diff --git a/platform/indexing-api/src/com/intellij/psi/search/PsiSearchHelper.java b/platform/indexing-api/src/com/intellij/psi/search/PsiSearchHelper.java
index cc283d0bb2b7..bef3d0350563 100644
--- a/platform/indexing-api/src/com/intellij/psi/search/PsiSearchHelper.java
+++ b/platform/indexing-api/src/com/intellij/psi/search/PsiSearchHelper.java
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public interface PsiSearchHelper {
                                       @NotNull GlobalSearchScope searchScope);
 
   /**
-   * Passes all occurrences of the specified full-qualified class name in plain text context in the
+   * Passes all occurrences of the specified fully qualified class name in plain text context in the
    * use scope of the specified element to the specified processor.
    *
    * @param originalElement the element whose use scope is used to restrict the search scope,
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ public interface PsiSearchHelper {
                                   final boolean caseSensitively);
 
   /**
-   * Passes all files containing the specified word in {@link UsageSearchContext#IN_PLAIN_TEXT code}
+   * Passes all files containing the specified word in {@link UsageSearchContext#IN_PLAIN_TEXT plain text}
    * context to the specified processor.
    *
    * @param word      the word to search.
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ public interface PsiSearchHelper {
   @NotNull
   SearchCostResult isCheapEnoughToSearch(@NotNull String name,
                                          @NotNull GlobalSearchScope scope,
-                                         @Nullable PsiFile fileToIgnoreOccurencesIn,
+                                         @Nullable PsiFile fileToIgnoreOccurrencesIn,
                                          @Nullable ProgressIndicator progress);
 
   enum SearchCostResult {
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/PatternCompiler.java b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/PatternCompiler.java
index 6dba855121cb..4cbd3cb01c19 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/PatternCompiler.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/PatternCompiler.java
@@ -10,10 +10,7 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.fileTypes.FileType;
 import com.intellij.openapi.fileTypes.LanguageFileType;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.text.StringUtil;
-import com.intellij.psi.PsiElement;
-import com.intellij.psi.PsiErrorElement;
-import com.intellij.psi.PsiFile;
-import com.intellij.psi.PsiRecursiveElementWalkingVisitor;
+import com.intellij.psi.*;
 import com.intellij.psi.impl.source.PsiFileImpl;
 import com.intellij.psi.impl.source.tree.LeafElement;
 import com.intellij.psi.search.GlobalSearchScope;
@@ -26,6 +23,7 @@ import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.MatcherImplUtil;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.PatternTreeContext;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.filters.LexicalNodesFilter;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.handlers.MatchPredicate;
+import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.handlers.MatchingHandler;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.handlers.SubstitutionHandler;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.predicates.*;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.plugin.ui.Configuration;
@@ -73,7 +71,9 @@ public class PatternCompiler {
 
       List<PsiElement> elements = compileByAllPrefixes(project, options, result, context, prefixes);
 
-      context.getPattern().setNodes(elements);
+      final CompiledPattern pattern = context.getPattern();
+      checkForUnknownVariables(pattern, elements);
+      pattern.setNodes(elements);
 
       if (context.getSearchHelper().doOptimizing() && context.getSearchHelper().isScannedSomething()) {
         final Set<PsiFile> set = context.getSearchHelper().getFilesSetToScan();
@@ -105,6 +105,28 @@ public class PatternCompiler {
     return result;
   }
 
+  private static void checkForUnknownVariables(final CompiledPattern pattern, List<PsiElement> elements) {
+    for (PsiElement element : elements) {
+      element.accept(new PsiRecursiveElementWalkingVisitor() {
+        @Override
+        public void visitElement(PsiElement element) {
+          if (element instanceof PsiComment) {
+            return;
+          }
+          super.visitElement(element);
+
+          if (!(element instanceof LeafElement) || !pattern.isTypedVar(element)) {
+            return;
+          }
+          final MatchingHandler handler = pattern.getHandler(pattern.getTypedVarString(element));
+          if (handler == null) {
+            throw new MalformedPatternException();
+          }
+        }
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
   public static String getLastFindPlan() {
     return ((TestModeOptimizingSearchHelper)lastTestingContext.getSearchHelper()).getSearchPlan();
   }
@@ -462,10 +484,9 @@ public class PatternCompiler {
     PsiElement[] matchStatements;
 
     try {
-      final String pattern = buf.toString();
-      matchStatements = MatcherImplUtil.createTreeFromText(pattern, PatternTreeContext.Block, options.getFileType(),
+      matchStatements = MatcherImplUtil.createTreeFromText(buf.toString(), PatternTreeContext.Block, options.getFileType(),
                                                            options.getDialect(), options.getPatternContext(), project, false);
-      if (matchStatements.length==0) throw new MalformedPatternException(pattern);
+      if (matchStatements.length==0) throw new MalformedPatternException();
     } catch (IncorrectOperationException e) {
       throw new MalformedPatternException(e.getMessage());
     }
@@ -487,12 +508,11 @@ public class PatternCompiler {
   }
 
   private static void addScriptConstraint(String name, MatchVariableConstraint constraint, SubstitutionHandler handler) {
-    MatchPredicate predicate;
     if (constraint.getScriptCodeConstraint()!= null && constraint.getScriptCodeConstraint().length() > 2) {
       final String script = StringUtil.stripQuotesAroundValue(constraint.getScriptCodeConstraint());
       final String s = ScriptSupport.checkValidScript(script);
       if (s != null) throw new MalformedPatternException("Script constraint for " + constraint.getName() + " has problem "+s);
-      predicate = new ScriptPredicate(name, script);
+      MatchPredicate predicate = new ScriptPredicate(name, script);
       addPredicate(handler,predicate);
     }
   }
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
index f6f3d58ba384..2a5473a7cfb3 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
@@ -2948,8 +2948,20 @@ public class StructuralSearchTest extends StructuralSearchTestCase {
     String source = "{}";
 
     String pattern1 = "/*$A$a*/";
+    MalformedPatternException ex = null;
     try {
       findMatchesCount(source, pattern1);
-    } catch (MalformedPatternException ignore) {}
+    } catch (MalformedPatternException e) {
+      ex = e;
+    }
+    assertNotNull(ex);
+
+    String pattern2 = "class $A$Visitor {}";
+    try {
+      findMatchesCount(source, pattern2);
+    } catch (MalformedPatternException e) {
+      ex = e;
+    }
+    assertNotNull(ex);
   }
 }