diff --git a/command/validate_test.go b/command/validate_test.go
index 3a2c6b20a..d4188c497 100644
--- a/command/validate_test.go
+++ b/command/validate_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package command
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -341,3 +342,42 @@ func TestValidateCommand_VarFilesDisableWarnOnUndeclared(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestValidateCommand_ShowLineNumForMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	tt := []struct {
+		path      string
+		exitCode  int
+		extraArgs []string
+	}{
+		{path: filepath.Join(testFixture("validate-invalid"), "missing_build_block.pkr.hcl"), exitCode: 1},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tt {
+		t.Run(tc.path, func(t *testing.T) {
+			c := &ValidateCommand{
+				Meta: TestMetaFile(t),
+			}
+			tc := tc
+			args := tc.extraArgs
+			args = append(args, tc.path)
+			if code := c.Run(args); code != tc.exitCode {
+				fatalCommand(t, c.Meta)
+			}
+
+			stdout, stderr := GetStdoutAndErrFromTestMeta(t, c.Meta)
+			expected := fmt.Sprintf(`Error: Unknown source file.cho
+
+  on %s line 6:
+  (source code not available)
+
+Known: [file.chocolate]
+
+
+`, tc.path)
+			if diff := cmp.Diff(expected, stderr); diff != "" {
+				t.Errorf("Unexpected output: %s", diff)
+			}
+			t.Log(stdout)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/hcl2template/types.build.go b/hcl2template/types.build.go
index 3bb54b20c..73ae957d3 100644
--- a/hcl2template/types.build.go
+++ b/hcl2template/types.build.go
@@ -87,22 +87,26 @@ type Builds []*BuildBlock
 // decodeBuildConfig is called when a 'build' block has been detected. It will
 // load the references to the contents of the build block.
 func (p *Parser) decodeBuildConfig(block *hcl.Block, cfg *PackerConfig) (*BuildBlock, hcl.Diagnostics) {
-	build := &BuildBlock{}
-	body := block.Body
-
 	var b struct {
 		Name        string   `hcl:"name,optional"`
 		Description string   `hcl:"description,optional"`
 		FromSources []string `hcl:"sources,optional"`
 		Config      hcl.Body `hcl:",remain"`
 	}
+
+	body := block.Body
 	diags := gohcl.DecodeBody(body, cfg.EvalContext(LocalContext, nil), &b)
 	if diags.HasErrors() {
 		return nil, diags
 	}
 
+	build := &BuildBlock{
+		HCL2Ref: newHCL2Ref(block, b.Config),
+	}
+
 	build.Name = b.Name
 	build.Description = b.Description
+	build.HCL2Ref.DefRange = block.DefRange
 
 	// Expose build.name during parsing of pps and provisioners
 	ectx := cfg.EvalContext(BuildContext, nil)