diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/modes.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/modes.ts
index 2b581e9352d8950a0b0cbe7f55967846a8f6d9f6..23a2b611dc9282bd23201d48c61a15c848d40091 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/modes.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/modes.ts
@@ -941,7 +941,7 @@ export interface WorkspaceEdit {
 }
 
 export interface Rejection {
-	rejectReason?: string; // TODO@joh, move to rename
+	rejectReason?: string;
 }
 export interface RenameLocation {
 	range: IRange;
@@ -950,7 +950,7 @@ export interface RenameLocation {
 
 export interface RenameProvider {
 	provideRenameEdits(model: model.ITextModel, position: Position, newName: string, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<WorkspaceEdit & Rejection>;
-	resolveRenameLocation?(model: model.ITextModel, position: Position, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<RenameLocation>;
+	resolveRenameLocation?(model: model.ITextModel, position: Position, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<RenameLocation & Rejection>;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/rename/rename.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/rename/rename.ts
index 17f18eee1a1ec8d72aa857a3b1163abf9c413089..349b72d041654acaf8d3f50814d180589c2986fe 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/rename/rename.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/rename/rename.ts
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ class RenameSkeleton {
 		return this._provider.length > 0;
 	}
 
-	async resolveRenameLocation(token: CancellationToken): Promise<RenameLocation> {
+	async resolveRenameLocation(token: CancellationToken): Promise<RenameLocation & Rejection> {
 
 		let [provider] = this._provider;
-		let res: RenameLocation;
+		let res: RenameLocation & Rejection;
 
 		if (provider.resolveRenameLocation) {
 			res = await provider.resolveRenameLocation(this.model, this.position, token);
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class RenameController implements IEditorContribution {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 
-		let loc: RenameLocation;
+		let loc: RenameLocation & Rejection;
 		try {
 			loc = await skeleton.resolveRenameLocation(token);
 		} catch (e) {
@@ -148,6 +148,11 @@ class RenameController implements IEditorContribution {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 
+		if (loc.rejectReason) {
+			MessageController.get(this.editor).showMessage(loc.rejectReason, position);
+			return undefined;
+		}
+
 		let selection = this.editor.getSelection();
 		let selectionStart = 0;
 		let selectionEnd = loc.text.length;
diff --git a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
index d4c2d7a02e87febd10f6e8195266714780b358e5..a95464e46ec40c59b2172c8efca8c91c32cd52ca 100644
--- a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
@@ -5323,7 +5323,7 @@ declare namespace monaco.languages {
 
 	export interface RenameProvider {
 		provideRenameEdits(model: editor.ITextModel, position: Position, newName: string, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<WorkspaceEdit & Rejection>;
-		resolveRenameLocation?(model: editor.ITextModel, position: Position, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<RenameLocation>;
+		resolveRenameLocation?(model: editor.ITextModel, position: Position, token: CancellationToken): ProviderResult<RenameLocation & Rejection>;
 	}
 
 	export interface Command {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
index a50bd234064711a28dccd0e8149a4bbc813b34c5..a5953b695840af529057ef1e11575cb4c122a0f7 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
@@ -492,24 +492,17 @@ class RenameAdapter {
 			}
 			return typeConvert.WorkspaceEdit.from(value);
 		}, err => {
-			if (typeof err === 'string') {
-				return <WorkspaceEditDto>{
-					edits: undefined,
-					rejectReason: err
-				};
-			} else if (err instanceof Error && typeof err.message === 'string') {
-				return <WorkspaceEditDto>{
-					edits: undefined,
-					rejectReason: err.message
-				};
+			let rejectReason = RenameAdapter._asMessage(err);
+			if (rejectReason) {
+				return <WorkspaceEditDto>{ rejectReason, edits: undefined };
 			} else {
 				// generic error
-				return TPromise.wrapError<WorkspaceEditDto>(err);
+				return Promise.reject<WorkspaceEditDto>(err);
 			}
 		});
 	}
 
-	resolveRenameLocation(resource: URI, position: IPosition, token: CancellationToken): Thenable<modes.RenameLocation> {
+	resolveRenameLocation(resource: URI, position: IPosition, token: CancellationToken): Thenable<modes.RenameLocation & modes.Rejection> {
 		if (typeof this._provider.prepareRename !== 'function') {
 			return TPromise.as(undefined);
 		}
@@ -539,8 +532,25 @@ class RenameAdapter {
 				return undefined;
 			}
 			return { range: typeConvert.Range.from(range), text };
+		}, err => {
+			let rejectReason = RenameAdapter._asMessage(err);
+			if (rejectReason) {
+				return <modes.RenameLocation & modes.Rejection>{ rejectReason, range: undefined, text: undefined };
+			} else {
+				return Promise.reject(err);
+			}
 		});
 	}
+
+	private static _asMessage(err: any): string {
+		if (typeof err === 'string') {
+			return err;
+		} else if (err instanceof Error && typeof err.message === 'string') {
+			return err.message;
+		} else {
+			return undefined;
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 class SuggestAdapter {