--- a/src/hotspot/share/runtime/arguments.cpp	Wed Dec 20 11:30:23 2017 -0800
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/runtime/arguments.cpp	Wed Dec 20 13:41:40 2017 -0500
@@ -200,7 +200,9 @@
   _writeable = writeable;
 }
 
-AgentLibrary::AgentLibrary(const char* name, const char* options, bool is_absolute_path, void* os_lib) {
+AgentLibrary::AgentLibrary(const char* name, const char* options,
+               bool is_absolute_path, void* os_lib,
+               bool instrument_lib) {
   _name = AllocateHeap(strlen(name)+1, mtArguments);
   strcpy(_name, name);
   if (options == NULL) {
@@ -214,6 +216,7 @@
   _next = NULL;
   _state = agent_invalid;
   _is_static_lib = false;
+  _is_instrument_lib = instrument_lib;
 }
 
 // Check if head of 'option' matches 'name', and sets 'tail' to the remaining
@@ -290,6 +293,10 @@
   _agentList.add(new AgentLibrary(name, options, absolute_path, NULL));
 }
 
+void Arguments::add_instrument_agent(const char* name, char* options, bool absolute_path) {
+  _agentList.add(new AgentLibrary(name, options, absolute_path, NULL, true));
+}
+
 // Late-binding agents not started via arguments
 void Arguments::add_loaded_agent(AgentLibrary *agentLib) {
   _agentList.add(agentLib);
@@ -2791,7 +2798,7 @@
         size_t length = strlen(tail) + 1;
         char *options = NEW_C_HEAP_ARRAY(char, length, mtArguments);
         jio_snprintf(options, length, "%s", tail);
-        add_init_agent("instrument", options, false);
+        add_instrument_agent("instrument", options, false);
         // java agents need module java.instrument
         if (!create_numbered_property("jdk.module.addmods", "java.instrument", addmods_count++)) {
           return JNI_ENOMEM;

--- a/src/hotspot/share/runtime/arguments.hpp	Wed Dec 20 11:30:23 2017 -0800
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/runtime/arguments.hpp	Wed Dec 20 13:41:40 2017 -0500
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@
   void*           _os_lib;
   bool            _is_absolute_path;
   bool            _is_static_lib;
+  bool            _is_instrument_lib;
   AgentState      _state;
   AgentLibrary*   _next;
 
@@ -154,13 +155,15 @@
   void set_os_lib(void* os_lib)             { _os_lib = os_lib; }
   AgentLibrary* next() const                { return _next; }
   bool is_static_lib() const                { return _is_static_lib; }
+  bool is_instrument_lib() const            { return _is_instrument_lib; }
   void set_static_lib(bool is_static_lib)   { _is_static_lib = is_static_lib; }
   bool valid()                              { return (_state == agent_valid); }
   void set_valid()                          { _state = agent_valid; }
   void set_invalid()                        { _state = agent_invalid; }
 
   // Constructor
-  AgentLibrary(const char* name, const char* options, bool is_absolute_path, void* os_lib);
+  AgentLibrary(const char* name, const char* options, bool is_absolute_path,
+               void* os_lib, bool instrument_lib=false);
 };
 
 // maintain an order of entry list of AgentLibrary
@@ -337,6 +340,7 @@
   // -agentlib and -agentpath arguments
   static AgentLibraryList _agentList;
   static void add_init_agent(const char* name, char* options, bool absolute_path);
+  static void add_instrument_agent(const char* name, char* options, bool absolute_path);
 
   // Late-binding agents not started via arguments
   static void add_loaded_agent(AgentLibrary *agentLib);

--- a/src/hotspot/share/runtime/thread.cpp	Wed Dec 20 11:30:23 2017 -0800
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/runtime/thread.cpp	Wed Dec 20 13:41:40 2017 -0500
@@ -4038,9 +4038,16 @@
         }
         if (library == NULL) {
           const char *sub_msg = " on the library path, with error: ";
-          size_t len = strlen(msg) + strlen(name) + strlen(sub_msg) + strlen(ebuf) + 1;
+          const char *sub_msg2 = "\nModule java.instrument may be missing from runtime image.";
+
+          size_t len = strlen(msg) + strlen(name) + strlen(sub_msg) +
+                       strlen(ebuf) + strlen(sub_msg2) + 1;
           char *buf = NEW_C_HEAP_ARRAY(char, len, mtThread);
-          jio_snprintf(buf, len, "%s%s%s%s", msg, name, sub_msg, ebuf);
+          if (!agent->is_instrument_lib()) {
+            jio_snprintf(buf, len, "%s%s%s%s", msg, name, sub_msg, ebuf);
+          } else {
+            jio_snprintf(buf, len, "%s%s%s%s%s", msg, name, sub_msg, ebuf, sub_msg2);
+          }
           // If we can't find the agent, exit.
           vm_exit_during_initialization(buf, NULL);
           FREE_C_HEAP_ARRAY(char, buf);