diff --git a/src/script/lua_api/l_settings.cpp b/src/script/lua_api/l_settings.cpp
index 13a88ee9598b4ffcdd37910e4fec3f2476f4a6c6..9c88a3e05e7c64dd1bdf94d5e0a9600e0e4d1b14 100644
--- a/src/script/lua_api/l_settings.cpp
+++ b/src/script/lua_api/l_settings.cpp
@@ -73,9 +73,10 @@ int LuaSettings::l_set(lua_State* L)
 	std::string key = std::string(luaL_checkstring(L, 2));
 	const char* value = luaL_checkstring(L, 3);
 
-	o->m_settings->set(key, value);
+	if (!o->m_settings->set(key, value))
+		throw LuaError("Invalid sequence found in setting parameters");
 
-	return 1;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 // remove(self, key) -> success
diff --git a/src/settings.cpp b/src/settings.cpp
index 8d2e9fa6c8a699c0240e19dabdacdc8977da277c..a8b15b6c2b47f87e2349efbb50993a1ddd403dbb 100644
--- a/src/settings.cpp
+++ b/src/settings.cpp
@@ -63,6 +63,30 @@ Settings & Settings::operator = (const Settings &other)
 }
 
 
+bool Settings::checkNameValid(const std::string &name)
+{
+	size_t pos = name.find_first_of("\t\n\v\f\r\b =\"{}#");
+	if (pos != std::string::npos) {
+		errorstream << "Invalid character '" << name[pos]
+			<< "' found in setting name" << std::endl;
+		return false;
+	}
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+bool Settings::checkValueValid(const std::string &value)
+{
+	if (value.substr(0, 3) == "\"\"\"" ||
+		value.find("\n\"\"\"") != std::string::npos) {
+		errorstream << "Invalid character sequence '\"\"\"' found in"
+			" setting value" << std::endl;
+		return false;
+	}
+	return true;
+}
+
+
 std::string Settings::sanitizeName(const std::string &name)
 {
 	std::string n(name);
@@ -704,112 +728,119 @@ bool Settings::getFlagStrNoEx(const std::string &name, u32 &val,
  * Setters *
  ***********/
 
-void Settings::setEntry(const std::string &name, const void *data,
+bool Settings::setEntry(const std::string &name, const void *data,
 	bool set_group, bool set_default)
 {
 	Settings *old_group = NULL;
 
-	std::string n = sanitizeName(name);
+	if (!checkNameValid(name))
+		return false;
+	if (!set_group && !checkValueValid(*(const std::string *)data))
+		return false;
 
 	{
 		JMutexAutoLock lock(m_mutex);
 
-		SettingsEntry &entry = set_default ? m_defaults[n] : m_settings[n];
+		SettingsEntry &entry = set_default ? m_defaults[name] : m_settings[name];
 		old_group = entry.group;
 
-		entry.value    = set_group ? "" : sanitizeValue(*(const std::string *)data);
+		entry.value    = set_group ? "" : *(const std::string *)data;
 		entry.group    = set_group ? *(Settings **)data : NULL;
 		entry.is_group = set_group;
 	}
 
 	delete old_group;
+
+	return true;
 }
 
 
-void Settings::set(const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
+bool Settings::set(const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
 {
-	setEntry(name, &value, false, false);
+	if (!setEntry(name, &value, false, false))
+		return false;
 
 	doCallbacks(name);
+	return true;
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setDefault(const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
+bool Settings::setDefault(const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
 {
-	setEntry(name, &value, false, true);
+	return setEntry(name, &value, false, true);
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setGroup(const std::string &name, Settings *group)
+bool Settings::setGroup(const std::string &name, Settings *group)
 {
-	setEntry(name, &group, true, false);
+	return setEntry(name, &group, true, false);
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setGroupDefault(const std::string &name, Settings *group)
+bool Settings::setGroupDefault(const std::string &name, Settings *group)
 {
-	setEntry(name, &group, true, true);
+	return setEntry(name, &group, true, true);
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setBool(const std::string &name, bool value)
+bool Settings::setBool(const std::string &name, bool value)
 {
-	set(name, value ? "true" : "false");
+	return set(name, value ? "true" : "false");
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setS16(const std::string &name, s16 value)
+bool Settings::setS16(const std::string &name, s16 value)
 {
-	set(name, itos(value));
+	return set(name, itos(value));
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setU16(const std::string &name, u16 value)
+bool Settings::setU16(const std::string &name, u16 value)
 {
-	set(name, itos(value));
+	return set(name, itos(value));
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setS32(const std::string &name, s32 value)
+bool Settings::setS32(const std::string &name, s32 value)
 {
-	set(name, itos(value));
+	return set(name, itos(value));
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setU64(const std::string &name, u64 value)
+bool Settings::setU64(const std::string &name, u64 value)
 {
 	std::ostringstream os;
 	os << value;
-	set(name, os.str());
+	return set(name, os.str());
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setFloat(const std::string &name, float value)
+bool Settings::setFloat(const std::string &name, float value)
 {
-	set(name, ftos(value));
+	return set(name, ftos(value));
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setV2F(const std::string &name, v2f value)
+bool Settings::setV2F(const std::string &name, v2f value)
 {
 	std::ostringstream os;
 	os << "(" << value.X << "," << value.Y << ")";
-	set(name, os.str());
+	return set(name, os.str());
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setV3F(const std::string &name, v3f value)
+bool Settings::setV3F(const std::string &name, v3f value)
 {
 	std::ostringstream os;
 	os << "(" << value.X << "," << value.Y << "," << value.Z << ")";
-	set(name, os.str());
+	return set(name, os.str());
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setFlagStr(const std::string &name, u32 flags,
+bool Settings::setFlagStr(const std::string &name, u32 flags,
 	const FlagDesc *flagdesc, u32 flagmask)
 {
-	set(name, writeFlagString(flags, flagdesc, flagmask));
+	return set(name, writeFlagString(flags, flagdesc, flagmask));
 }
 
