diff --git a/logback-classic/src/main/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandling.java b/logback-classic/src/main/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandling.java
index e3f23022a4..521ced9b36 100644
--- a/logback-classic/src/main/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandling.java
+++ b/logback-classic/src/main/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandling.java
@@ -16,61 +16,85 @@
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
 import ch.qos.logback.core.Context;
+import ch.qos.logback.core.pattern.CompositeConverter;
 import ch.qos.logback.core.pattern.Converter;
 import ch.qos.logback.core.pattern.ConverterUtil;
 import ch.qos.logback.core.pattern.PostCompileProcessor;
 
 public class EnsureExceptionHandling implements PostCompileProcessor<ILoggingEvent> {
 
-    /**
-     * This implementation checks if any of the converters in the chain handles
-     * exceptions. If not, then this method adds a
-     * {@link ExtendedThrowableProxyConverter} instance to the end of the chain.
-     * <p>
-     * This allows appenders using this layout to output exception information
-     * event if the user forgets to add %ex to the pattern. Note that the
-     * appenders defined in the Core package are not aware of exceptions nor
-     * LoggingEvents.
-     * <p>
-     * If for some reason the user wishes to NOT print exceptions, then she can
-     * add %nopex to the pattern.
-     * 
-     * 
-     */
-    public void process(Context context, Converter<ILoggingEvent> head) {
-        if (head == null) {
-            // this should never happen
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("cannot process empty chain");
-        }
-        if (!chainHandlesThrowable(head)) {
-            Converter<ILoggingEvent> tail = ConverterUtil.findTail(head);
-            Converter<ILoggingEvent> exConverter = null;
-            LoggerContext loggerContext = (LoggerContext) context;
-            if (loggerContext.isPackagingDataEnabled()) {
-                exConverter = new ExtendedThrowableProxyConverter();
-            } else {
-                exConverter = new ThrowableProxyConverter();
-            }
-            tail.setNext(exConverter);
-        }
-    }
+	/**
+	 * This implementation checks if any of the converters in the chain handles
+	 * exceptions. If not, then this method adds a
+	 * {@link ExtendedThrowableProxyConverter} instance to the end of the chain.
+	 * <p>
+	 * This allows appenders using this layout to output exception information event
+	 * if the user forgets to add %ex to the pattern. Note that the appenders
+	 * defined in the Core package are not aware of exceptions nor LoggingEvents.
+	 * <p>
+	 * If for some reason the user wishes to NOT print exceptions, then she can add
+	 * %nopex to the pattern.
+	 * 
+	 * 
+	 */
+	public void process(Context context, Converter<ILoggingEvent> head) {
+		if (head == null) {
+			// this should never happen
+			throw new IllegalArgumentException("cannot process empty chain");
+		}
+		if (!chainHandlesThrowable(head)) {
+			Converter<ILoggingEvent> tail = ConverterUtil.findTail(head);
+			Converter<ILoggingEvent> exConverter = null;
+			LoggerContext loggerContext = (LoggerContext) context;
+			if (loggerContext.isPackagingDataEnabled()) {
+				exConverter = new ExtendedThrowableProxyConverter();
+			} else {
+				exConverter = new ThrowableProxyConverter();
+			}
+			tail.setNext(exConverter);
+		}
+	}
 
