diff --git a/go/vt/key/key.go b/go/vt/key/key.go
index d951d123f0b..82852daa16e 100644
--- a/go/vt/key/key.go
+++ b/go/vt/key/key.go
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ func NewKeyRange(start []byte, end []byte) *topodatapb.KeyRange {
 // NewCompleteKeyRange returns a complete key range.
 func NewCompleteKeyRange() *topodatapb.KeyRange {
 	return &topodatapb.KeyRange{
-		Start: []byte{},
-		End:   []byte{},
+		Start: nil,
+		End:   nil,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery.go b/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery.go
index 5b3bf246e50..5fca6de542d 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery.go
@@ -84,16 +84,11 @@ func initializeShardsToWatch() error {
 				return fmt.Errorf("Invalid key range %q while parsing clusters to watch", s)
 			}
 			// Parse the shard name into key range value.
-			_, keyRange, err := topo.ValidateShardName(s)
+			keyRanges, err := key.ParseShardingSpec(s)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("Could not parse shard name %q: %+v", s, err)
 			}
-			// If the key range is nil, then the user is not using RangeBased Sharding.
-			// So we want to watch all the shards of the keyspace.
-			if keyRange == nil {
-				keyRange = key.NewCompleteKeyRange()
-			}
-			shardsToWatch[k] = append(shardsToWatch[k], keyRange)
+			shardsToWatch[k] = append(shardsToWatch[k], keyRanges...)
 		} else {
 			// Remove trailing slash if exists.
 			ks = strings.TrimSuffix(ks, "/")
diff --git a/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery_test.go b/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery_test.go
index ce01e8f9c04..eaa1eb4389d 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtorc/logic/tablet_discovery_test.go
@@ -276,8 +276,8 @@ func TestInitializeShardsToWatch(t *testing.T) {
 					key.NewCompleteKeyRange(),
 				},
 				"test2": {
-					key.NewKeyRange([]byte{}, []byte{0x80}),
-					key.NewKeyRange([]byte{0x80}, []byte{}),
+					key.NewKeyRange(nil, []byte{0x80}),
+					key.NewKeyRange([]byte{0x80}, nil),
 				},
 			},
 		},