diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
index 58f837ae..1bcb7b67 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DependencyManager.kt
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
             vararg allDependencies: List<IClasspathDependency>): List<IClasspathDependency> {
         val result = arrayListOf<IClasspathDependency>()
         allDependencies.forEach { dependencies ->
-            result.addAll(transitiveClosure(dependencies))
+            result.addAll(transitiveClosure(dependencies, project?.name))
         }
         result.addAll(runClasspathContributors(project, context))
         result.addAll(dependentProjectDependencies(project, context))
@@ -111,7 +111,8 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
      * Return the transitive closure of the dependencies *without* running the classpath contributors.
      * TODO: This should be private, everyone should be calling calculateDependencies().
      */
-    fun transitiveClosure(dependencies : List<IClasspathDependency>, indent : String = "  "):
+    fun transitiveClosure(dependencies : List<IClasspathDependency>, requiredBy: String? = null,
+            indent : String = "  "):
             List<IClasspathDependency> {
         val executor = executors.newExecutor("JvmCompiler}", 10)
 
@@ -122,7 +123,8 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
             result.add(projectDependency)
             projectDependency.id.let {
                 result.add(create(it))
-                val downloaded = transitiveClosure(projectDependency.directDependencies(), indent + "  ")
+                val downloaded = transitiveClosure(projectDependency.directDependencies(), projectDependency.id,
+                        indent + "  ")
 
                 result.addAll(downloaded)
             }
@@ -132,7 +134,8 @@ class DependencyManager @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val
 
         val nonexistent = reordered.filter{ ! it.jarFile.get().exists() }
         if (nonexistent.any()) {
-            log(2, "[Warning] Nonexistent dependencies: $nonexistent")
+            throw KobaltException("Couldn't resolve dependency $nonexistent"
+                    + (if (requiredBy != null) " required by $requiredBy" else ""))
         }
 
         val result2 = reordered.filter {
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/remote/DependencyData.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/remote/DependencyData.kt
index 77455f8a..67e1e438 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/remote/DependencyData.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/remote/DependencyData.kt
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class DependencyData @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val dep
             return DependencyData(d.id, scope, dep.jarFile.get().absolutePath)
         }
 
-        fun allDeps(l: List<IClasspathDependency>) = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(l)
+        fun allDeps(l: List<IClasspathDependency>, name: String) = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(l, name)
 
         val buildFile = BuildFile(Paths.get(buildFilePath), "GetDependenciesCommand")
         val buildFileCompiler = buildFileCompilerFactory.create(listOf(buildFile), pluginInfo)
@@ -46,12 +46,13 @@ class DependencyData @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors, val dep
         val allTasks = hashSetOf<TaskData>()
         projectResult.projects.withIndex().forEach { wi ->
             val project = wi.value
+            val name = project.name
             progressListener?.onProgress(message = "Synchronizing project ${project.name} "
                     + (wi.index + 1) + "/" + projectResult.projects.size)
             val compileDependencies = pluginDependencies.map { toDependencyData(it, "compile") } +
-                    allDeps(project.compileDependencies).map { toDependencyData(it, "compile") } +
-                    allDeps(project.compileProvidedDependencies).map { toDependencyData(it, "compile") }
-            val testDependencies = allDeps(project.testDependencies).map { toDependencyData(it, "testCompile") }
+                    allDeps(project.compileDependencies, name).map { toDependencyData(it, "compile") } +
+                    allDeps(project.compileProvidedDependencies, name).map { toDependencyData(it, "compile") }
+            val testDependencies = allDeps(project.testDependencies, name).map { toDependencyData(it, "testCompile") }
 
             val dependentProjects = project.dependsOn.map { it.name }
 
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/kotlin/KotlinCompiler.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/kotlin/KotlinCompiler.kt
index 1190baf3..e34f0a0b 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/kotlin/KotlinCompiler.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/kotlin/KotlinCompiler.kt
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class KotlinCompiler @Inject constructor(
         val executor = executors.newExecutor("KotlinCompiler", 10)
         val compilerVersion = settings.kobaltCompilerVersion
         val compilerDep = dependencyManager.create("org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-compiler-embeddable:$compilerVersion")
-        val deps = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(listOf(compilerDep))
+        val deps = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(listOf(compilerDep), project?.name ?: "")
 
         // Force a download of the compiler dependencies
         deps.forEach { it.jarFile.get() }
diff --git a/src/test/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DownloadTest.kt b/src/test/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DownloadTest.kt
index 3a03ee5a..a3f73325 100644
--- a/src/test/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DownloadTest.kt
+++ b/src/test/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/DownloadTest.kt
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ class DownloadTest @Inject constructor(
     @Test
     fun variablesShouldBeExpanded() {
         val dep = dependencyManager.createMaven("org.mapdb:mapdb:3.0.0-M3")
-        val closure = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(listOf(dep))
+        val closure = dependencyManager.transitiveClosure(listOf(dep), "<testProject>")
         val d = closure.filter { it.id.contains("eclipse-collections-api")}
         Assert.assertEquals(d.size, 1)
     }