diff --git a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
--- a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
+++ b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
@@ -4622,6 +4622,7 @@
     'PhabricatorUserEditorTestCase' => 'applications/people/editor/__tests__/PhabricatorUserEditorTestCase.php',
     'PhabricatorUserEmail' => 'applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUserEmail.php',
     'PhabricatorUserEmailTestCase' => 'applications/people/storage/__tests__/PhabricatorUserEmailTestCase.php',
+    'PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction' => 'applications/people/xaction/PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction.php',
     'PhabricatorUserFerretEngine' => 'applications/people/search/PhabricatorUserFerretEngine.php',
     'PhabricatorUserFulltextEngine' => 'applications/people/search/PhabricatorUserFulltextEngine.php',
     'PhabricatorUserIconField' => 'applications/people/customfield/PhabricatorUserIconField.php',
@@ -10683,6 +10684,7 @@
     'PhabricatorUserEditorTestCase' => 'PhabricatorTestCase',
     'PhabricatorUserEmail' => 'PhabricatorUserDAO',
     'PhabricatorUserEmailTestCase' => 'PhabricatorTestCase',
+    'PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction' => 'PhabricatorUserTransactionType',
     'PhabricatorUserFerretEngine' => 'PhabricatorFerretEngine',
     'PhabricatorUserFulltextEngine' => 'PhabricatorFulltextEngine',
     'PhabricatorUserIconField' => 'PhabricatorUserCustomField',
diff --git a/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleEmpowerController.php b/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleEmpowerController.php
--- a/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleEmpowerController.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/controller/PhabricatorPeopleEmpowerController.php
@@ -22,22 +22,26 @@
       $request,
       $done_uri);
 
-    if ($user->getPHID() == $viewer->getPHID()) {
-      return $this->newDialog()
-        ->setTitle(pht('Your Way is Blocked'))
-        ->appendParagraph(
-          pht(
-            'After a time, your efforts fail. You can not adjust your own '.
-            'status as an administrator.'))
-        ->addCancelButton($done_uri, pht('Accept Fate'));
-    }
+    $validation_exception = null;
 
     if ($request->isFormPost()) {
-      id(new PhabricatorUserEditor())
+      $xactions = array();
+      $xactions[] = id(new PhabricatorUserTransaction())
+        ->setTransactionType(
+          PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction::TRANSACTIONTYPE)
+        ->setNewValue(!$user->getIsAdmin());
+
+      $editor = id(new PhabricatorUserTransactionEditor())
         ->setActor($viewer)
-        ->makeAdminUser($user, !$user->getIsAdmin());
+        ->setContentSourceFromRequest($request)
+        ->setContinueOnMissingFields(true);
 
-      return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())->setURI($done_uri);
+      try {
+        $editor->applyTransactions($user, $xactions);
+        return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())->setURI($done_uri);
+      } catch (PhabricatorApplicationTransactionValidationException $ex) {
+        $validation_exception = $ex;
+      }
     }
 
     if ($user->getIsAdmin()) {
@@ -60,6 +64,7 @@
     }
 
     return $this->newDialog()
+      ->setValidationException($validation_exception)
       ->setTitle($title)
       ->setShortTitle($short)
       ->appendParagraph($body)
diff --git a/src/applications/people/editor/PhabricatorUserEditor.php b/src/applications/people/editor/PhabricatorUserEditor.php
--- a/src/applications/people/editor/PhabricatorUserEditor.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/editor/PhabricatorUserEditor.php
@@ -131,45 +131,6 @@
 
 /* -(  Editing Roles  )------------------------------------------------------ */
 
-
-  /**
-   * @task role
-   */
-  public function makeAdminUser(PhabricatorUser $user, $admin) {
-    $actor = $this->requireActor();
-
-    if (!$user->getID()) {
-      throw new Exception(pht('User has not been created yet!'));
-    }
-
-    $user->openTransaction();
-      $user->beginWriteLocking();
-
-        $user->reload();
-        if ($user->getIsAdmin() == $admin) {
-          $user->endWriteLocking();
-          $user->killTransaction();
-          return $this;
-        }
-
-        $log = PhabricatorUserLog::initializeNewLog(
-          $actor,
-          $user->getPHID(),
-          PhabricatorUserLog::ACTION_ADMIN);
-        $log->setOldValue($user->getIsAdmin());
-        $log->setNewValue($admin);
-
-        $user->setIsAdmin((int)$admin);
-        $user->save();
-
-        $log->save();
-
-      $user->endWriteLocking();
-    $user->saveTransaction();
-
-    return $this;
-  }
-
   /**
    * @task role
    */
diff --git a/src/applications/people/xaction/PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction.php b/src/applications/people/xaction/PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/applications/people/xaction/PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction.php
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+<?php
+
+final class PhabricatorUserEmpowerTransaction
+  extends PhabricatorUserTransactionType {
+
+  const TRANSACTIONTYPE = 'user.admin';
+
+  public function generateOldValue($object) {
+    return (bool)$object->getIsAdmin();
+  }
+
+  public function generateNewValue($object, $value) {
+    return (bool)$value;
+  }
+
+  public function applyInternalEffects($object, $value) {
+    $object->setIsAdmin((int)$value);
+  }
+
+  public function applyExternalEffects($object, $value) {
+    $user = $object;
+
+    $this->newUserLog(PhabricatorUserLog::ACTION_ADMIN)
+      ->setOldValue($this->getOldValue())
+      ->setNewValue($value)
+      ->save();
+  }
+
+  public function validateTransactions($object, array $xactions) {
+    $user = $object;
+    $actor = $this->getActor();
+
+    $errors = array();
+    foreach ($xactions as $xaction) {
+      $old = $xaction->getOldValue();
+      $new = $xaction->getNewValue();
+
+      if ($old === $new) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if ($user->getPHID() === $actor->getPHID()) {
+        $errors[] = $this->newInvalidError(
+          pht('After a time, your efforts fail. You can not adjust your own '.
+              'status as an administrator.'), $xaction);
+      }
+
+      if (!$actor->getIsAdmin()) {
+        $errors[] = $this->newInvalidError(
+          pht('You must be an administrator to create administrators.'),
+          $xaction);
+      }
+    }
+
+    return $errors;
+  }
+
+  public function getTitle() {
+    $new = $this->getNewValue();
+    if ($new) {
+      return pht(
+        '%s empowered this user as an administrator.',
+        $this->renderAuthor());
+    } else {
+      return pht(
+        '%s defrocked this user.',
+        $this->renderAuthor());
+    }
+  }
+
+  public function getTitleForFeed() {
+    $new = $this->getNewValue();
+    if ($new) {
+      return pht(
+        '%s empowered %s as an administrator.',
+        $this->renderAuthor(),
+        $this->renderObject());
+    } else {
+      return pht(
+        '%s defrocked %s.',
+        $this->renderAuthor(),
+        $this->renderObject());
+    }
+  }
+
+  public function getRequiredCapabilities(
+    $object,
+    PhabricatorApplicationTransaction $xaction) {
+
+    // Unlike normal user edits, admin promotions require admin
+    // permissions, which is enforced by validateTransactions().
+
+    return null;
+  }
+}