diff --git a/mitmproxy/tools/console/flowlist.py b/mitmproxy/tools/console/flowlist.py
index 39811ce10..83ad63f3d 100644
--- a/mitmproxy/tools/console/flowlist.py
+++ b/mitmproxy/tools/console/flowlist.py
@@ -338,9 +338,10 @@ class FlowListBox(urwid.ListBox):
         )
 
     def new_request(self, url, method):
-        parts = mitmproxy.net.http.url.parse(str(url))
-        if not parts:
-            signals.status_message.send(message="Invalid Url")
+        try:
+            parts = mitmproxy.net.http.url.parse(str(url))
+        except ValueError as e:
+            signals.status_message.send(message = "Invalid URL: " + str(e))
             return
         scheme, host, port, path = parts
         f = self.master.create_request(method, scheme, host, port, path)
diff --git a/test/mitmproxy/console/test_flowlist.py b/test/mitmproxy/console/test_flowlist.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3bd92e415
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/mitmproxy/console/test_flowlist.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import mitmproxy.tools.console.flowlist as flowlist
+from mitmproxy.tools import console
+from mitmproxy import proxy
+from mitmproxy import options
+from .. import tservers
+from unittest import mock
+
+
+class TestFlowlist(tservers.MasterTest):
+    def mkmaster(self, **opts):
+        if "verbosity" not in opts:
+            opts["verbosity"] = 1
+        o = options.Options(**opts)
+        return console.master.ConsoleMaster(o, proxy.DummyServer())
+
+    def test_new_request(self):
+        m = self.mkmaster()
+        x = flowlist.FlowListBox(m)
+        with mock.patch('mitmproxy.tools.console.signals.status_message.send') as mock_thing:
+            x.new_request("nonexistent url", "GET")
+        mock_thing.assert_called_once_with(message="Invalid URL: No hostname given")