diff --git a/tools/patman/gitutil.py b/tools/patman/gitutil.py
index 4e21d4c2a778acaa642479859691b8287b269196..f48575013f5703ce43c2cbf5195b8746511fc7fc 100644
--- a/tools/patman/gitutil.py
+++ b/tools/patman/gitutil.py
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ def ApplyPatches(verbose, args, start_point):
         print stdout, stderr
     return error_count == 0
 
-def BuildEmailList(in_list, tag=None, alias=None):
+def BuildEmailList(in_list, tag=None, alias=None, raise_on_error=True):
     """Build a list of email addresses based on an input list.
 
     Takes a list of email addresses and aliases, and turns this into a list
@@ -286,6 +286,9 @@ def BuildEmailList(in_list, tag=None, alias=None):
     Args:
         in_list:        List of aliases/email addresses
         tag:            Text to put before each address
+        alias:          Alias dictionary
+        raise_on_error: True to raise an error when an alias fails to match,
+                False to just print a message.
 
     Returns:
         List of email addresses
@@ -307,7 +310,7 @@ def BuildEmailList(in_list, tag=None, alias=None):
     quote = '"' if tag and tag[0] == '-' else ''
     raw = []
     for item in in_list:
-        raw += LookupEmail(item, alias)
+        raw += LookupEmail(item, alias, raise_on_error=raise_on_error)
     result = []
     for item in raw:
         if not item in result:
@@ -316,7 +319,7 @@ def BuildEmailList(in_list, tag=None, alias=None):
         return ['%s %s%s%s' % (tag, quote, email, quote) for email in result]
     return result
 
-def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, cc_fname,
+def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, raise_on_error, cc_fname,
         self_only=False, alias=None, in_reply_to=None):
     """Email a patch series.
 
@@ -325,6 +328,8 @@ def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, cc_fname,
         cover_fname: filename of cover letter
         args: list of filenames of patch files
         dry_run: Just return the command that would be run
+        raise_on_error: True to raise an error when an alias fails to match,
+                False to just print a message.
         cc_fname: Filename of Cc file for per-commit Cc
         self_only: True to just email to yourself as a test
         in_reply_to: If set we'll pass this to git as --in-reply-to.
@@ -347,20 +352,21 @@ def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, cc_fname,
     >>> series = series.Series()
     >>> series.to = ['fred']
     >>> series.cc = ['mary']
-    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, 'cc-fname', False, \
-            alias)
+    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, True, 'cc-fname', \
+            False, alias)
     'git send-email --annotate --to "f.bloggs@napier.co.nz" --cc \
 "m.poppins@cloud.net" --cc-cmd "./patman --cc-cmd cc-fname" cover p1 p2'
-    >>> EmailPatches(series, None, ['p1'], True, 'cc-fname', False, alias)
+    >>> EmailPatches(series, None, ['p1'], True, True, 'cc-fname', False, \
+            alias)
     'git send-email --annotate --to "f.bloggs@napier.co.nz" --cc \
 "m.poppins@cloud.net" --cc-cmd "./patman --cc-cmd cc-fname" p1'
     >>> series.cc = ['all']
-    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, 'cc-fname', True, \
-            alias)
+    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, True, 'cc-fname', \
+            True, alias)
     'git send-email --annotate --to "this-is-me@me.com" --cc-cmd "./patman \
 --cc-cmd cc-fname" cover p1 p2'
-    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, 'cc-fname', False, \
-            alias)
+    >>> EmailPatches(series, 'cover', ['p1', 'p2'], True, True, 'cc-fname', \
+            False, alias)
     'git send-email --annotate --to "f.bloggs@napier.co.nz" --cc \
 "f.bloggs@napier.co.nz" --cc "j.bloggs@napier.co.nz" --cc \
 "m.poppins@cloud.net" --cc-cmd "./patman --cc-cmd cc-fname" cover p1 p2'
@@ -368,14 +374,14 @@ def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, cc_fname,
     # Restore argv[0] since we clobbered it.
     >>> sys.argv[0] = _old_argv0
     """
-    to = BuildEmailList(series.get('to'), '--to', alias)
+    to = BuildEmailList(series.get('to'), '--to', alias, raise_on_error)
     if not to:
         print ("No recipient, please add something like this to a commit\n"
             "Series-to: Fred Bloggs <f.blogs@napier.co.nz>")
         return
-    cc = BuildEmailList(series.get('cc'), '--cc', alias)
+    cc = BuildEmailList(series.get('cc'), '--cc', alias, raise_on_error)
     if self_only:
-        to = BuildEmailList([os.getenv('USER')], '--to', alias)
+        to = BuildEmailList([os.getenv('USER')], '--to', alias, raise_on_error)
         cc = []
     cmd = ['git', 'send-email', '--annotate']
     if in_reply_to:
@@ -393,13 +399,16 @@ def EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args, dry_run, cc_fname,
     return str
 
 
-def LookupEmail(lookup_name, alias=None, level=0):
+def LookupEmail(lookup_name, alias=None, raise_on_error=True, level=0):
     """If an email address is an alias, look it up and return the full name
 
     TODO: Why not just use git's own alias feature?
 
     Args:
         lookup_name: Alias or email address to look up
+        alias: Dictionary containing aliases (None to use settings default)
+        raise_on_error: True to raise an error when an alias fails to match,
+                False to just print a message.
 
