diff --git a/bin/plugin/open/scp b/bin/plugin/open/scp
index cc31f6e..688e0ed 100755
--- a/bin/plugin/open/scp
+++ b/bin/plugin/open/scp
@@ -96,6 +96,15 @@ if (not $host) {
     osh_exit;
 }
 
+if (not $ip) {
+
+    # use STDERR because stdout is eaten by scp itself
+    print STDERR "\nscp: Sorry, couldn't resolve the host you specified ('$host'), aborting.\n";
+
+    # note that the calling-side scp will not passthrough this exit code, but most probably "1" instead.
+    exit(OVH::Bastion::EXIT_HOST_NOT_FOUND);
+}
+
 my $machine = $ip;
 $machine = "$user\@$ip" if $user;
 $port ||= 22;       # scp uses 22 if not specified, so we need to test access to that port and not any port (aka undef)
diff --git a/tests/functional/tests.d/340-selfaccesses.sh b/tests/functional/tests.d/340-selfaccesses.sh
index 384ee0a..88e18ae 100644
--- a/tests/functional/tests.d/340-selfaccesses.sh
+++ b/tests/functional/tests.d/340-selfaccesses.sh
@@ -195,6 +195,10 @@ testsuite_selfaccesses()
     contain "No such file or directory"
     nocontain "Permission denied"
 
+    run scp invalidhostname scp -F $mytmpdir/ssh_config -S /tmp/scphelper -i $account0key1file $shellaccount@_invalid._invalid:uptest /tmp/downloaded
+    retvalshouldbe 1
+    contain "Sorry, couldn't resolve the host you specified"
+
     success scp upload scp -F $mytmpdir/ssh_config -S /tmp/scphelper -i $account0key1file /etc/passwd $shellaccount@127.0.0.2:uptest
     contain "through the bastion to"
     contain "Done,"