diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
index 1589f4228..5ee3511b4 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Import-Package: javax.servlet;version="[3.1.0,4.0.0)",
  org.eclipse.jetty.util.security;version="[9.4.5,10.0.0)",
  org.eclipse.jetty.util.thread;version="[9.4.5,10.0.0)",
  org.eclipse.jgit.api;version="[4.11.0,4.12.0)",
+ org.eclipse.jgit.api.errors;version="[4.11.0,4.12.0)",
  org.eclipse.jgit.internal.storage.file;version="[4.11.0,4.12.0)",
  org.eclipse.jgit.junit;version="[4.11.0,4.12.0)",
  org.eclipse.jgit.junit.http;version="[4.11.0,4.12.0)",
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/server/fs/CheckoutTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/server/fs/CheckoutTest.java
index df43ccf41..67c8bd267 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/server/fs/CheckoutTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.server.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/server/fs/CheckoutTest.java
@@ -49,10 +49,13 @@
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.Git;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.api.errors.JGitInternalException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.junit.JGitTestUtil;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.junit.TestRepository;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.BuiltinLFS;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.lib.Constants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lfs.lib.LongObjectId;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ConfigConstants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.StoredConfig;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.storage.file.FileRepositoryBuilder;
@@ -78,8 +81,12 @@ public void setup() throws Exception {
 				.create(tmp.resolve(".git").toFile());
 		db.create();
 		StoredConfig cfg = db.getConfig();
-		cfg.setString("filter", "lfs", "usejgitbuiltin", "true");
-		cfg.setString("lfs", null, "url", server.getURI().toString() + "/lfs");
+		cfg.setBoolean(ConfigConstants.CONFIG_FILTER_SECTION, Constants.LFS,
+				ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_USEJGITBUILTIN, true);
+		cfg.setBoolean(ConfigConstants.CONFIG_FILTER_SECTION, Constants.LFS,
+				ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_REQUIRED, false);
+		cfg.setString(Constants.LFS, null, "url",
+				server.getURI().toString() + "/lfs");
 		cfg.save();
 
 		tdb = new TestRepository<>(db);
@@ -112,6 +119,17 @@ public void testUnknownContent() throws Exception {
 				server.getRequests().toString());
 	}
 
+	@Test(expected = JGitInternalException.class)
+	public void testUnknownContentRequired() throws Exception {
+		StoredConfig cfg = tdb.getRepository().getConfig();
+		cfg.setBoolean(ConfigConstants.CONFIG_FILTER_SECTION, Constants.LFS,
+				ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_REQUIRED, true);
+		cfg.save();
+
+		// must throw
+		git.checkout().setName("test").call();
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testKnownContent() throws Exception {
 		putContent(
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.properties b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.properties
index 29cee3a8e..0e00f146a 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.properties
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.properties
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ inconsistentContentLength=Unexpected content length reported by LFS server ({0})
 invalidLongId=Invalid id: {0}
 invalidLongIdLength=Invalid id length {0}; should be {1}
 lfsUnavailable=LFS is not available for repository {0}
+protocolError=LFS Protocol Error {0}: {1}
 requiredHashFunctionNotAvailable=Required hash function {0} not available.
 repositoryNotFound=Repository {0} not found
 repositoryReadOnly=Repository {0} is read-only
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/SmudgeFilter.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/SmudgeFilter.java
index 5c0d3b47a..e89b7b086 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/SmudgeFilter.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/SmudgeFilter.java
@@ -182,6 +182,11 @@ public static Collection<Path> downloadLfsResource(Lfs lfs, Repository db,
 			Protocol.Response resp = gson.fromJson(reader,
 					Protocol.Response.class);
 			for (Protocol.ObjectInfo o : resp.objects) {
+				if (o.error != null) {
+					throw new IOException(
+							MessageFormat.format(LfsText.get().protocolError,
+									o.error.code, o.error.message));
+				}
 				if (o.actions == null) {
 					continue;
 				}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.java
index d82ade2f7..d7d0fe186 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.lfs/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lfs/internal/LfsText.java
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ public static LfsText get() {
 	/***/ public String invalidLongId;
 	/***/ public String invalidLongIdLength;
 	/***/ public String lfsUnavailable;
+	/***/ public String protocolError;
 	/***/ public String requiredHashFunctionNotAvailable;
 	/***/ public String repositoryNotFound;
 	/***/ public String repositoryReadOnly;
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
index 189a5acbf..a376bc098 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
@@ -132,6 +132,9 @@ public Thread newThread(Runnable taskBody) {
 	 * @throws java.lang.Exception
 	 */
 	public static void main(final String[] argv) throws Exception {
+		// make sure built-in filters are registered
+		BuiltinLFS.register();
+
 		new Main().run(argv);
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/dircache/DirCacheCheckout.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/dircache/DirCacheCheckout.java
index 31500f517..5c85afd8d 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/dircache/DirCacheCheckout.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/dircache/DirCacheCheckout.java
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.events.WorkingTreeModifiedEvent;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.JGitText;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ConfigConstants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.CoreConfig.AutoCRLF;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.CoreConfig.EolStreamType;
@@ -1539,6 +1540,9 @@ private static void runExternalFilterCommand(Repository repo,
 	private static void runBuiltinFilterCommand(Repository repo,
 			CheckoutMetadata checkoutMetadata, ObjectLoader ol,
 			OutputStream channel) throws MissingObjectException, IOException {
+		boolean isMandatory = repo.getConfig().getBoolean(
+				ConfigConstants.CONFIG_FILTER_SECTION, "lfs",
+				ConfigConstants.CONFIG_KEY_REQUIRED, false);
 		FilterCommand command = null;
 		try {
 			command = FilterCommandRegistry.createFilterCommand(
@@ -1546,9 +1550,14 @@ private static void runBuiltinFilterCommand(Repository repo,
 					channel);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			LOG.error(JGitText.get().failedToDetermineFilterDefinition, e);
-			// In case an IOException occurred during creating of the command
-			// then proceed as if there would not have been a builtin filter.
-			ol.copyTo(channel);
+			if (!isMandatory) {
+				// In case an IOException occurred during creating of the
+				// command then proceed as if there would not have been a
+				// builtin filter (only if the filter is not mandatory).
+				ol.copyTo(channel);
+			} else {
+				throw e;
+			}
 		}
 		if (command != null) {
 			while (command.run() != -1) {