diff --git a/internal/deps/composition.go b/internal/deps/composition.go
index 2563dda..f4ebbd6 100644
--- a/internal/deps/composition.go
+++ b/internal/deps/composition.go
@@ -192,10 +192,9 @@ func (comp Composition) RecursiveDepsOf(s string) (newcomp *Composition, err err
 
 	for len(todo) > 0 {
 		for serviceName := range todo {
-			service, ok := comp.Services[serviceName]
-
+			_, ok := comp.Services[serviceName]
 			if !ok {
-				comp.AddService(serviceName, NewService(service.Deployable))
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("application %s does not exist", serviceName)
 			}
 
 			newcomp.Services[serviceName] = comp.Services[serviceName]
diff --git a/internal/deps/composition_test.go b/internal/deps/composition_test.go
index 4790e69..7476a7a 100644
--- a/internal/deps/composition_test.go
+++ b/internal/deps/composition_test.go
@@ -85,17 +85,6 @@ func TestRecursiveDepsOf(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestRecursiveDepsOfWithListOfServices(t *testing.T) {
-	comp := newTestComp()
-
-	got, _ := comp.RecursiveDepsOf("fourth-service,first-service")
-
-	_, ok := got.Services["fifth-service"]
-	if !ok {
-		t.Error("expected to have 'fifth-service' in composition")
-	}
-}
-
 func TestRecursiveDepsOfWithListOfServicesAndBlank(t *testing.T) {
 	comp := newTestComp()
 	got, _ := comp.RecursiveDepsOf("fifth-service, fourth-service")
@@ -215,3 +204,12 @@ func TestDeployOrderWithUndeployables(t *testing.T) {
 	cmpSlice(t, []string{"d"}, order)
 
 }
+
+func TestRecursiveDepsOfFailsIfUnknownAppIsSpecified(t *testing.T) {
+	comp := NewComposition()
+	_, err := comp.RecursiveDepsOf("xyz")
+	expectedErrStr := "application xyz does not exist"
+	if err == nil || err.Error() != expectedErrStr {
+		t.Fatalf("expected err with msg: %q, got: %v", expectedErrStr, err)
+	}
+}