-    /**
-     * This method computes whether a chain of converters handles exceptions or
-     * not.
-     * 
-     * @param head
-     *                The first element of the chain
-     * @return true if can handle throwables contained in logging events
-     */
-    public boolean chainHandlesThrowable(Converter<ILoggingEvent> head) {
-        Converter<ILoggingEvent> c = head;
-        while (c != null) {
-            if (c instanceof ThrowableHandlingConverter) {
-                return true;
-            }
-            c = c.getNext();
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
+	/**
+	 * This method computes whether a chain of converters handles exceptions or not.
+	 * 
+	 * @param head The first element of the chain
+	 * @return true if can handle throwables contained in logging events
+	 */
+	public boolean chainHandlesThrowable(Converter<ILoggingEvent> head) {
+		Converter<ILoggingEvent> c = head;
+		while (c != null) {
+			if (c instanceof ThrowableHandlingConverter) {
+				return true;
+			} else if (c instanceof CompositeConverter) {
+				if (compositeHandlesThrowable((CompositeConverter<ILoggingEvent>) c)) {
+					return true;
+				}
+			}
+			c = c.getNext();
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * This method computes whether a composite converter handles exceptions or not.
+	 *
+	 * @param converter The composite converter
+	 * @return true if can handle throwables contained in logging events
+	 */
+	public boolean compositeHandlesThrowable(CompositeConverter<ILoggingEvent> compositeConverter) {
+		Converter<ILoggingEvent> childConverter = compositeConverter.getChildConverter();
+
+		for (Converter<ILoggingEvent> c = childConverter; c != null; c = c.getNext()) {
+			if (c instanceof ThrowableHandlingConverter) {
+				return true;
+			} else if (c instanceof CompositeConverter) {
+				boolean r = compositeHandlesThrowable((CompositeConverter<ILoggingEvent>) c);
+				if (r)
+					return true;
+			}
+
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandlingTest.java b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandlingTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..074ca7b26b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/EnsureExceptionHandlingTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package ch.qos.logback.classic.pattern;
+
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.LoggingEvent;
+
+public class EnsureExceptionHandlingTest {
+
+	private PatternLayout pl = new PatternLayout();
+	private LoggerContext lc = new LoggerContext();
+	Logger logger = lc.getLogger(this.getClass());
+	  
+	static final String XTH = "xth";
+	static final String XCC = "xcc";
+	
+    @Before
+    public void setUp() {
+        pl.setContext(lc);
+        pl.getInstanceConverterMap().put(XTH, XThrowableHandlingConverter.class.getName());
+        pl.getInstanceConverterMap().put(XCC, XCompositeConverter.class.getName());
+    }
+ 
+    ILoggingEvent makeLoggingEvent(String msg, Exception ex) {
+        return new LoggingEvent(EnsureExceptionHandlingTest.class.getName(), logger, 
+        		Level.INFO, msg, ex, null);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void smoke() {
+    	pl.setPattern("%m %"+XTH+")");
+    	pl.start();
+        ILoggingEvent le = makeLoggingEvent("assert", null);
+    	pl.doLayout(le); 
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void withinComposite() {
+    	pl.setPattern("%m %"+XCC+"(%"+XTH+")");
+    	pl.start();
+        ILoggingEvent le = makeLoggingEvent("assert", null);
+    	pl.doLayout(le); 
+    }
+    
+}
diff --git a/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XCompositeConverter.java b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XCompositeConverter.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1ac92f1e11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XCompositeConverter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package ch.qos.logback.classic.pattern;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+import ch.qos.logback.core.pattern.CompositeConverter;
+
+public class XCompositeConverter extends CompositeConverter<ILoggingEvent>{
+
+	void assertNoNext() {
+		assertNull("converter instance has next element", this.getNext());
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	protected String transform(ILoggingEvent event, String in) {
+		if (event.getMessage().contains("assert"))
+			assertNoNext();
+		return "";
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XThrowableHandlingConverter.java b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XThrowableHandlingConverter.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f927068203
--- /dev/null
+++ b/logback-classic/src/test/java/ch/qos/logback/classic/pattern/XThrowableHandlingConverter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package ch.qos.logback.classic.pattern;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+
+public class XThrowableHandlingConverter extends ThrowableHandlingConverter {
+
+	void assertNoNext() {
+		assertNull("has next", this.getNext());
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public String convert(ILoggingEvent event) {
+		if (event.getMessage().contains("assert"))
+			assertNoNext();
+		return "";
+	}
+
+}