diff --git a/plugins/MessageParser/plugin.py b/plugins/MessageParser/plugin.py
index 604378e36..8e043db70 100644
--- a/plugins/MessageParser/plugin.py
+++ b/plugins/MessageParser/plugin.py
@@ -129,8 +129,13 @@ class MessageParser(callbacks.Plugin, plugins.ChannelDBHandler):
 
     def _runCommandFunction(self, irc, msg, command):
         """Run a command from message, as if command was sent over IRC."""
-        tokens = callbacks.tokenize(command,
-            channel=msg.channel, network=irc.network)
+        try:
+            tokens = callbacks.tokenize(command,
+                channel=msg.channel, network=irc.network)
+        except SyntaxError as e:
+            # Emulate what callbacks.py does
+            self.log.debug('Error return: %s', utils.exnToString(e))
+            irc.error(str(e))
         try:
             self.Proxy(irc.irc, msg, tokens)
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/plugins/MessageParser/test.py b/plugins/MessageParser/test.py
index 61c77a910..f08abde49 100644
--- a/plugins/MessageParser/test.py
+++ b/plugins/MessageParser/test.py
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ class MessageParserTestCase(ChannelPluginTestCase):
         self.assertResponse(' ', '$1')
         self.assertNotError('messageparser remove "this( .+)? a(.*)"')
 
+    def testSyntaxError(self):
+        self.assertNotError(r'messageparser add "test" "echo foo \" bar"')
+        self.feedMsg('test')
+        self.assertResponse(' ', 'Error: No closing quotation')
+
     def testShow(self):
         self.assertNotError('messageparser add "stuff" "echo i saw some stuff"')
         self.assertRegexp('messageparser show "nostuff"', 'there is no such regexp trigger')