diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 063d52211d..043f977527 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ file = "1.1.1"
 ron = "0.1.5"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
-difference = "1.0.0"
+testutils = { path = "./tests/testutils" }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/parser/event_parser/grammar.rs b/src/parser/event_parser/grammar.rs
index 79ef8b31c1..e1f717714a 100644
--- a/src/parser/event_parser/grammar.rs
+++ b/src/parser/event_parser/grammar.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,12 @@ pub fn file(p: &mut Parser) {
     node(p, FILE, |p| {
         shebang(p);
         inner_attributes(p);
-        many(p, |p| skip_to_first(p, item_first, item));
+        many(p, |p| {
+            skip_to_first(
+                p, item_first, item,
+                "expected item",
+            )
+        });
     })
 }
 
@@ -84,19 +89,34 @@ fn comma_list<F: Fn(&mut Parser) -> bool>(p: &mut Parser, f: F) {
 }
 
 
-fn skip_to_first<C, F>(p: &mut Parser, cond: C, f: F) -> bool
+fn skip_to_first<C, F>(p: &mut Parser, cond: C, f: F, message: &str) -> bool
 where
     C: Fn(&Parser) -> bool,
     F: FnOnce(&mut Parser),
 {
+    let mut skipped = false;
     loop {
         if cond(p) {
+            if skipped {
+                p.finish();
+            }
             f(p);
             return true;
         }
-        if p.bump().is_none() {
+        if p.is_eof() {
+            if skipped {
+                p.finish();
+            }
             return false;
         }
+        if !skipped {
+            p.start(ERROR);
+            p.error()
+                .message(message)
+                .emit();
+        }
+        p.bump().unwrap();
+        skipped = true;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/tree/file_builder.rs b/src/tree/file_builder.rs
index b07f4027b4..37bd5b2c87 100644
--- a/src/tree/file_builder.rs
+++ b/src/tree/file_builder.rs
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ impl FileBuilder {
     pub fn finish(self) -> File {
         assert!(
             self.in_progress.is_empty(),
-            "some nodes in FileBuilder are unfinished"
+            "some nodes in FileBuilder are unfinished: {:?}",
+            self.in_progress.iter().map(|&(idx, _)| self.nodes[idx].kind)
+                .collect::<Vec<_>>()
         );
         assert!(
             self.pos == (self.text.len() as u32).into(),
@@ -122,11 +124,6 @@ impl FileBuilder {
         let idx = self.current_id();
         &mut self.nodes[idx]
     }
-
-    fn current_sibling(&mut self) -> Option<&mut NodeData> {
-        let idx = self.in_progress.last().unwrap().1?;
-        Some(&mut self.nodes[idx])
-    }
 }
 
 fn fill<T>(slot: &mut Option<T>, value: T) {
diff --git a/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.rs b/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..98f23de1f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+if match
+
+struct S {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.txt b/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..730367694b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/parser/err/0001_item_recovery_in_file.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+FILE@[0; 21)
+  ERROR@[0; 10)
+  err: `expected item`
+    IDENT@[0; 2)
+    WHITESPACE@[2; 3)
+    IDENT@[3; 8)
+    WHITESPACE@[8; 10)
+  STRUCT_ITEM@[10; 21)
+    STRUCT_KW@[10; 16)
+    WHITESPACE@[16; 17)
+    IDENT@[17; 18)
+    WHITESPACE@[18; 19)
+    L_CURLY@[19; 20)
+    R_CURLY@[20; 21)
diff --git a/tests/lexer.rs b/tests/lexer.rs
index beca19c24c..6c7531596e 100644
--- a/tests/lexer.rs
+++ b/tests/lexer.rs
@@ -1,56 +1,31 @@
 extern crate file;
-#[macro_use(assert_diff)]
-extern crate difference;
 extern crate libsyntax2;
+extern crate testutils;
 
-use std::path::{PathBuf, Path};
-use std::fs::read_dir;
+use std::path::{Path};
 use std::fmt::Write;
 
 use libsyntax2::{Token, tokenize};
+use testutils::{assert_equal_text, collect_tests};
 
 #[test]
 fn lexer_tests() {
-    for test_case in lexer_test_cases() {
+    for test_case in collect_tests(&["lexer"]) {
         lexer_test_case(&test_case);
     }
 }
 
-fn lexer_test_dir() -> PathBuf {
-    let dir = env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR");
-    PathBuf::from(dir).join("tests/data/lexer")
-}
-
-fn lexer_test_cases() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    let mut acc = Vec::new();
-    let dir = lexer_test_dir();
-    for file in read_dir(&dir).unwrap() {
-        let file = file.unwrap();
-        let path = file.path();
-        if path.extension().unwrap_or_default() == "rs" {
-            acc.push(path);
-        }
-    }
-    acc.sort();
-    acc
-}
-
 fn lexer_test_case(path: &Path) {
     let actual = {
         let text = file::get_text(path).unwrap();
         let tokens = tokenize(&text);
         dump_tokens(&tokens, &text)
     };
-    let expected = file::get_text(&path.with_extension("txt")).unwrap();
+    let path = path.with_extension("txt");
+    let expected = file::get_text(&path).unwrap();
     let expected = expected.as_str();
     let actual = actual.as_str();
-    if expected == actual {
-        return
-    }
-    if expected.trim() == actual.trim() {
-        panic!("Whitespace difference!")
-    }
-    assert_diff!(expected, actual, "\n", 0)
+    assert_equal_text(expected, actual, &path)
 }
 
