diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -4503,7 +4503,10 @@ def pull(ui, repo, source="default", **o
             try:
                 ret = postincoming(ui, repo, modheads, opts.get('update'),
                                    checkout, brev)
-
+            except error.FilteredRepoLookupError as exc:
+                msg = _('cannot update to target: %s') % exc.args[0]
+                exc.args = (msg,) + exc.args[1:]
+                raise
             finally:
                 del repo._subtoppath
 
diff --git a/tests/test-obsolete-distributed.t b/tests/test-obsolete-distributed.t
--- a/tests/test-obsolete-distributed.t
+++ b/tests/test-obsolete-distributed.t
@@ -504,6 +504,21 @@ X` has to process a X that is filtered l
   (2 other changesets obsolete on arrival)
   (run 'hg heads' to see heads)
 
+With --update
+
+  $ hg rollback
+  repository tip rolled back to revision 4 (undo pull)
+  $ hg pull ../repo-Bob --rev 956063ac4557 --update
+  pulling from ../repo-Bob
+  searching for changes
+  adding changesets
+  adding manifests
+  adding file changes
+  added 2 changesets with 0 changes to 2 files (+1 heads)
+  (2 other changesets obsolete on arrival)
+  abort: cannot update to target: filtered revision '6'!
+  [255]
+
   $ cd ..
 
 Test pull report consistency