diff --git a/src/TextClass.cpp b/src/TextClass.cpp
index 9f22d6d8a1..4ac03ab31a 100644
--- a/src/TextClass.cpp
+++ b/src/TextClass.cpp
@@ -745,6 +745,7 @@ TextClass::ReturnValues TextClass::read(Lexer & lexrc, ReadType rt)
 				break;
 			}
 			docstring const name = subst(lexrc.getDocString(), '_', ' ');
+			bool const validating = (rt == VALIDATION);
 			if (name.empty()) {
 				string s = "Could not read name for InsetLayout: `$$Token' "
 					+ lexrc.getString() + " is probably not valid UTF-8!";
@@ -753,15 +754,17 @@ TextClass::ReturnValues TextClass::read(Lexer & lexrc, ReadType rt)
 				// Since we couldn't read the name, we just scan the rest
 				// of the style and discard it.
 				il.read(lexrc, *this);
-				// Let's try to continue rather than abort.
-				// error = true;
+				// Let's try to continue rather than abort, unless we're validating
+				// in which case we want to report the error
+				if (validating)
+					error = true;
 			} else if (hasInsetLayout(name)) {
 				InsetLayout & il = insetlayoutlist_[name];
-				error = !il.read(lexrc, *this);
+				error = !il.read(lexrc, *this, validating);
 			} else {
 				InsetLayout il;
 				il.setName(name);
-				error = !il.read(lexrc, *this);
+				error = !il.read(lexrc, *this, validating);
 				if (!error)
 					insetlayoutlist_[name] = il;
 			}
diff --git a/src/insets/InsetLayout.cpp b/src/insets/InsetLayout.cpp
index b523457c60..dbe290939d 100644
--- a/src/insets/InsetLayout.cpp
+++ b/src/insets/InsetLayout.cpp
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ InsetLayout::InsetLaTeXType translateLaTeXType(std::string const & str)
 } // namespace
 
 
-bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
+bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass,
+	bool validating)
 {
 	enum {
 		IL_ADDTOTOC,
@@ -216,6 +217,8 @@ bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
 		switch (le) {
 		case Lexer::LEX_UNDEF:
 			lex.printError("Unknown InsetLayout tag");
+			if (validating)
+				return false;
 			continue;
 		default:
 			break;
@@ -232,13 +235,20 @@ bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
 				LYXERR0("Flex insets must have names of the form `Flex:<name>'.\n"
 				        "This one has the name `" << to_utf8(name_) << "'\n"
 				        "Ignoring LyXType declaration.");
+				// this is not really a reason to abort
+				if (validating)
+					return false;
 				break;
 			}
 			string lt;
 			lex >> lt;
 			lyxtype_ = translateLyXType(lt);
-			if (lyxtype_  == NOLYXTYPE)
+			if (lyxtype_  == NOLYXTYPE) {
 				LYXERR0("Unknown LyXType `" << lt << "'.");
+				// this is not really a reason to abort
+				if (validating)
+					return false;
+			}
 			if (lyxtype_ == CHARSTYLE) {
 				// by default, charstyles force the plain layout
 				multipar_ = false;
@@ -250,8 +260,12 @@ bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
 			string lt;
 			lex >> lt;
 			latextype_ = translateLaTeXType(lt);
-			if (latextype_  == ILT_ERROR)
+			if (latextype_  == ILT_ERROR) {
 				LYXERR0("Unknown LaTeXType `" << lt << "'.");
+				// this is not really a reason to abort
+				if (validating)
+					return false;
+			}
 			break;
 		}
 		case IL_LABELSTRING:
@@ -378,6 +392,9 @@ bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
 						tclass.insetLayouts().end();
 				for (; lit != len; ++lit)
 					lyxerr << lit->second.name() << "\n";
+				// this is not really a reason to abort
+				if (validating)
+					return false;
 			}
 			break;
 		}
@@ -408,6 +425,9 @@ bool InsetLayout::read(Lexer & lex, TextClass const & tclass)
 						tclass.insetLayouts().end();
 				for (; lit != len; ++lit)
 					lyxerr << lit->second.name() << "\n";
+				// this is not really a reason to abort
+				if (validating)
+					return false;
 			}
 			break;
 		}
diff --git a/src/insets/InsetLayout.h b/src/insets/InsetLayout.h
index bed2136c4f..3db9ad1679 100644
--- a/src/insets/InsetLayout.h
+++ b/src/insets/InsetLayout.h
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ public:
 		ILT_ERROR
 	};
 	///
-	bool read(Lexer & lexrc, TextClass const & tclass);
+	bool read(Lexer & lexrc, TextClass const & tclass,
+			bool validating = false);
 	///
 	docstring name() const { return name_; }
 	///