diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
index 55ca1c6e24903..8edefe66fc333 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
       defaultBehavior: DefaultSelection.OnlySingle,
     });
 
-    await this.validateStacks(stacks);
+    await this.validateStacks(stacks, selector.patterns);
 
     return stacks;
   }
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
       ? allStacks.filter(art => art.validateOnSynth ?? false)
       : new StackCollection(assembly, []);
 
-    await this.validateStacks(selectedForDiff.concat(autoValidateStacks));
+    await this.validateStacks(selectedForDiff.concat(autoValidateStacks), stackNames);
 
     return selectedForDiff;
   }
@@ -435,7 +435,11 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
   /**
    * Validate the stacks for errors and warnings according to the CLI's current settings
    */
-  private async validateStacks(stacks: StackCollection) {
+  private async validateStacks(stacks: StackCollection, stackNames: string[]) {
+    if (stacks.stackCount == 0) {
+      throw new Error(`No stacks match the name(s) ${stackNames}`);
+    }
+
     stacks.processMetadataMessages({
       ignoreErrors: this.props.ignoreErrors,
       strict: this.props.strict,
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
index 8f53405b749e4..f4573637ee5f4 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/cdk-toolkit.test.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,14 @@ function defaultToolkitSetup() {
 }
 
 describe('deploy', () => {
+  test('fails when no valid stack names are given', async () => {
+    // GIVEN
+    const toolkit = defaultToolkitSetup();
+
+    // WHEN
+    await expect(() => toolkit.deploy({ selector: { patterns: ['Test-Stack-D'] } })).rejects.toThrow('No stacks match the name(s) Test-Stack-D');
+  });
+
   describe('makes correct CloudFormation calls', () => {
     test('without options', async () => {
       // GIVEN
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/diff.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/diff.test.ts
index c1bcd11c78caa..e14ebe9bd9779 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/diff.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/diff.test.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,16 @@ test('throws an error during diffs on stack with error metadata', async () => {
   })).rejects.toThrow(/Found errors/);
 });
 
+test('throws an error if no valid stack names given', async () => {
+  const buffer = new StringWritable();
+
+  // WHEN
+  await expect(() => toolkit.diff({
+    stackNames: ['X', 'Y', 'Z'],
+    stream: buffer,
+  })).rejects.toThrow('No stacks match the name(s) X,Y,Z');
+});
+
 class StringWritable extends Writable {
   public data: string;
   private readonly _decoder: NodeStringDecoder;