diff --git a/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema.rb b/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema.rb
index e61caab8b..a532e593b 100644
--- a/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema.rb
+++ b/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema.rb
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ class VerifiablePactsJSONQuerySchema
               optional(:deployed).filled(included_in?: [true])
               optional(:released).filled(included_in?: [true])
               optional(:deployedOrReleased).filled(included_in?: [true])
-              optional(:environment).filled(:str?)
+              optional(:environment).filled(:str?, :environment_with_name_exists?)
 
               # rule(fallbackTagMustBeForLatest: [:fallbackTag, :latest]) do | fallback_tag, latest |
               #   fallback_tag.filled?.then(latest.eql?(true))
diff --git a/spec/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema_spec.rb b/spec/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema_spec.rb
index e8bcbabcb..7d5edbc49 100644
--- a/spec/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/pact_broker/api/contracts/verifiable_pacts_json_query_schema_spec.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ module PactBroker
   module Api
     module Contracts
       describe VerifiablePactsJSONQuerySchema do
+        before do
+          allow(PactBroker::Deployments::EnvironmentService).to receive(:find_by_name).and_return(environment)
+        end
+        let(:environment) { double('environment') }
+
         let(:params) do
           {
             providerVersionTags: provider_version_tags,
@@ -327,6 +332,16 @@ module Contracts
 
           its([:consumerVersionSelectors, 0]) { is_expected.to eq "cannot specify a branch with latest=false (at index 0)" }
         end
+
+        context "when the environment does not exist" do
+          let(:environment) { nil }
+
+          let(:consumer_version_selectors) do
+            [{ environment: "prod" }]
+          end
+
+          its([:consumerVersionSelectors, 0]) { is_expected.to eq "environment with name 'prod' does not exist at index 0" }
+        end
       end
     end
   end