diff --git a/lib/handlebars/base.js b/lib/handlebars/base.js
index 00c8bf1ff..059b1c3fb 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/base.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/base.js
@@ -49,11 +49,13 @@ HandlebarsEnvironment.prototype = {
 };
 
 function registerDefaultHelpers(instance) {
-  instance.registerHelper('helperMissing', function(arg) {
-    if(arguments.length === 2) {
+  instance.registerHelper('helperMissing', function(/* [args, ]options */) {
+    if(arguments.length === 1) {
+      // A missing field in a {{foo}} constuct.
       return undefined;
     } else {
-      throw new Exception("Missing helper: '" + arg + "'");
+      // Someone is actually trying to call something, blow up.
+      throw new Exception("Missing helper: '" + arguments[arguments.length-1].name + "'");
     }
   });
 
diff --git a/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js b/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
index b428c5fc5..3c4a9b790 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/compiler/compiler.js
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ Compiler.prototype = {
       this.opcode('pushProgram', program);
       this.opcode('pushProgram', inverse);
       this.opcode('emptyHash');
-      this.opcode('blockValue');
+      this.opcode('blockValue', sexpr.id.original);
     } else {
       this.ambiguousSexpr(sexpr, program, inverse);
 
diff --git a/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js b/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
index 213672497..d11275d1d 100644
--- a/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
+++ b/lib/handlebars/compiler/javascript-compiler.js
@@ -224,11 +224,11 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
   // `{{#this.foo}}...{{/this.foo}}`, resolve the value of `foo`, and
   // replace it on the stack with the result of properly
   // invoking blockHelperMissing.
-  blockValue: function() {
+  blockValue: function(name) {
     this.context.aliases.blockHelperMissing = 'helpers.blockHelperMissing';
 
     var params = ["depth0"];
-    this.setupParams(0, params);
+    this.setupParams(name, 0, params);
 
     this.replaceStack(function(current) {
       params.splice(1, 0, current);
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
 
     // We're being a bit cheeky and reusing the options value from the prior exec
     var params = ["depth0"];
-    this.setupParams(0, params, true);
+    this.setupParams('', 0, params, true);
 
     this.flushInline();
 
@@ -504,20 +504,15 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
     this.context.aliases.helperMissing = 'helpers.helperMissing';
     this.useRegister('helper');
 
-    var helper = this.lastHelper = this.setupHelper(paramSize, name, true);
+    var helper = this.setupHelper(paramSize, name);
     var nonHelper = this.nameLookup('depth' + this.lastContext, name, 'context');
 
-    var lookup = 'helper = ' + helper.name + ' || ' + nonHelper;
+    var lookup = 'helper = ' + helper.name + ' || ' + nonHelper + ' || helperMissing';
     if (helper.paramsInit) {
       lookup += ',' + helper.paramsInit;
     }
 
-    this.push(
-      '('
-        + lookup
-        + ',helper '
-          + '? helper.call(' + helper.callParams + ') '
-          + ': helperMissing.call(' + helper.helperMissingParams + '))');
+    this.push('(' + lookup + ',helper.call(' + helper.callParams + '))');
 
     // Always flush subexpressions. This is both to prevent the compounding size issue that
     // occurs when the code has to be duplicated for inlining and also to prevent errors
@@ -824,23 +819,23 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
       .replace(/\u2029/g, '\\u2029') + '"';
   },
 
-  setupHelper: function(paramSize, name, missingParams) {
+  setupHelper: function(paramSize, name, blockHelper) {
     var params = [],
-        paramsInit = this.setupParams(paramSize, params, missingParams);
+        paramsInit = this.setupParams(name, paramSize, params, blockHelper);
     var foundHelper = this.nameLookup('helpers', name, 'helper');
 
     return {
       params: params,
       paramsInit: paramsInit,
       name: foundHelper,
-      callParams: ["depth0"].concat(params).join(", "),
-      helperMissingParams: missingParams && ["depth0", this.quotedString(name)].concat(params).join(", ")
+      callParams: ["depth0"].concat(params).join(", ")
     };
   },
 
-  setupOptions: function(paramSize, params) {
+  setupOptions: function(helper, paramSize, params) {
     var options = [], contexts = [], types = [], param, inverse, program;
 
+    options.push("name:" + this.quotedString(helper));
     options.push("hash:" + this.popStack());
 
     if (this.stringParams) {
@@ -892,8 +887,8 @@ JavaScriptCompiler.prototype = {
 
   // the params and contexts arguments are passed in arrays
   // to fill in
-  setupParams: function(paramSize, params, useRegister) {
-    var options = '{' + this.setupOptions(paramSize, params).join(',') + '}';
+  setupParams: function(helperName, paramSize, params, useRegister) {
+    var options = '{' + this.setupOptions(helperName, paramSize, params).join(',') + '}';
 
     if (useRegister) {
       this.useRegister('options');
diff --git a/spec/helpers.js b/spec/helpers.js
index b0eb91e65..180fc9809 100644
--- a/spec/helpers.js
+++ b/spec/helpers.js
@@ -362,9 +362,9 @@ describe('helpers', function() {
       var context = { hello: "Hello", world: "world" };
 
       var helpers = {
-        helperMissing: function(helper, context) {
-          if(helper === "link_to") {
-            return new Handlebars.SafeString("<a>" + context + "</a>");
+        helperMissing: function(mesg, options) {
+          if(options.name === "link_to") {
+            return new Handlebars.SafeString("<a>" + mesg + "</a>");
           }
         }
       };
@@ -436,6 +436,43 @@ describe('helpers', function() {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('name field', function() {
+    var context = {};
+    var helpers = {
+      blockHelperMissing: function() {
+        return 'missing: ' + arguments[arguments.length-1].name;
+      },
+      helper: function() {
+        return 'ran: ' + arguments[arguments.length-1].name;
+      }
+    };
+
+    it('should include in ambiguous mustache calls', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{helper}}', [context, helpers], 'ran: helper');
+    });
+    it('should include in helper mustache calls', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{helper 1}}', [context, helpers], 'ran: helper');
+    });
+    it('should include in ambiguous block calls', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{#helper}}{{/helper}}', [context, helpers], 'ran: helper');
+    });
+    it('should include in simple block calls', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{#./helper}}{{/./helper}}', [context, helpers], 'missing: ./helper');
+    });
+    it('should include in helper block calls', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{#helper 1}}{{/helper}}', [context, helpers], 'ran: helper');
+    });
+    it('should include in known helper calls', function() {
+      var template = CompilerContext.compile("{{helper}}", {knownHelpers: {'helper': true}, knownHelpersOnly: true});
+
+      equal(template({}, {helpers: helpers}), 'ran: helper');
+    });
+
+    it('should include full id', function() {
+      shouldCompileTo('{{#foo.helper}}{{/foo.helper}}', [{foo: {}}, helpers], 'missing: foo.helper');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('name conflicts', function() {
     it("helpers take precedence over same-named context properties", function() {
       var template = CompilerContext.compile("{{goodbye}} {{cruel world}}");