diff --git a/kernel/trace/trace_events_synth.c b/kernel/trace/trace_events_synth.c
index 0d2fe4b6..fdf0e85 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/trace_events_synth.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/trace_events_synth.c
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@
 #undef ERRORS
 #define ERRORS	\
 	C(BAD_NAME,		"Illegal name"),		\
-	C(CMD_INCOMPLETE,	"Incomplete command"),		\
+	C(INVALID_CMD,		"Command must be of the form: <name> field[;field] ..."),\
+	C(INVALID_DYN_CMD,	"Command must be of the form: s or -:[synthetic/]<name> field[;field] ..."),\
 	C(EVENT_EXISTS,		"Event already exists"),	\
 	C(TOO_MANY_FIELDS,	"Too many fields"),		\
 	C(INCOMPLETE_TYPE,	"Incomplete type"),		\
 	C(INVALID_TYPE,		"Invalid type"),		\
-	C(INVALID_FIELD,	"Invalid field"),		\
-	C(CMD_TOO_LONG,		"Command too long"),
+	C(INVALID_FIELD,        "Invalid field"),		\
+	C(INVALID_ARRAY_SPEC,	"Invalid array specification"),
 
 #undef C
 #define C(a, b)		SYNTH_ERR_##a
@@ -648,6 +649,10 @@ static struct synth_field *parse_synth_field(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	size = synth_field_size(field->type);
 	if (size < 0) {
+		if (array)
+			synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_ARRAY_SPEC, errpos(field_name));
+		else
+			synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_TYPE, errpos(field_type));
 		ret = -EINVAL;
 		goto free;
 	} else if (size == 0) {
@@ -1169,7 +1174,7 @@ static int __create_synth_event(const char *name, const char *raw_fields)
 	mutex_lock(&event_mutex);
 
 	if (name[0] == '\0') {
-		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_CMD_INCOMPLETE, 0);
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
 		ret = -EINVAL;
 		goto out;
 	}
@@ -1222,7 +1227,7 @@ static int __create_synth_event(const char *name, const char *raw_fields)
 	}
 
 	if (n_fields == 0) {
-		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_CMD_INCOMPLETE, 0);
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
 		ret = -EINVAL;
 		goto err;
 	}
@@ -1360,6 +1365,37 @@ int synth_event_delete(const char *event_name)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(synth_event_delete);
 
+static int check_command(const char *raw_command)
+{
+	char **argv = NULL, *cmd, *saved_cmd, *name_and_field;
+	int argc, ret = 0;
+
+	cmd = saved_cmd = kstrdup(raw_command, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!cmd)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	name_and_field = strsep(&cmd, ";");
+	if (!name_and_field) {
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+		goto free;
+	}
+
+	argv = argv_split(GFP_KERNEL, name_and_field, &argc);
+	if (!argv) {
+		ret = -ENOMEM;
+		goto free;
+	}
+
+	if (argc < 3)
+		ret = -EINVAL;
+free:
+	kfree(saved_cmd);
+	if (argv)
+		argv_free(argv);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 static int create_or_delete_synth_event(const char *raw_command)
 {
 	char *name = NULL, *fields, *p;
@@ -1372,12 +1408,16 @@ static int create_or_delete_synth_event(const char *raw_command)
 	last_cmd_set(raw_command);
 
 	ret = check_command(raw_command);
-	if (ret)
+	if (ret) {
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
 		return ret;
+	}
 
 	p = strpbrk(raw_command, " \t");
-	if (!p)
+	if (!p) {
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
 		return -EINVAL;
+	}
 
 	name = kmemdup_nul(raw_command, p - raw_command, GFP_KERNEL);
 	fields = skip_spaces(p);
@@ -1948,8 +1988,10 @@ static int create_synth_event(const char *raw_command)
 	last_cmd_set(raw_command);
 
 	p = strpbrk(raw_command, " \t");
-	if (!p)
+	if (!p) {
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
 		return -EINVAL;
+	}
 
 	fields = skip_spaces(p);
 
@@ -1962,13 +2004,21 @@ static int create_synth_event(const char *raw_command)
 	/* This interface accepts group name prefix */
 	if (strchr(name, '/')) {
 		len = str_has_prefix(name, SYNTH_SYSTEM "/");
-		if (len == 0)
+		if (len == 0) {
+			synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_DYN_CMD, 0);
 			return -EINVAL;
+		}
 		name += len;
 	}
 
 	len = name - raw_command;
 
+	ret = check_command(raw_command + len);
+	if (ret) {
+		synth_err(SYNTH_ERR_INVALID_CMD, 0);
+		return ret;
+	}
+
 	name = kmemdup_nul(raw_command + len, p - raw_command - len, GFP_KERNEL);
 	ret = __create_synth_event(name, fields);