diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/metadata_resolver.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/metadata_resolver.ts
index b8366f3239..1d0e06ff5f 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/metadata_resolver.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/metadata_resolver.ts
@@ -112,14 +112,16 @@ export class CompileMetadataResolver {
         });
         changeDetectionStrategy = cmpMeta.changeDetection;
         if (isPresent(dirMeta.viewProviders)) {
-          viewProviders = this.getProvidersMetadata(dirMeta.viewProviders);
+          viewProviders = this.getProvidersMetadata(
+              verifyNonBlankProviders(directiveType, dirMeta.viewProviders, 'viewProviders'));
         }
         moduleUrl = componentModuleUrl(this._reflector, directiveType, cmpMeta);
       }
 
       var providers: any[] /** TODO #9100 */ = [];
       if (isPresent(dirMeta.providers)) {
-        providers = this.getProvidersMetadata(dirMeta.providers);
+        providers = this.getProvidersMetadata(
+            verifyNonBlankProviders(directiveType, dirMeta.providers, 'providers'));
       }
       var queries: any[] /** TODO #9100 */ = [];
       var viewQueries: any[] /** TODO #9100 */ = [];
@@ -423,6 +425,23 @@ function flattenArray(tree: any[], out: Array<Type|any[]>): void {
   }
 }
 
+function verifyNonBlankProviders(
+    directiveType: Type, providersTree: any[], providersType: string): any[] {
+  var flat: any[] = [];
+  var errMsg: string;
+
+  flattenArray(providersTree, flat);
+  for (var i = 0; i < flat.length; i++) {
+    if (isBlank(flat[i])) {
+      errMsg = flat.map(provider => isBlank(provider) ? '?' : stringify(provider)).join(', ');
+      throw new BaseException(
+          `One or more of ${providersType} for "${stringify(directiveType)}" were not defined: [${errMsg}].`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return providersTree;
+}
+
 function isStaticType(value: any): boolean {
   return isStringMap(value) && isPresent(value['name']) && isPresent(value['filePath']);
 }
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/metadata_resolver_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/metadata_resolver_spec.ts
index 9d338be9ab..837535fe89 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/metadata_resolver_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/metadata_resolver_spec.ts
@@ -64,6 +64,20 @@ export function main() {
                .toThrowError(`Can't resolve all parameters for NonAnnotatedService: (?).`);
          }));
 
+      it('should throw with descriptive error message when one of providers is not present',
+         inject([CompileMetadataResolver], (resolver: CompileMetadataResolver) => {
+           expect(() => resolver.getDirectiveMetadata(MyBrokenComp3))
+               .toThrowError(
+                   `One or more of providers for "MyBrokenComp3" were not defined: [?, SimpleService, ?].`);
+         }));
+
+      it('should throw with descriptive error message when one of viewProviders is not present',
+         inject([CompileMetadataResolver], (resolver: CompileMetadataResolver) => {
+           expect(() => resolver.getDirectiveMetadata(MyBrokenComp4))
+               .toThrowError(
+                   `One or more of viewProviders for "MyBrokenComp4" were not defined: [?, SimpleService, ?].`);
+         }));
+
       it('should throw an error when the interpolation config has invalid symbols',
          inject([CompileMetadataResolver], (resolver: CompileMetadataResolver) => {
            expect(() => resolver.getDirectiveMetadata(ComponentWithInvalidInterpolation1))
@@ -162,6 +176,18 @@ class MyBrokenComp2 {
   constructor(dependency: NonAnnotatedService) {}
 }
 
+@Injectable()
+class SimpleService {
+}
+
+@Component({selector: 'my-broken-comp', template: '', providers: [null, SimpleService, [null]]})
+class MyBrokenComp3 {
+}
+
+@Component({selector: 'my-broken-comp', template: '', viewProviders: [null, SimpleService, [null]]})
+class MyBrokenComp4 {
+}
+
 @Component({selector: 'someSelector', template: '', interpolation: [' ', ' ']})
 class ComponentWithInvalidInterpolation1 {
 }