     Returns:
         tuple:
@@ -433,6 +442,15 @@ def LookupEmail(lookup_name, alias=None, level=0):
     Traceback (most recent call last):
     ...
     OSError: Recursive email alias at 'other'
+    >>> LookupEmail('odd', alias, raise_on_error=False)
+    \033[1;31mAlias 'odd' not found\033[0m
+    []
+    >>> # In this case the loop part will effectively be ignored.
+    >>> LookupEmail('loop', alias, raise_on_error=False)
+    \033[1;31mRecursive email alias at 'other'\033[0m
+    \033[1;31mRecursive email alias at 'john'\033[0m
+    \033[1;31mRecursive email alias at 'mary'\033[0m
+    ['j.bloggs@napier.co.nz', 'm.poppins@cloud.net']
     """
     if not alias:
         alias = settings.alias
@@ -441,16 +459,27 @@ def LookupEmail(lookup_name, alias=None, level=0):
         return [lookup_name]
 
     lookup_name = lookup_name.lower()
+    col = terminal.Color()
 
+    out_list = []
     if level > 10:
-        raise OSError, "Recursive email alias at '%s'" % lookup_name
+        msg = "Recursive email alias at '%s'" % lookup_name
+        if raise_on_error:
+            raise OSError, msg
+        else:
+            print col.Color(col.RED, msg)
+            return out_list
 
-    out_list = []
     if lookup_name:
         if not lookup_name in alias:
-            raise ValueError, "Alias '%s' not found" % lookup_name
+            msg = "Alias '%s' not found" % lookup_name
+            if raise_on_error:
+                raise ValueError, msg
+            else:
+                print col.Color(col.RED, msg)
+                return out_list
         for item in alias[lookup_name]:
-            todo = LookupEmail(item, alias, level + 1)
+            todo = LookupEmail(item, alias, raise_on_error, level + 1)
             for new_item in todo:
                 if not new_item in out_list:
                     out_list.append(new_item)
diff --git a/tools/patman/patman.py b/tools/patman/patman.py
index 5000b7db25b109f61d5874087d4971dcc3d02d0b..23026becd00683ce5eaadbf28f181e09ea89fa6d 100755
--- a/tools/patman/patman.py
+++ b/tools/patman/patman.py
@@ -57,7 +57,9 @@ parser.add_option('-r', '--in-reply-to', type='string', action='store',
                   help="Message ID that this series is in reply to")
 parser.add_option('-s', '--start', dest='start', type='int',
        default=0, help='Commit to start creating patches from (0 = HEAD)')
-parser.add_option('-t', '--test', action='store_true', dest='test',
+parser.add_option('-t', '--ignore-bad-tags', action='store_true',
+                  default=False, help='Ignore bad tags / aliases')
+parser.add_option('--test', action='store_true', dest='test',
                   default=False, help='run tests')
 parser.add_option('-v', '--verbose', action='store_true', dest='verbose',
        default=False, help='Verbose output of errors and warnings')
@@ -159,13 +161,15 @@ else:
             options.count + options.start):
         ok = False
 
-    cc_file = series.MakeCcFile(options.process_tags, cover_fname)
+    cc_file = series.MakeCcFile(options.process_tags, cover_fname,
+                                not options.ignore_bad_tags)
 
     # Email the patches out (giving the user time to check / cancel)
     cmd = ''
     if ok or options.ignore_errors:
         cmd = gitutil.EmailPatches(series, cover_fname, args,
-                options.dry_run, cc_file, in_reply_to=options.in_reply_to)
+                options.dry_run, not options.ignore_bad_tags, cc_file,
+                in_reply_to=options.in_reply_to)
 
     # For a dry run, just show our actions as a sanity check
     if options.dry_run:
diff --git a/tools/patman/series.py b/tools/patman/series.py
index 44ad931cf8758eb1b758d1e0e5b44f3d212da81e..eb5a00c37aff1aa495b6c1e120fe4d4198a8a657 100644
--- a/tools/patman/series.py
+++ b/tools/patman/series.py
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ class Series(dict):
             str = 'Change log exists, but no version is set'
             print col.Color(col.RED, str)
 
-    def MakeCcFile(self, process_tags, cover_fname):
+    def MakeCcFile(self, process_tags, cover_fname, raise_on_error):
         """Make a cc file for us to use for per-commit Cc automation
 
         Also stores in self._generated_cc to make ShowActions() faster.
@@ -218,6 +218,8 @@ class Series(dict):
         Args:
             process_tags: Process tags as if they were aliases
             cover_fname: If non-None the name of the cover letter.
+            raise_on_error: True to raise an error when an alias fails to match,
+                False to just print a message.
         Return:
             Filename of temp file created
         """
@@ -228,8 +230,10 @@ class Series(dict):
         for commit in self.commits:
             list = []
             if process_tags:
-                list += gitutil.BuildEmailList(commit.tags)
-            list += gitutil.BuildEmailList(commit.cc_list)
+                list += gitutil.BuildEmailList(commit.tags,
+                                               raise_on_error=raise_on_error)
+            list += gitutil.BuildEmailList(commit.cc_list,
+                                           raise_on_error=raise_on_error)
             list += get_maintainer.GetMaintainer(commit.patch)
             all_ccs += list
             print >>fd, commit.patch, ', '.join(list)