diff --git a/components/common/src/error.rs b/components/common/src/error.rs
index 8ee7a51619d..3cc3408ab83 100644
--- a/components/common/src/error.rs
+++ b/components/common/src/error.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ pub enum Error {
     GossipFileRelativePath(String),
     HabitatCore(hcore::Error),
     InstallHookFailed(PackageIdent),
+    InvalidEventStreamToken(String),
     InvalidInstallHookMode(String),
     /// Occurs when making lower level IO calls.
     IO(io::Error),
@@ -121,6 +122,9 @@ impl fmt::Display for Error {
             Error::InstallHookFailed(ref ident) => {
                 format!("Install hook exited unsuccessfully: {}", ident)
             }
+            Error::InvalidEventStreamToken(ref s) => {
+                format!("Invalid event stream token provided: '{}'", s)
+            }
             Error::InvalidInstallHookMode(ref e) => {
                 format!("Invalid InstallHookMode conversion from {}", e)
             }
@@ -185,6 +189,7 @@ impl error::Error for Error {
             }
             Error::HabitatCore(ref err) => err.description(),
             Error::InstallHookFailed(_) => "Install hook exited unsuccessfully",
+            Error::InvalidEventStreamToken(_) => "Invalid event stream token provided",
             Error::InvalidInstallHookMode(_) => "Invalid InstallHookMode",
             Error::IO(ref err) => err.description(),
             Error::JoinPathsError(ref err) => err.description(),
diff --git a/components/common/src/types/mod.rs b/components/common/src/types/mod.rs
index 43aff274f3d..132c2bf1ddf 100644
--- a/components/common/src/types/mod.rs
+++ b/components/common/src/types/mod.rs
@@ -128,13 +128,31 @@ impl AutomateAuthToken {
 }
 
 impl FromStr for AutomateAuthToken {
-    type Err = ();
+    type Err = Error;
 
     fn from_str(s: &str) -> std::result::Result<Self, Self::Err> {
-        Ok(AutomateAuthToken(s.to_string()))
+        if s.is_empty() {
+            Err(Error::InvalidEventStreamToken(s.to_string()))
+        } else {
+            Ok(AutomateAuthToken(s.to_string()))
+        }
     }
 }
 
 impl fmt::Display for AutomateAuthToken {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result { write!(f, "{}", self.0) }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
+    mod auth_token {
+        use super::*;
+
+        #[test]
+        fn cannot_parse_from_empty_string() { assert!("".parse::<AutomateAuthToken>().is_err()) }
+
+    }
+
+}