diff --git a/changelog.d/3684.misc.rst b/changelog.d/3684.misc.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d6b56e1aa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/3684.misc.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Improved exception/traceback when invalid entry-points are specified.
diff --git a/setuptools/_entry_points.py b/setuptools/_entry_points.py
index f087681b59..a2346342d6 100644
--- a/setuptools/_entry_points.py
+++ b/setuptools/_entry_points.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import operator
 import itertools
 
+from .errors import OptionError
 from .extern.jaraco.text import yield_lines
 from .extern.jaraco.functools import pass_none
 from ._importlib import metadata
@@ -14,7 +15,14 @@ def ensure_valid(ep):
     Exercise one of the dynamic properties to trigger
     the pattern match.
     """
-    ep.extras
+    try:
+        ep.extras
+    except AttributeError as ex:
+        msg = (
+            f"Problems to parse {ep}.\nPlease ensure entry-point follows the spec: "
+            "https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/entry-points/"
+        )
+        raise OptionError(msg) from ex
 
 
 def load_group(value, group):
diff --git a/setuptools/tests/test_egg_info.py b/setuptools/tests/test_egg_info.py
index ee07b5a1be..387773c135 100644
--- a/setuptools/tests/test_egg_info.py
+++ b/setuptools/tests/test_egg_info.py
@@ -6,12 +6,18 @@
 import stat
 import time
 from typing import List, Tuple
+from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 from jaraco import path
 
+from setuptools import errors
 from setuptools.command.egg_info import (
-    egg_info, manifest_maker, EggInfoDeprecationWarning, get_pkg_info_revision,
+    EggInfoDeprecationWarning,
+    egg_info,
+    get_pkg_info_revision,
+    manifest_maker,
+    write_entries,
 )
 from setuptools.dist import Distribution
 
@@ -24,6 +30,28 @@ class Environment(str):
     pass
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def env():
+    with contexts.tempdir(prefix='setuptools-test.') as env_dir:
+        env = Environment(env_dir)
+        os.chmod(env_dir, stat.S_IRWXU)
+        subs = 'home', 'lib', 'scripts', 'data', 'egg-base'
+        env.paths = dict(
+            (dirname, os.path.join(env_dir, dirname))
+            for dirname in subs
+        )
+        list(map(os.mkdir, env.paths.values()))
+        path.build({
+            env.paths['home']: {
+                '.pydistutils.cfg': DALS("""
+                [egg_info]
+                egg-base = %(egg-base)s
+                """ % env.paths)
+            }
+        })
+        yield env
+
+
 class TestEggInfo:
 
     setup_script = DALS("""
@@ -51,27 +79,6 @@ def _extract_mv_version(pkg_info_lines: List[str]) -> Tuple[int, int]:
         version_str = pkg_info_lines[0].split(' ')[1]
         return tuple(map(int, version_str.split('.')[:2]))
 
-    @pytest.fixture
-    def env(self):
-        with contexts.tempdir(prefix='setuptools-test.') as env_dir:
-            env = Environment(env_dir)
-            os.chmod(env_dir, stat.S_IRWXU)
-            subs = 'home', 'lib', 'scripts', 'data', 'egg-base'
-            env.paths = dict(
-                (dirname, os.path.join(env_dir, dirname))
-                for dirname in subs
-            )
-            list(map(os.mkdir, env.paths.values()))
-            path.build({
-                env.paths['home']: {
-                    '.pydistutils.cfg': DALS("""
-                    [egg_info]
-                    egg-base = %(egg-base)s
-                    """ % env.paths)
-                }
-            })
-            yield env
-
     def test_egg_info_save_version_info_setup_empty(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
         """
         When the egg_info section is empty or not present, running
@@ -1084,3 +1091,27 @@ def test_egg_info_tag_only_once(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
 
     def test_get_pkg_info_revision_deprecated(self):
         pytest.warns(EggInfoDeprecationWarning, get_pkg_info_revision)
+
+
+class TestWriteEntries:
+
+    def test_invalid_entry_point(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
+        dist = Distribution({"name": "foo", "version": "0.0.1"})
+        dist.entry_points = {"foo": "foo = invalid-identifier:foo"}
+        cmd = dist.get_command_obj("egg_info")
+        expected_msg = r"Problems to parse .*invalid-identifier.*"
+        with pytest.raises(errors.OptionError, match=expected_msg) as ex:
+            write_entries(cmd, "entry_points", "entry_points.txt")
+            assert "ensure entry-point follows the spec" in ex.value.args[0]
+
+    def test_valid_entry_point(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
+        dist = Distribution({"name": "foo", "version": "0.0.1"})
+        dist.entry_points = {
+            "abc": "foo = bar:baz",
+            "def": ["faa = bor:boz"],
+        }
+        cmd = dist.get_command_obj("egg_info")
+        write_entries(cmd, "entry_points", "entry_points.txt")
+        content = Path("entry_points.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        assert "[abc]\nfoo = bar:baz\n" in content
+        assert "[def]\nfaa = bor:boz\n" in content