diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxy.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxy.java
index 7e58f0d41..ebd7735f5 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxy.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxy.java
@@ -284,7 +284,14 @@ public class StepExecutionResourceProxy extends StepExecutionListenerSupport imp
 		String jobName = execution.getJobExecution().getJobInstance().getJobName();
 		Properties properties = jobParametersConverter.getProperties(execution.getJobExecution().getJobInstance()
 				.getJobParameters());
-		delegate = resourceLoader.getResource(createFileName(jobName, stepName, properties));
+		String fileName = createFileName(jobName, stepName, properties);
+		if(fileName.indexOf("%") > -1){
+			//if a % is still left in the fileName after matching, we have to assume that either no job parameter was found,
+			//or an invalid path was used.
+			throw new IllegalStateException("Invalid file pattern provided: [" + this.filePattern + "], tokens still remain after parameter matching: [" +
+					fileName + "]");
+		}
+		delegate = resourceLoader.getResource(fileName);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxyTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxyTests.java
index 88effa843..beaa951b4 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxyTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/resource/StepExecutionResourceProxyTests.java
@@ -141,6 +141,22 @@ public class StepExecutionResourceProxyTests extends TestCase {
 		resource.setFilePattern("arbitrary pattern");
 		assertEquals(filePattern, resource.toString());
 	}
+	
+	public void testNonExistentJobParameter() throws Exception{
+		
+		resource.setFilePattern("foo/data/%JOB_NAME%/%non.key%-foo");
+		jobInstance = new JobInstance(new Long(0), new JobParametersBuilder().addString("job.key", "spam")
+				.toJobParameters(), "testJob");
+		JobExecution jobExecution = new JobExecution(jobInstance);
+		Step step = new StepSupport("bar");
+		try{
+			resource.beforeStep(jobExecution.createStepExecution(step));
+			fail();
+		}
+		catch(Exception ex){
+			//expected, if there isn't a JobParameter for that key, it should throw an exception
+		}
+	}
 
 	private void doTestPathName(String filename, String path) throws Exception, IOException {
 		String returnedPath = resource.getFile().getAbsolutePath();