diff --git a/addon/-private/system/store.js b/addon/-private/system/store.js
index e30e25bc857..fe862e628d6 100644
--- a/addon/-private/system/store.js
+++ b/addon/-private/system/store.js
@@ -749,7 +749,7 @@ Store = Service.extend({
     var adapter = this.adapterFor(typeClass.modelName);
 
     assert("You tried to find a record but you have no adapter (for " + typeClass + ")", adapter);
-    assert("You tried to find a record but your adapter (for " + typeClass + ") does not implement 'findRecord'", typeof adapter.findRecord === 'function' || typeof adapter.find === 'function');
+    assert("You tried to find a record but your adapter (for " + typeClass + ") does not implement 'findRecord'", typeof adapter.findRecord === 'function');
 
     var promise = _find(adapter, this, typeClass, id, internalModel, options);
     return promise;
@@ -2597,6 +2597,8 @@ function _commit(adapter, store, operation, snapshot) {
   var internalModel = snapshot._internalModel;
   var modelName = snapshot.modelName;
   var typeClass = store.modelFor(modelName);
+  assert(`You tried to update a record but you have no adapter (for ${typeClass})`, adapter);
+  assert(`You tried to update a record but your adapter (for ${typeClass}) does not implement '${operation}'`, typeof adapter[operation] === 'function');
   var promise = adapter[operation](store, typeClass, snapshot);
   var serializer = serializerForAdapter(store, adapter, modelName);
   var label = `DS: Extract and notify about ${operation} completion of ${internalModel}`;
diff --git a/tests/integration/adapter/store-adapter-test.js b/tests/integration/adapter/store-adapter-test.js
index 0094d5a7bdd..8048750aad0 100644
--- a/tests/integration/adapter/store-adapter-test.js
+++ b/tests/integration/adapter/store-adapter-test.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import setupStore from 'dummy/tests/helpers/store';
 import Ember from 'ember';
 
 import {module, test} from 'qunit';
+import testInDebug from 'dummy/tests/helpers/test-in-debug';
 
 import DS from 'ember-data';
 
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ test("by default, createRecords calls createRecord once per record", function(as
       yehuda: yehuda.save()
     });
   });
+
   promise.then(assert.wait(function(records) {
     tom = records.tom;
     yehuda = records.yehuda;
@@ -116,6 +118,7 @@ test("by default, createRecords calls createRecord once per record", function(as
     assert.asyncEqual(yehuda, store.findRecord('person', 2), "Once an ID is in, findRecord returns the same object");
     assert.equal(get(tom, 'updatedAt'), "now", "The new information is received");
     assert.equal(get(yehuda, 'updatedAt'), "now", "The new information is received");
+
   }));
 });
 
@@ -1400,3 +1403,21 @@ test("An async hasMany relationship with links should not trigger shouldBackgrou
     assert.equal(comments.get('length'), 3);
   }));
 });
+
+
+testInDebug("There should be a friendly error for if the adapter does not implement createRecord", function(assert) {
+  adapter.createRecord = null;
+
+  let tom;
+  assert.expectAssertion(function() {
+    run(function() {
+      tom = store.createRecord('person', { name: "Tom Dale" });
+      tom.save();
+    });
+  }, /does not implement 'createRecord'/);
+  run(function() {
+    // move record out of the inflight state so the tests can clean up
+    // correctly
+    store.recordWasError(tom._internalModel, new Error());
+  });
+});