diff --git a/src/compile/Component.ts b/src/compile/Component.ts
index 30a06ca50b..9d13b5cd91 100644
--- a/src/compile/Component.ts
+++ b/src/compile/Component.ts
@@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ export default class Component {
 				this.add_reference(name.slice(1));
 
 				const variable = this.var_lookup.get(name.slice(1));
-				variable.subscribable = true;
+				if (variable) variable.subscribable = true;
 			} else {
 				this.add_var({
 					name,
diff --git a/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global/_config.js b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-script/_config.js
similarity index 100%
rename from test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global/_config.js
rename to test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-script/_config.js
diff --git a/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-script/main.svelte b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-script/main.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..210734b71d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-script/main.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<script>
+	$: $missingGlobal;
+</script>
diff --git a/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-template/_config.js b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-template/_config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4eb72b553
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-template/_config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export default {
+	error: 'missingGlobal is not defined'
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global/main.svelte b/test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-template/main.svelte
similarity index 100%
rename from test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global/main.svelte
rename to test/runtime/samples/store-auto-subscribe-missing-global-template/main.svelte