diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
index a12d380983bd4..45bc434c5ee49 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
@@ -281,6 +281,8 @@ async function initCommandLine() {
       defaultBehavior: DefaultSelection.AllStacks
     });
 
+    appStacks.processMetadata(stacks);
+
     // if we have a single stack, print it to STDOUT
     if (stacks.length === 1) {
       return stacks[0].template;
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
index cbc12dfe1273b..a997b37a09cee 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
@@ -164,9 +164,6 @@ export class AppStacks {
     // Filter original array because it is in the right order
     const selectedList = stacks.filter(s => selectedStacks.has(s.name));
 
-    // Only check selected stacks for errors
-    this.processMessages(selectedList);
-
     return selectedList;
   }
 
@@ -269,7 +266,7 @@ export class AppStacks {
   /**
    * Extracts 'aws:cdk:warning|info|error' metadata entries from the stack synthesis
    */
-  private processMessages(stacks: cxapi.CloudFormationStackArtifact[]) {
+  public processMetadata(stacks: cxapi.CloudFormationStackArtifact[]) {
     let warnings = false;
     let errors = false;
 
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
index b62617da4333d..1e59169736e82 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
       defaultBehavior: DefaultSelection.OnlySingle
     });
 
+    this.appStacks.processMetadata(stacks);
+
     for (const stack of stacks) {
       if (stacks.length !== 1) { highlight(stack.name); }
       if (!stack.environment) {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
index c5d4b69763ec5..f90e1b368cb05 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export = testCase({
     const selected = await stacks.selectStacks(['withouterrors'], {
       defaultBehavior: DefaultSelection.AllStacks
     });
+    stacks.processMetadata(selected);
 
     // THEN
     test.equal(selected[0].template.resource, 'noerrorresource');
@@ -27,9 +28,10 @@ export = testCase({
 
     // WHEN
     try {
-      await stacks.selectStacks(['witherrors'], {
+      const selected = await stacks.selectStacks(['witherrors'], {
         defaultBehavior: DefaultSelection.AllStacks
       });
+      stacks.processMetadata(selected);
 
       test.ok(false, 'Did not get exception');
     } catch (e) {