diff --git a/fml/client/cpw/mods/fml/client/FMLClientHandler.java b/fml/client/cpw/mods/fml/client/FMLClientHandler.java
index 86068f948..42e170e5d 100644
--- a/fml/client/cpw/mods/fml/client/FMLClientHandler.java
+++ b/fml/client/cpw/mods/fml/client/FMLClientHandler.java
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ public class FMLClientHandler implements IFMLSidedHandler
             Class<?> optifineConfig = Class.forName("Config", false, Loader.instance().getModClassLoader());
             String optifineVersion = (String) optifineConfig.getField("VERSION").get(null);
             Map<String,Object> dummyOptifineMeta = ImmutableMap.<String,Object>builder().put("name", "Optifine").put("version", optifineVersion).build();
-            ModMetadata optifineMetadata = MetadataCollection.from(getClass().getResourceAsStream("optifinemod.info")).getMetadataForId("optifine", dummyOptifineMeta);
+            ModMetadata optifineMetadata = MetadataCollection.from(getClass().getResourceAsStream("optifinemod.info"),"optifine").getMetadataForId("optifine", dummyOptifineMeta);
             optifineContainer = new DummyModContainer(optifineMetadata);
             FMLLog.info("Forge Mod Loader has detected optifine %s, enabling compatibility features",optifineContainer.getVersion());
         }
diff --git a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/MetadataCollection.java b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/MetadataCollection.java
index bcb624365..e686f9dbb 100644
--- a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/MetadataCollection.java
+++ b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/MetadataCollection.java
@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@ package cpw.mods.fml.common;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.logging.Level;
 
 import argo.jdom.JdomParser;
 import argo.jdom.JsonNode;
 import argo.jdom.JsonRootNode;
+import argo.saj.InvalidSyntaxException;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Throwables;
 import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
@@ -17,13 +19,13 @@ public class MetadataCollection
     private Map<String, ModMetadata> metadatas = Maps.newHashMap();
     private int metadataVersion = 1;
 
-    public static MetadataCollection from(InputStream inputStream)
+    public static MetadataCollection from(InputStream inputStream, String sourceName)
     {
         if (inputStream == null)
         {
             return new MetadataCollection();
         }
-        
+
         InputStreamReader reader = new InputStreamReader(inputStream);
         try
         {
@@ -37,6 +39,11 @@ public class MetadataCollection
                 return parseModInfo(root);
             }
         }
+        catch (InvalidSyntaxException e)
+        {
+            FMLLog.log(Level.SEVERE, e, "The mcmod.info file in %s cannot be parsed as valid JSON. It will be ignored", sourceName);
+            return null;
+        }
         catch (Exception e)
         {
             throw Throwables.propagate(e);
diff --git a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/DirectoryDiscoverer.java b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/DirectoryDiscoverer.java
index 055786a6e..1df79c186 100644
--- a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/DirectoryDiscoverer.java
+++ b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/DirectoryDiscoverer.java
@@ -53,13 +53,13 @@ public class DirectoryDiscoverer implements ITypeDiscoverer
             try
             {
                 FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(metadata);
-                mc = MetadataCollection.from(fis);
+                mc = MetadataCollection.from(fis,modDir.getName());
                 fis.close();
                 FMLLog.fine("Found an mcmod.info file in directory %s", modDir.getName());
             }
             catch (Exception e)
             {
-                mc = MetadataCollection.from(null);
+                mc = MetadataCollection.from(null,"");
                 FMLLog.info("No mcmod.info file found in directory %s", modDir.getName());
             }
         }
diff --git a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/JarDiscoverer.java b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/JarDiscoverer.java
index 40b046a4a..03f63457a 100644
--- a/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/JarDiscoverer.java
+++ b/fml/common/cpw/mods/fml/common/discovery/JarDiscoverer.java
@@ -33,12 +33,12 @@ public class JarDiscoverer implements ITypeDiscoverer
             if (modInfo != null)
             {
                 FMLLog.finer("Located mcmod.info file in file %s", candidate.getModContainer().getName());
-                mc = MetadataCollection.from(jar.getInputStream(modInfo));
+                mc = MetadataCollection.from(jar.getInputStream(modInfo), candidate.getModContainer().getName());
             }
             else
             {
                 FMLLog.info("The mod container %s appears to be missing an mcmod.info file", candidate.getModContainer().getName());
-                mc = MetadataCollection.from(null);
+                mc = MetadataCollection.from(null, "");
             }
             for (ZipEntry ze : Collections.list(jar.entries()))
             {