diff --git a/tools/commands-cordova.js b/tools/commands-cordova.js
index 3baf71e4f9..9ca64531ed 100644
--- a/tools/commands-cordova.js
+++ b/tools/commands-cordova.js
@@ -482,6 +482,12 @@ var installPlugin = function (cordovaPath, name, version, conf) {
      { cwd: cordovaPath, env: buildCordovaEnv() });
   if (! execRes.success)
     throw new Error("Failed to install plugin " + name + ": " + execRes.stderr);
+  // Starting with cordova-lib 4.0.0, `plugin add` fails to exit non-zero on
+  // this particular error, and it prints the error on stdout.  See
+  // https://github.com/meteor/meteor/issues/3914
+  if (execRes.stdout.match(/Variable\(s\) missing/)) {
+    throw new Error("Failed to install plugin " + name + ": " + execRes.stdout);
+  }
 
   if (utils.isUrlWithSha(version)) {
     var lock = getTarballPluginsLock(cordovaPath);
diff --git a/tools/tests/cordova-plugins.js b/tools/tests/cordova-plugins.js
index a013101584..473afcd908 100644
--- a/tools/tests/cordova-plugins.js
+++ b/tools/tests/cordova-plugins.js
@@ -171,10 +171,12 @@ selftest.define("add cordova plugins", ["slow", "cordova"], function () {
   run = s.run("add", "cordova:foo@1.0.0");
   run.waitSecs(5);
   run.match("added cordova plugin foo");
+  run.expectExit(0);
 
   run = s.run("remove", "cordova:foo");
   run.waitSecs(5);
   run.match("removed cordova plugin foo");
+  run.expectExit(0);
 
   checkUserPlugins(s, ["org.apache.cordova.camera"]);