diff --git a/bliss/config/static.py b/bliss/config/static.py
index 2b87d01b9227aba4bc2aeaef5ba839cc4dde3079..23093cdae0bb5b2263506791041c798f28da9112 100644
--- a/bliss/config/static.py
+++ b/bliss/config/static.py
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ class Config(metaclass=Singleton):
 
     def parsing_report(self):
         if self.invalid_yaml_files:
-            report = "YAML parsing error(s):\n"
+            report = f"Ignored {len(self.invalid_yaml_files)} YAML file(s) due to parsing error(s):\n"
             for path, msg in self.invalid_yaml_files.items():
                 report += f"    - {path}:\n"
                 report += f"{indent(msg, '       |')}\n"
diff --git a/bliss/shell/cli/repl.py b/bliss/shell/cli/repl.py
index 26ddac12dea22574e8c1c1e747b3b1f730abbf0c..ddeb75b95989cb2ebb90baf94bb04053aed65656 100644
--- a/bliss/shell/cli/repl.py
+++ b/bliss/shell/cli/repl.py
@@ -555,7 +555,7 @@ def initialize(
     if config.invalid_yaml_files:
         print()
         print(
-            f"Found {len(config.invalid_yaml_files)} YAML parsing error(s), use config.parsing_report() for details.\n"
+            f"Ignored {len(config.invalid_yaml_files)} YAML file(s) due to parsing error(s), use config.parsing_report() for details.\n"
         )
 
     # Setup(s)
diff --git a/bliss/shell/main.py b/bliss/shell/main.py
index ab8e9f49188e508c76b42685089da35be426d565..b81c407ccd2d46cd630bc97a62ba5f6131a2dc3b 100755
--- a/bliss/shell/main.py
+++ b/bliss/shell/main.py
@@ -165,13 +165,18 @@ def main():
             sys.exit(0)
 
     # check beacon connection
-    static.get_config()
+    config = static.get_config()
 
     # Start a specific session
     if arguments["--session"]:
         session_name = arguments["--session"]
         if session_name not in get_sessions_list():
-            print(("'%s' does not seem to be a valid session, exiting." % session_name))
+            print(f"\n'{session_name}' does not seem to be a valid session, ", end="")
+            if config.invalid_yaml_files:
+                print("it may relate to the following yaml error(s):")
+                config.parsing_report()
+            else:
+                print("exiting.")
             print_sessions_list(get_sessions_list())
             sys.exit(0)
     else:
diff --git a/tests/config/test_config.py b/tests/config/test_config.py
index 03aa55c7ad4c58977757cda0198c48bea396fc16..59879882b5802c5be07ec09eab6328516848c227 100644
--- a/tests/config/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/config/test_config.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import os
 from unittest.mock import patch
 import pytest
 import ruamel
+import subprocess
 
 from bliss.config.conductor import client
 from bliss.config.static import ConfigNode
@@ -162,6 +163,26 @@ def test_ruamel_load_error(beacon, beacon_directory):
     assert error_msg.startswith("YAML parser failure:")
 
 
+def test_broken_session_yml(beacon, beacon_directory):
+    broken_session = f"{beacon_directory}/broken_session.yml"
+
+    with open(broken_session, "w") as f:
+        f.write("foo")
+
+    bliss_shell = subprocess.Popen(
+        [sys.executable, "-m", "bliss.shell.main", "-s", "broken_session"],
+        stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    )
+    output, err = bliss_shell.communicate()
+
+    expected = "'broken_session' does not seem to be a valid session, "
+    expected += "it may relate to the following yaml error(s):\n"
+    expected += "Ignored 1 YAML file(s) due to parsing error(s):\n"
+    expected += "    - broken_session.yml:\n"
+    expected += "       |'str' object has no attribute 'items'\n"
+    assert expected in output.decode()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "object_name, get_func_name, copy",
     [["refs_test", "get", False], ["refs_test_cpy", "get_config", True]],