diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/Accounts.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/Accounts.java
index 68a2eee01e3..eb53958378a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/Accounts.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/Accounts.java
@@ -51,9 +51,13 @@ public class Accounts {
      *
      * @param name  The name of the requested account
      * @return      The account associated with the given name.
+     * @throws      EmailException if the name is null and the default account is null.
      */
-    public Account account(String name) {
+    public Account account(String name) throws EmailException {
         if (name == null) {
+            if (defaultAccountName == null) {
+                throw new EmailSettingsException("cannot find default email account as no accounts have been configured");
+            }
             name = defaultAccountName;
         }
         return accounts.get(name);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/AccountsTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/AccountsTests.java
index b0cad983e08..e87c0a24c2d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/AccountsTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/watcher/actions/email/service/AccountsTests.java
@@ -10,10 +10,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.test.ElasticsearchTestCase;
 import org.elasticsearch.watcher.support.secret.SecretService;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.isOneOf;
-import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.notNullValue;
-import static org.hamcrest.core.IsNull.nullValue;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 
 /**
  *
@@ -96,12 +93,12 @@ public class AccountsTests extends ElasticsearchTestCase {
         new Accounts(builder.build(), new SecretService.PlainText(), logger);
     }
 
-    @Test
+    @Test(expected = EmailSettingsException.class)
     public void testNoAccount() throws Exception {
         ImmutableSettings.Builder builder = ImmutableSettings.builder();
         Accounts accounts = new Accounts(builder.build(), new SecretService.PlainText(), logger);
-        Account account = accounts.account(null);
-        assertThat(account, nullValue());
+        accounts.account(null);
+        fail("no accounts are configured so trying to get the default account should throw an EmailSettingsException");
     }
 
     @Test(expected = EmailSettingsException.class)