diff --git a/src/compiler/diagnosticMessages.json b/src/compiler/diagnosticMessages.json
index 4988e2091b..765b5de4f3 100644
--- a/src/compiler/diagnosticMessages.json
+++ b/src/compiler/diagnosticMessages.json
@@ -2748,6 +2748,10 @@
         "category": "Message",
         "code": 6128
     },
+    "The config file '{0}' found doesn't contain any source files.": {
+        "category": "Error",
+        "code": 6129
+    },
     "Variable '{0}' implicitly has an '{1}' type.": {
         "category": "Error",
         "code": 7005
diff --git a/src/server/editorServices.ts b/src/server/editorServices.ts
index 32beec0542..ae628e713d 100644
--- a/src/server/editorServices.ts
+++ b/src/server/editorServices.ts
@@ -1096,12 +1096,12 @@ namespace ts.server {
          * @param filename is absolute pathname
          * @param fileContent is a known version of the file content that is more up to date than the one on disk
          */
-        openClientFile(fileName: string, fileContent?: string, scriptKind?: ScriptKind) {
-            this.openOrUpdateConfiguredProjectForFile(fileName);
+        openClientFile(fileName: string, fileContent?: string, scriptKind?: ScriptKind): { info: ScriptInfo, configFileName?: string, configFileErrors?: Diagnostic[] } {
+            const { configFileName, configFileErrors } = this.openOrUpdateConfiguredProjectForFile(fileName);
             const info = this.openFile(fileName, /*openedByClient*/ true, fileContent, scriptKind);
             this.addOpenFile(info);
             this.printProjects();
-            return info;
+            return { info, configFileName, configFileErrors };
         }
 
         /**
@@ -1109,7 +1109,7 @@ namespace ts.server {
          * we first detect if there is already a configured project created for it: if so, we re-read
          * the tsconfig file content and update the project; otherwise we create a new one.
          */
-        openOrUpdateConfiguredProjectForFile(fileName: string) {
+        openOrUpdateConfiguredProjectForFile(fileName: string): { configFileName?: string, configFileErrors?: Diagnostic[] } {
             const searchPath = ts.normalizePath(getDirectoryPath(fileName));
             this.log("Search path: " + searchPath, "Info");
             const configFileName = this.findConfigFile(searchPath);
@@ -1119,7 +1119,7 @@ namespace ts.server {
                 if (!project) {
                     const configResult = this.openConfigFile(configFileName, fileName);
                     if (!configResult.success) {
-                        this.log("Error opening config file " + configFileName + " " + configResult.errorMsg);
+                        return { configFileName, configFileErrors: configResult.errors };
                     }
                     else {
                         this.log("Opened configuration file " + configFileName, "Info");
@@ -1133,6 +1133,7 @@ namespace ts.server {
             else {
                 this.log("No config files found.");
             }
+            return {};
         }
 
         /**
@@ -1222,24 +1223,25 @@ namespace ts.server {
             return undefined;
         }
 
-        configFileToProjectOptions(configFilename: string): { succeeded: boolean, projectOptions?: ProjectOptions, error?: ProjectOpenResult } {
+        configFileToProjectOptions(configFilename: string): { succeeded: boolean, projectOptions?: ProjectOptions, errors?: Diagnostic[] } {
             configFilename = ts.normalizePath(configFilename);
             // file references will be relative to dirPath (or absolute)
             const dirPath = ts.getDirectoryPath(configFilename);
             const contents = this.host.readFile(configFilename);
             const rawConfig: { config?: ProjectOptions; error?: Diagnostic; } = ts.parseConfigFileTextToJson(configFilename, contents);
             if (rawConfig.error) {
-                return { succeeded: false, error: rawConfig.error };
+                return { succeeded: false, errors: [rawConfig.error] };
             }
             else {
                 const parsedCommandLine = ts.parseJsonConfigFileContent(rawConfig.config, this.host, dirPath, /*existingOptions*/ {}, configFilename);
                 Debug.assert(!!parsedCommandLine.fileNames);
 
                 if (parsedCommandLine.errors && (parsedCommandLine.errors.length > 0)) {
-                    return { succeeded: false, error: { errorMsg: "tsconfig option errors" } };
+                    return { succeeded: false, errors: parsedCommandLine.errors };
                 }
                 else if (parsedCommandLine.fileNames.length === 0) {
-                    return { succeeded: false, error: { errorMsg: "no files found" } };
+                    const error = createCompilerDiagnostic(Diagnostics.The_config_file_0_found_doesn_t_contain_any_source_files, configFilename);
+                    return { succeeded: false, errors: [error] };
                 }
                 else {
                     const projectOptions: ProjectOptions = {
@@ -1252,10 +1254,10 @@ namespace ts.server {
 
         }
 
-        openConfigFile(configFilename: string, clientFileName?: string): ProjectOpenResult {
-            const { succeeded, projectOptions, error } = this.configFileToProjectOptions(configFilename);
+        openConfigFile(configFilename: string, clientFileName?: string): { success: boolean, project?: Project, errors?: Diagnostic[] } {
+            const { succeeded, projectOptions, errors } = this.configFileToProjectOptions(configFilename);
             if (!succeeded) {
-                return error;
+                return { success: false, errors };
             }
             else {
                 const project = this.createProject(configFilename, projectOptions);
@@ -1265,7 +1267,8 @@ namespace ts.server {
                         project.addRoot(info);
                     }
                     else {
-                        return { errorMsg: "specified file " + rootFilename + " not found" };
+                        const error = createCompilerDiagnostic(Diagnostics.File_0_not_found, rootFilename);
+                        return { success: false, errors: [error] };
                     }
                 }
                 project.finishGraph();
@@ -1286,9 +1289,9 @@ namespace ts.server {
                 this.removeProject(project);
             }
             else {
-                const { succeeded, projectOptions, error } = this.configFileToProjectOptions(project.projectFilename);
+                const { succeeded, projectOptions, errors } = this.configFileToProjectOptions(project.projectFilename);
                 if (!succeeded) {
-                    return error;
+                    return errors;
                 }
                 else {
                     const oldFileNames = project.compilerService.host.roots.map(info => info.fileName);
diff --git a/src/server/session.ts b/src/server/session.ts
index e043fff224..2ddccc94c8 100644
--- a/src/server/session.ts
+++ b/src/server/session.ts
@@ -561,7 +561,10 @@ namespace ts.server {
          */
         private openClientFile(fileName: string, fileContent?: string, scriptKind?: ScriptKind) {
             const file = ts.normalizePath(fileName);
-            this.projectService.openClientFile(file, fileContent, scriptKind);
+            const { info, configFileName, configFileErrors } = this.projectService.openClientFile(file, fileContent, scriptKind);
+            if (configFileErrors) {
+                this.event({ triggerFile: fileName, configFile: configFileName, diagnostics: configFileErrors }, "configFileDiag");
+            }
         }
 
         private getQuickInfo(line: number, offset: number, fileName: string): protocol.QuickInfoResponseBody {