diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/create_compile_function.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/create_compile_function.ts
index 6f8d754ed2..3b2005d60c 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/create_compile_function.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/create_compile_function.ts
@@ -46,12 +46,13 @@ export function getCreateCompileFn(
       // (i.e. they are defined in `entryPoint.packageJson`). Furthermore, they are also guaranteed
       // to be among `SUPPORTED_FORMAT_PROPERTIES`.
       // Based on the above, `formatPath` should always be defined and `getEntryPointFormat()`
-      // should always return a format here (and not `undefined`).
+      // should always return a format here (and not `undefined`) unless `formatPath` points to a
+      // missing or empty file.
       if (!formatPath || !format) {
-        // This should never happen.
-        throw new Error(
-            `Invariant violated: No format-path or format for ${entryPoint.path} : ` +
-            `${formatProperty} (formatPath: ${formatPath} | format: ${format})`);
+        onTaskCompleted(
+            task, TaskProcessingOutcome.Failed,
+            `property \`${formatProperty}\` pointing to a missing or empty file: ${formatPath}`);
+        return;
       }
 
       logger.info(`Compiling ${entryPoint.name} : ${formatProperty} as ${format}`);
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/tasks/completion.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/tasks/completion.ts
index b984561b28..0fa0081084 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/tasks/completion.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/src/execution/tasks/completion.ts
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ export function createLogErrorHandler(
 }
 
 function createErrorMessage(fs: ReadonlyFileSystem, task: Task, message: string|null): string {
-  const jsFormat =
-      `${task.formatProperty} as ${getEntryPointFormat(fs, task.entryPoint, task.formatProperty)}`;
+  const jsFormat = `\`${task.formatProperty}\` as ${
+      getEntryPointFormat(fs, task.entryPoint, task.formatProperty) ?? 'unknown format'}`;
   const format = task.typingsOnly ? `typings only using ${jsFormat}` : jsFormat;
   message = message !== null ? ` due to ${message}` : '';
   return `Failed to compile entry-point ${task.entryPoint.name} (${format})` + message;
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/integration/ngcc_spec.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/integration/ngcc_spec.ts
index 7036b11f1d..657e70592b 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/integration/ngcc_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/ngcc/test/integration/ngcc_spec.ts
@@ -154,6 +154,85 @@ runInEachFileSystem(() => {
       expect(loadPackage('local-package', _('/dist')).__processed_by_ivy_ngcc__).toBeUndefined();
     });
 
+    it('should report an error, if one of the format-paths is missing or empty', () => {
+      loadTestFiles([
+        // A package with a format-path (main) that points to a missing file.
+        {
+          name: _(`/dist/pkg-with-missing-main/package.json`),
+          contents: `
+            {
+              "name": "pkg-with-missing-main",
+              "typings": "./index.d.ts",
+              "es2015": "./index-es2015.js",
+              "fesm5": "./index-es5.js",
+              "main": "./index-missing.js"
+            }
+          `,
+        },
+        {
+          name: _('/dist/pkg-with-missing-main/index.d.ts'),
+          contents: 'export type DummyData = boolean;'
+        },
+        {
+          name: _('/dist/pkg-with-missing-main/index-es2015.js'),
+          contents: 'var DUMMY_DATA = true;'
+        },
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-missing-main/index-es5.js'), contents: 'var DUMMY_DATA = true;'},
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-missing-main/index.metadata.json'), contents: 'DUMMY DATA'},
+
+        // A package with a format-path (main) that points to an empty file.
+        {
+          name: _(`/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/package.json`),
+          contents: `
+            {
+              "name": "pkg-with-empty-main",
+              "typings": "./index.d.ts",
+              "es2015": "./index-es2015.js",
+              "fesm5": "./index-es5.js",
+              "main": "./index-empty.js"
+            }
+          `,
+        },
+        {
+          name: _('/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/index.d.ts'),
+          contents: 'export type DummyData = boolean;'
+        },
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/index-empty.js'), contents: ''},
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/index-es2015.js'), contents: 'var DUMMY_DATA = true;'},
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/index-es5.js'), contents: 'var DUMMY_DATA = true;'},
+        {name: _('/dist/pkg-with-empty-main/index.metadata.json'), contents: 'DUMMY DATA'},
+      ]);
+
+      const logger = new MockLogger();
+      mainNgcc({
+        basePath: '/dist',
+        propertiesToConsider: ['es2015', 'main', 'fesm5'],
+        logger,
+      });
+
+      expect(loadPackage('pkg-with-missing-main', _('/dist')).__processed_by_ivy_ngcc__).toEqual({
+        es2015: jasmine.any(String),
+        fesm5: jasmine.any(String),
+        typings: jasmine.any(String),
+      });
+      expect(loadPackage('pkg-with-empty-main', _('/dist')).__processed_by_ivy_ngcc__).toEqual({
+        es2015: jasmine.any(String),
+        fesm5: jasmine.any(String),
+        typings: jasmine.any(String),
+      });
+
+      expect(logger.logs.error).toEqual([
+        [
+          'Failed to compile entry-point pkg-with-missing-main (`main` as unknown format) due to ' +
+              'property `main` pointing to a missing or empty file: ./index-missing.js',
+        ],
+        [
+          'Failed to compile entry-point pkg-with-empty-main (`main` as unknown format) due to ' +
+              'property `main` pointing to a missing or empty file: ./index-empty.js',
+        ],
+      ]);
+    });
+
     it('should generate correct metadata for decorated getter/setter properties', () => {
       setupAngularCoreEsm5();
       compileIntoFlatEs5Package('test-package', {
@@ -573,7 +652,7 @@ runInEachFileSystem(() => {
            fail('should have thrown');
          } catch (e) {
            expect(e.message).toContain(
-               'Failed to compile entry-point test-package (esm2015 as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
+               'Failed to compile entry-point test-package (`esm2015` as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
            expect(e.message).toContain('NG1010');
            expect(e.message).toContain('selector must be a string');
          }
@@ -1552,7 +1631,7 @@ runInEachFileSystem(() => {
              fail('should have thrown');
            } catch (e) {
              expect(e.message).toContain(
-                 'Failed to compile entry-point fatal-error (es2015 as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
+                 'Failed to compile entry-point fatal-error (`es2015` as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
              expect(e.message).toContain('NG2001');
              expect(e.message).toContain('component is missing a template');
            }
@@ -1630,7 +1709,7 @@ runInEachFileSystem(() => {
            expect(logger.logs.error.length).toEqual(1);
            const message = logger.logs.error[0][0];
            expect(message).toContain(
-               'Failed to compile entry-point fatal-error (es2015 as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
+               'Failed to compile entry-point fatal-error (`es2015` as esm2015) due to compilation errors:');
            expect(message).toContain('NG2001');
            expect(message).toContain('component is missing a template');