 fn dump_tokens(tokens: &[Token], text: &str) -> String {
diff --git a/tests/parser.rs b/tests/parser.rs
index 43d04e4919..518852bb2f 100644
--- a/tests/parser.rs
+++ b/tests/parser.rs
@@ -1,46 +1,20 @@
 extern crate file;
-#[macro_use(assert_diff)]
-extern crate difference;
 extern crate libsyntax2;
+extern crate testutils;
 
-use std::path::{PathBuf, Path};
-use std::fs::read_dir;
+use std::path::{Path};
 use std::fmt::Write;
 
 use libsyntax2::{tokenize, parse, Node, File};
+use testutils::{collect_tests, assert_equal_text};
 
 #[test]
 fn parser_tests() {
-    for test_case in parser_test_cases() {
+    for test_case in collect_tests(&["parser/ok", "parser/err"]) {
         parser_test_case(&test_case);
     }
 }
 
-fn parser_test_dir() -> PathBuf {
-    let dir = env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR");
-    PathBuf::from(dir).join("tests/data/parser")
-}
-
-fn test_from_dir(dir: &Path) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    let mut acc = Vec::new();
-    for file in read_dir(&dir).unwrap() {
-        let file = file.unwrap();
-        let path = file.path();
-        if path.extension().unwrap_or_default() == "rs" {
-            acc.push(path);
-        }
-    }
-    acc.sort();
-    acc
-}
-
-fn parser_test_cases() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    let mut acc = Vec::new();
-    acc.extend(test_from_dir(&parser_test_dir().join("ok")));
-    acc.extend(test_from_dir(&parser_test_dir().join("err")));
-    acc
-}
-
 fn parser_test_case(path: &Path) {
     let actual = {
         let text = file::get_text(path).unwrap();
@@ -48,19 +22,13 @@ fn parser_test_case(path: &Path) {
         let file = parse(text, &tokens);
         dump_tree(&file)
     };
-    let expected = path.with_extension("txt");
-    let expected = file::get_text(&expected).expect(
-        &format!("Can't read {}", expected.display())
+    let expected_path = path.with_extension("txt");
+    let expected = file::get_text(&expected_path).expect(
+        &format!("Can't read {}", expected_path.display())
     );
     let expected = expected.as_str();
     let actual = actual.as_str();
-    if expected == actual {
-        return
-    }
-    if expected.trim() == actual.trim() {
-        panic!("Whitespace difference! {}", path.display())
-    }
-    assert_diff!(expected, actual, "\n", 0)
+    assert_equal_text(expected, actual, &expected_path);
 }
 
 fn dump_tree(file: &File) -> String {
diff --git a/tests/testutils/Cargo.toml b/tests/testutils/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9003822eee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testutils/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+[package]
+name = "testutils"
+version = "0.1.0"
+authors = ["Aleksey Kladov <aleksey.kladov@gmail.com>"]
+
+[dependencies]
+file = "1.0"
+difference = "1.0.0"
diff --git a/tests/testutils/src/lib.rs b/tests/testutils/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9fc85cc24c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testutils/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+extern crate difference;
+extern crate file;
+
+use std::path::{PathBuf, Path};
+use std::fs::read_dir;
+
+use difference::Changeset;
+
+pub fn assert_equal_text(
+    expected: &str,
+    actual: &str,
+    path: &Path
+) {
+    if expected != actual {
+        print_difference(expected, actual, path)
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn collect_tests(paths: &[&str]) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    paths.iter().flat_map(|path|  {
+        let path = test_data_dir().join(path);
+        test_from_dir(&path).into_iter()
+    }).collect()
+}
+
+fn test_from_dir(dir: &Path) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    let mut acc = Vec::new();
+    for file in read_dir(&dir).unwrap() {
+        let file = file.unwrap();
+        let path = file.path();
+        if path.extension().unwrap_or_default() == "rs" {
+            acc.push(path);
+        }
+    }
+    acc.sort();
+    acc
+}
+
+fn print_difference(expected: &str, actual: &str, path: &Path) {
+    let dir = project_dir();
+    let path = path.strip_prefix(&dir).unwrap_or_else(|_| path);
+    println!("\nfile: {}", path.display());
+    if expected.trim() == actual.trim() {
+        println!("whitespace difference");
+        println!("rewriting the file");
+        file::put_text(path, actual).unwrap();
+    } else {
+        let changeset = Changeset::new(actual, expected, "\n");
+        println!("{}", changeset);
+    }
+    panic!("Comparison failed")
+}
+
+fn project_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    let dir = env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR");
+    PathBuf::from(dir)
+        .parent().unwrap()
+        .parent().unwrap()
+        .to_owned()
+}
+
+fn test_data_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    project_dir().join("tests/data")
+}
\ No newline at end of file