diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/SftpInboundChannelAdapterParser.java b/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/SftpInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
index a9aabacbeb..814b14635a 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/SftpInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/SftpInboundChannelAdapterParser.java
@@ -72,7 +72,14 @@ public class SftpInboundChannelAdapterParser extends AbstractPollingInboundChann
 		messageSourceBuilder.addConstructorArgReference(sessionPollName);
 		messageSourceBuilder.addPropertyValue("synchronizer", synchronizerBuilder.getBeanDefinition());
 
-		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(messageSourceBuilder, element, "filename-pattern");
+		if (hasFileNamePattern){
+			if (parserContext.getRegistry().containsBeanDefinition(fileNamePattern)){
+				messageSourceBuilder.addPropertyReference("filenamePattern", fileNamePattern);
+			}
+			else {
+				messageSourceBuilder.addPropertyValue("filenamePattern", fileNamePattern);
+			}
+		}
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(messageSourceBuilder, element, "auto-create-directories");
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(messageSourceBuilder, element, "local-directory");
 
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/inbound/SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource.java b/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/inbound/SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource.java
index 32515843f5..699f62b993 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/inbound/SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource.java
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/inbound/SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package org.springframework.integration.sftp.inbound;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import org.springframework.integration.Message;
 import org.springframework.integration.MessagingException;
@@ -51,14 +52,13 @@ public class SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource extends
 	 */
 	private volatile String remoteDirectory;
 
-	private volatile String filenamePattern;
+	private volatile Pattern filenamePattern;
 
 	public SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource(SftpSessionPool sessionPool){
 		this.sessionPool = sessionPool;
-		System.out.println("###### Constructing");
 	}
 
-	public void setFilenamePattern(String filenamePattern) {
+	public void setFilenamePattern(Pattern filenamePattern) {
 		this.filenamePattern = filenamePattern;
 	}
 	
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public class SftpInboundSynchronizingMessageSource extends
 					+ this.getComponentType(), e);
 		}
 
-		if (StringUtils.hasText(this.filenamePattern)) {
+		if (filenamePattern != null) {
 			SftpPatternMatchingFileListFilter sftpFilePatternMatchingEntryListFilter =
 					new SftpPatternMatchingFileListFilter(filenamePattern);
 			this.synchronizer.setFilter(sftpFilePatternMatchingEntryListFilter);
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml
index c76baefb57..37248ef4ff 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml
@@ -34,15 +34,16 @@
 			channel="requestChannel"
 			session-factory="sftpSessionFactory"
 			filter="filter"
-			remote-directory="ftp://foo"
+			filename-pattern="."
+			remote-directory="/foo"
 			local-directory="file:local-test-dir"
 			auto-create-directories="false"
 			auto-delete-remote-files-on-sync="false">
 		<poller fixed-rate="1000"/>
 	</sftp:inbound-channel-adapter>
 	
-	<beans:bean id="filter" class="org.mockito.Mockito" factory-method="mock">
-		<beans:constructor-arg value="org.springframework.integration.file.entries.EntryListFilter"/>
+	<beans:bean id="filter" class="org.springframework.integration.sftp.filters.SftpPatternMatchingFileListFilter">
+		<beans:constructor-arg value="."/>
 	</beans:bean>
 
 </beans:beans>
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context.xml b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context.xml
index 9975bf2c86..c1a3c829e7 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@
 		<queue/>
 	</channel>
 	
+	<beans:bean id="pattern" class="java.util.regex.Pattern" factory-method="compile">
+		<beans:constructor-arg value="."/>
+	</beans:bean>
+	
 	<beans:bean id="sftpSessionFactory" class="org.springframework.integration.sftp.session.SftpSessionFactory">
 		<beans:property name="host" value="loclahost"/>
 		<beans:property name="knownHosts" value="local, foo.com, bar.foo"/>
@@ -54,9 +58,21 @@
 		<poller fixed-rate="1000"/>
 	</sftp:inbound-channel-adapter>
 	
+	<sftp:inbound-channel-adapter id="sftpAdapterWithPattern"
+			session-factory="sftpSessionFactory"
+			channel="requestChannel"
+			filename-pattern="pattern"
+			remote-directory="/foo"
+			local-directory="file:local-test-dir"
+			auto-create-directories="false"
+			auto-delete-remote-files-on-sync="false">
+		<poller fixed-rate="1000"/>
+	</sftp:inbound-channel-adapter>
+	
 	
 	<beans:bean id="filter" class="org.springframework.integration.sftp.filters.SftpPatternMatchingFileListFilter">
 		<beans:constructor-arg value="."/>
 	</beans:bean>
 
+	
 </beans:beans>
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
index 91339ca08c..add3df9593 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.PollableChannel;
@@ -58,7 +59,8 @@ public class InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests {
 		assertNotNull(requestChannel.receive(2000));
 	}
 
-	@Test(expected=BeanCreationException.class)
+	@Test(expected=BeanDefinitionStoreException.class)
+	//exactly one of 'filename-pattern' or 'filter' is allowed on SFTP inbound adapter
 	public void testLocalFilesAutoCreationFalse() throws Exception{
 		assertTrue(!new File("target/bar").exists());
 		new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext("InboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml", this.getClass());
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
index f1fb213f62..6b1363467e 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/config/OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import static junit.framework.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.expression.Expression;
@@ -78,4 +79,9 @@ public class OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests {
 		assertNotNull(TestUtils.getPropertyValue(handler, "temporaryBufferFolderFile"));
 		
 	}
+	@Test(expected=BeanDefinitionStoreException.class)
+	public void testFailWithRemoteDirAndExpression(){
+		new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext("OutboundChannelAdapaterParserTests-context-fail.xml", this.getClass());
+		
+	}
 }