 
@@ -820,12 +851,11 @@ bool Settings::setStruct(const std::string &name, const std::string &format,
 	if (!serializeStructToString(&structstr, format, value))
 		return false;
 
-	set(name, structstr);
-	return true;
+	return set(name, structstr);
 }
 
 
-void Settings::setNoiseParams(const std::string &name,
+bool Settings::setNoiseParams(const std::string &name,
 	const NoiseParams &np, bool set_default)
 {
 	Settings *group = new Settings;
@@ -839,7 +869,7 @@ void Settings::setNoiseParams(const std::string &name,
 	group->setFloat("lacunarity",  np.lacunarity);
 	group->setFlagStr("flags",     np.flags, flagdesc_noiseparams, np.flags);
 
-	setEntry(name, &group, true, set_default);
+	return setEntry(name, &group, true, set_default);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/settings.h b/src/settings.h
index ba7e9c1442d9b1f171af7f08f52acebde474bb96..89f7589dfddc1bd40932133009ba1c52d6be25e1 100644
--- a/src/settings.h
+++ b/src/settings.h
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ class Settings {
 	bool updateConfigObject(std::istream &is, std::ostream &os,
 		const std::string &end, u32 tab_depth=0);
 
+	static bool checkNameValid(const std::string &name);
+	static bool checkValueValid(const std::string &value);
 	static std::string sanitizeName(const std::string &name);
 	static std::string sanitizeValue(const std::string &value);
 	static std::string getMultiline(std::istream &is, size_t *num_lines=NULL);
@@ -175,23 +177,23 @@ class Settings {
 
 	// N.B. Groups not allocated with new must be set to NULL in the settings
 	// tree before object destruction.
-	void setEntry(const std::string &name, const void *entry,
+	bool setEntry(const std::string &name, const void *entry,
 		bool set_group, bool set_default);
-	void set(const std::string &name, const std::string &value);
-	void setDefault(const std::string &name, const std::string &value);
-	void setGroup(const std::string &name, Settings *group);
-	void setGroupDefault(const std::string &name, Settings *group);
-	void setBool(const std::string &name, bool value);
-	void setS16(const std::string &name, s16 value);
-	void setU16(const std::string &name, u16 value);
-	void setS32(const std::string &name, s32 value);
-	void setU64(const std::string &name, u64 value);
-	void setFloat(const std::string &name, float value);
-	void setV2F(const std::string &name, v2f value);
-	void setV3F(const std::string &name, v3f value);
-	void setFlagStr(const std::string &name, u32 flags,
+	bool set(const std::string &name, const std::string &value);
+	bool setDefault(const std::string &name, const std::string &value);
+	bool setGroup(const std::string &name, Settings *group);
+	bool setGroupDefault(const std::string &name, Settings *group);
+	bool setBool(const std::string &name, bool value);
+	bool setS16(const std::string &name, s16 value);
+	bool setU16(const std::string &name, u16 value);
+	bool setS32(const std::string &name, s32 value);
+	bool setU64(const std::string &name, u64 value);
+	bool setFloat(const std::string &name, float value);
+	bool setV2F(const std::string &name, v2f value);
+	bool setV3F(const std::string &name, v3f value);
+	bool setFlagStr(const std::string &name, u32 flags,
 		const FlagDesc *flagdesc, u32 flagmask);
-	void setNoiseParams(const std::string &name, const NoiseParams &np,
+	bool setNoiseParams(const std::string &name, const NoiseParams &np,
 		bool set_default=false);
 	// N.B. if setStruct() is used to write a non-POD aggregate type,
 	// the behavior is undefined.
diff --git a/src/test.cpp b/src/test.cpp
index e0e17bed4d05efd2842949d5750a6e63f62c4b8d..072bda8ef79ab63bd5abae70662328667918db68 100644
--- a/src/test.cpp
+++ b/src/test.cpp
@@ -531,9 +531,12 @@ struct TestSettings: public TestBase
 		group2->setS16("num_oranges", 53);
 		group2->setGroup("animals", group3);
 		group2->set("animals", "cute"); //destroys group 3
+		s.setGroup("groupy_thing", group2);
 
-		// the bad chars in here should be stripped
-		s.setGroup("groupy  \"_\"  thing", group2);
+		// Test set failure conditions
+		UASSERT(s.set("Zoop = Poop\nsome_other_setting", "false") == false);
+		UASSERT(s.set("sneaky", "\"\"\"\njabberwocky = false") == false);
+		UASSERT(s.set("hehe", "asdfasdf\n\"\"\"\nsomething = false") == false);
 
 		// Test multiline settings
 		UASSERT(group->get("ccc") == "testy\n   testa   ");