diff --git a/plugin-gradle/CHANGES.md b/plugin-gradle/CHANGES.md
index 1ce2f06a42..27d60e7270 100644
--- a/plugin-gradle/CHANGES.md
+++ b/plugin-gradle/CHANGES.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ We adhere to the [keepachangelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/) format (
 ### Added
 * Add a `jsonPatch` step to `json` formatter configurations. This allows patching of JSON documents using [JSON Patches](https://jsonpatch.com). ([#1753](https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/pull/1753))
 * Support GJF own import order. ([#1780](https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/pull/1780))
+* Check if EditorConfig file exist for Ktlint. ([#1788](https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/pull/1788)
 ### Fixed
 * Add support for `prettier` version `3.0.0` and newer. ([#1760]https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/pull/1760), [#1751](https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/issues/1751))
 * Fix npm install calls when npm cache is not up-to-date. ([#1760]https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/pull/1760), [#1750](https://github.com/diffplug/spotless/issues/1750))
diff --git a/plugin-gradle/src/main/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtension.java b/plugin-gradle/src/main/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtension.java
index f2c3a29d75..27d93717f4 100644
--- a/plugin-gradle/src/main/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtension.java
+++ b/plugin-gradle/src/main/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtension.java
@@ -85,11 +85,15 @@ public class KotlinFormatExtension {
 			addStep(createStep());
 		}
 
-		public KotlinFormatExtension setEditorConfigPath(Object editorConfigFile) throws IOException {
-			if (editorConfigFile == null) {
+		public KotlinFormatExtension setEditorConfigPath(Object editorConfigPath) throws IOException {
+			if (editorConfigPath == null) {
 				this.editorConfigPath = null;
 			} else {
-				this.editorConfigPath = FileSignature.signAsList(getProject().file(editorConfigFile));
+				File editorConfigFile = getProject().file(editorConfigPath);
+				if (!editorConfigFile.exists()) {
+					throw new IllegalArgumentException("EditorConfig file does not exist: " + editorConfigFile);
+				}
+				this.editorConfigPath = FileSignature.signAsList(editorConfigFile);
 			}
 			replaceStep(createStep());
 			return this;
diff --git a/plugin-gradle/src/test/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtensionTest.java b/plugin-gradle/src/test/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtensionTest.java
index 10fbe5bd90..98e2259be4 100644
--- a/plugin-gradle/src/test/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtensionTest.java
+++ b/plugin-gradle/src/test/java/com/diffplug/gradle/spotless/KotlinExtensionTest.java
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
  */
 package com.diffplug.gradle.spotless;
 
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
@@ -81,6 +84,27 @@ void withExperimentalEditorConfigOverride() throws IOException {
 		assertFile("src/main/kotlin/Main.kt").sameAsResource("kotlin/ktlint/experimentalEditorConfigOverride.clean");
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void testWithInvalidEditorConfigFile() throws IOException {
+		String invalidPath = "invalid/path/to/.editorconfig".replace('/', File.separatorChar);
+
+		setFile("build.gradle").toLines(
+				"plugins {",
+				"    id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm' version '1.5.31'",
+				"    id 'com.diffplug.spotless'",
+				"}",
+				"repositories { mavenCentral() }",
+				"spotless {",
+				"    kotlin {",
+				"        ktlint().setEditorConfigPath('" + invalidPath + "')",
+				"    }",
+				"}");
+		setFile("src/main/kotlin/Main.kt").toResource("kotlin/ktlint/experimentalEditorConfigOverride.dirty");
+		String buildOutput = gradleRunner().withArguments("spotlessApply").buildAndFail().getOutput();
+		assertTrue(buildOutput.contains("EditorConfig file does not exist: "));
+		assertTrue(buildOutput.contains(invalidPath));
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	void testWithHeader() throws IOException {
 		setFile("build.gradle").toLines(