)
-        structuredDataSerializer.serverOutputSerializer(operationShape).also { serializer ->
+        structuredDataSerializer.serverOutputSerializer(operationShape)?.let { serializer ->
             rust(
                 "let payload = #T(output)?;",
                 serializer
             )
-        }
+        } ?: rust("""let payload = "";""")
         // avoid non-usage warnings for response
         Attribute.AllowUnusedMut.render(this)
         rustTemplate("let mut response = #{http}::Response::builder();", *codegenScope)
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/XmlNameIndex.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/XmlNameIndex.kt
index d837d9a59a28608952d77d9f2dfa6ec9e8299b72..767daab42221aa799ec87ab0617de3934c9f7fb4 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/XmlNameIndex.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/XmlNameIndex.kt
@@ -63,5 +63,6 @@ data class XmlMemberIndex(val dataMembers: List<MemberShape>, val attributeMembe
         }
     }
 
-    fun isNotEmpty() = dataMembers.isNotEmpty() || attributeMembers.isNotEmpty()
+    fun isEmpty() = dataMembers.isEmpty() && attributeMembers.isEmpty()
+    fun isNotEmpty() = !isEmpty()
 }
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/AwsQuerySerializerGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/AwsQuerySerializerGenerator.kt
index 6f8cf6fccb86215a0fb72e7736fb23187fc9d9e3..75385d3e3be61a8935c8265762b415887d72f2b4 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/AwsQuerySerializerGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/AwsQuerySerializerGenerator.kt
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class AwsQuerySerializerGenerator(codegenContext: CodegenContext) : QuerySeriali
 
     override fun MemberShape.isFlattened(): Boolean = getTrait<XmlFlattenedTrait>() != null
 
-    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType {
+    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType? {
         TODO("Not yet implemented")
     }
 
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/Ec2QuerySerializerGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/Ec2QuerySerializerGenerator.kt
index cfcd4fde4f19bb28ea4514f8c393bc864c93a1ba..3a1e3af79106354e7d4ae7438299db2bc3686402 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/Ec2QuerySerializerGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/Ec2QuerySerializerGenerator.kt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ class Ec2QuerySerializerGenerator(codegenContext: CodegenContext) : QuerySeriali
 
     override fun MemberShape.isFlattened(): Boolean = true
 
-    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType {
+    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType? {
         TODO("Not yet implemented")
     }
 
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/JsonSerializerGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/JsonSerializerGenerator.kt
index 57466d2fc5d1e80704c88f05fe02bd7dc094a250..f97144802384556acbd0fe20b9e2e086f46c6837 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/JsonSerializerGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/JsonSerializerGenerator.kt
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ class JsonSerializerGenerator(
         }
     }
 
-    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType {
+    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType? {
         val outputShape = operationShape.outputShape(model)
         val includedMembers = httpBindingResolver.responseMembers(operationShape, HttpLocation.DOCUMENT)
         val fnName = symbolProvider.serializeFunctionName(outputShape)
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/StructuredDataSerializerGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/StructuredDataSerializerGenerator.kt
index 0a4d1d0ee355c9460bcf9cc99c1f44658786f7a4..117a950b558ba5de7de7b913d275d5ca46b13e77 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/StructuredDataSerializerGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/StructuredDataSerializerGenerator.kt
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ interface StructuredDataSerializerGenerator {
      * }
      * ```
      */
-    fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType
+    fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType?
 
     /**
      * Generate a serializer for a server operation error structure
diff --git a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator.kt b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator.kt
index 6ac9ea9ea602cccd096501e964bec7f9c06bdfd6..66b697c9ebb9eb4eb2df5a9c1ffd90d730c994b0 100644
--- a/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator.kt
+++ b/codegen/src/main/kotlin/software/amazon/smithy/rust/codegen/smithy/protocols/serialize/XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator.kt
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ class XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator(
     override fun operationSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType? {
         val fnName = symbolProvider.serializeFunctionName(operationShape)
         val inputShape = operationShape.inputShape(model)
-        val xmlMembers = operationShape.operationXmlMembers()
-        if (!xmlMembers.isNotEmpty()) {
+        val xmlMembers = operationShape.requestBodyMembers()
+        if (xmlMembers.isEmpty()) {
             return null
         }
         val operationXmlName = xmlIndex.operationInputShapeName(operationShape)
@@ -191,10 +191,13 @@ class XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator(
         }
     }
 
-    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType {
+    override fun serverOutputSerializer(operationShape: OperationShape): RuntimeType? {
         val fnName = symbolProvider.serializeFunctionName(operationShape)
         val outputShape = operationShape.outputShape(model)
-        val xmlMembers = operationShape.operationXmlMembers()
+        val xmlMembers = operationShape.responseBodyMembers()
+        if (xmlMembers.isEmpty()) {
+            return null
+        }
         val operationXmlName = xmlIndex.operationOutputShapeName(operationShape)
             ?: throw CodegenException("operation must have a name if it has members")
         return RuntimeType.forInlineFun(fnName, operationSerModule) {
@@ -466,9 +469,12 @@ class XmlBindingTraitSerializerGenerator(
         }
     }
 
-    private fun OperationShape.operationXmlMembers(): XmlMemberIndex =
+    private fun OperationShape.requestBodyMembers(): XmlMemberIndex =
         XmlMemberIndex.fromMembers(httpBindingResolver.requestMembers(this, HttpLocation.DOCUMENT))
 
+    private fun OperationShape.responseBodyMembers(): XmlMemberIndex =
+        XmlMemberIndex.fromMembers(httpBindingResolver.responseMembers(this, HttpLocation.DOCUMENT))
+
     private fun Shape.xmlNamespace(root: Boolean): XmlNamespaceTrait? {
         return this.getTrait<XmlNamespaceTrait>().letIf(root) { it ?: rootNamespace }
     }