diff --git a/lib/interfaces/common.js b/lib/interfaces/common.js
index 7991e113f7..e7e84b2511 100644
--- a/lib/interfaces/common.js
+++ b/lib/interfaces/common.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 var Suite = require('../suite');
 var errors = require('../errors');
 var createMissingArgumentError = errors.createMissingArgumentError;
+var createUnsupportedError = errors.createUnsupportedError;
 
 /**
  * Functions common to more than one interface.
@@ -126,14 +127,14 @@ module.exports = function(suites, context, mocha) {
         suites.unshift(suite);
         if (opts.isOnly) {
           if (mocha.options.forbidOnly && shouldBeTested(suite)) {
-            throw new Error('`.only` forbidden');
+            throw createUnsupportedError('`.only` forbidden');
           }
 
           suite.parent.appendOnlySuite(suite);
         }
         if (suite.pending) {
           if (mocha.options.forbidPending && shouldBeTested(suite)) {
-            throw new Error('Pending test forbidden');
+            throw createUnsupportedError('Pending test forbidden');
           }
         }
         if (typeof opts.fn === 'function') {
@@ -165,6 +166,8 @@ module.exports = function(suites, context, mocha) {
        * @returns {*}
        */
       only: function(mocha, test) {
+        if (mocha.options.forbidOnly)
+          throw createUnsupportedError('`.only` forbidden');
         test.markOnly();
         return test;
       },
diff --git a/lib/runner.js b/lib/runner.js
index aabffda96a..c2bdf28bc8 100644
--- a/lib/runner.js
+++ b/lib/runner.js
@@ -522,11 +522,6 @@ Runner.prototype.runTest = function(fn) {
     return;
   }
 
-  var suite = this.parents().reverse()[0] || this.suite;
-  if (this.forbidOnly && suite.hasOnly()) {
-    fn(new Error('`.only` forbidden'));
-    return;
-  }
   if (this.asyncOnly) {
     test.asyncOnly = true;
   }
diff --git a/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before-each.fixture.js b/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before-each.fixture.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..19bfb86409
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before-each.fixture.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+'use strict';
+
+describe('test marked with only and beforeEach has skip', function() {
+  beforeEach(function() {
+    this.skip();
+  });
+  it.only('only test', function() {});
+});
diff --git a/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before.fixture.js b/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before.fixture.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3924ac4082
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/fixtures/options/forbid-only/only-before.fixture.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+'use strict';
+
+describe('test marked with only and before has skip', function() {
+  before(function() {
+    this.skip();
+  });
+  it.only('only test', function() {});
+});
diff --git a/test/integration/options/forbidOnly.spec.js b/test/integration/options/forbidOnly.spec.js
index 592f0f25df..1886becb7d 100644
--- a/test/integration/options/forbidOnly.spec.js
+++ b/test/integration/options/forbidOnly.spec.js
@@ -26,13 +26,19 @@ describe('--forbid-only', function() {
 
   it('should fail if there are tests marked only', function(done) {
     var fixture = path.join('options', 'forbid-only', 'only');
-    runMochaJSON(fixture, args, function(err, res) {
-      if (err) {
-        return done(err);
-      }
-      expect(res, 'to have failed with error', onlyErrorMessage);
-      done();
-    });
+    var spawnOpts = {stdio: 'pipe'};
+    runMocha(
+      fixture,
+      args,
+      function(err, res) {
+        if (err) {
+          return done(err);
+        }
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
+        done();
+      },
+      spawnOpts
+    );
   });
 
   it('should fail if there are tests in suites marked only', function(done) {
@@ -45,11 +51,7 @@ describe('--forbid-only', function() {
         if (err) {
           return done(err);
         }
-
-        expect(res, 'to satisfy', {
-          code: 1,
-          output: new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage)
-        });
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
         done();
       },
       spawnOpts
@@ -66,10 +68,7 @@ describe('--forbid-only', function() {
         if (err) {
           return done(err);
         }
-        expect(res, 'to satisfy', {
-          code: 1,
-          output: new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage)
-        });
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
         done();
       },
       spawnOpts
@@ -86,10 +85,7 @@ describe('--forbid-only', function() {
         if (err) {
           return done(err);
         }
-        expect(res, 'to satisfy', {
-          code: 1,
-          output: new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage)
-        });
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
         done();
       },
       spawnOpts
@@ -124,4 +120,38 @@ describe('--forbid-only', function() {
       }
     );
   });
+
+  it('should fail even if before has "skip"', function(done) {
+    var fixture = path.join('options', 'forbid-only', 'only-before');
+    var spawnOpts = {stdio: 'pipe'};
+    runMocha(
+      fixture,
+      args,
+      function(err, res) {
+        if (err) {
+          return done(err);
+        }
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
+        done();
+      },
+      spawnOpts
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should fail even if beforeEach has "skip"', function(done) {
+    var fixture = path.join('options', 'forbid-only', 'only-before-each');
+    var spawnOpts = {stdio: 'pipe'};
+    runMocha(
+      fixture,
+      args,
+      function(err, res) {
+        if (err) {
+          return done(err);
+        }
+        expect(res, 'to have failed with output', new RegExp(onlyErrorMessage));
+        done();
+      },
+      spawnOpts
+    );
+  });
 });