diff --git a/packages/string-templates/src/index.js b/packages/string-templates/src/index.js
index 9cedcde061..e7d9b9d7e7 100644
--- a/packages/string-templates/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/string-templates/src/index.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ const handlebars = require("handlebars")
 const { registerAll } = require("./helpers/index")
 const processors = require("./processors")
 const { cloneDeep } = require("lodash/fp")
-const { removeNull, addConstants } = require("./utilities")
+const { removeNull, addConstants, removeHandlebarsStatements } = require("./utilities")
 const manifest = require("../manifest.json")
 
 const hbsInstance = handlebars.create()
@@ -83,16 +83,27 @@ module.exports.processObjectSync = (object, context) => {
  * @returns {string} The enriched string, all templates should have been replaced if they can be.
  */
 module.exports.processStringSync = (string, context) => {
+  if (!exports.isValid(string)) {
+    return string
+  }
+  // take a copy of input incase error
+  const input = string
   let clonedContext = removeNull(cloneDeep(context))
   clonedContext = addConstants(clonedContext)
   // remove any null/undefined properties
   if (typeof string !== "string") {
     throw "Cannot process non-string types."
   }
-  string = processors.preprocess(string)
-  // this does not throw an error when template can't be fulfilled, have to try correct beforehand
-  const template = hbsInstance.compile(string)
-  return processors.postprocess(template(clonedContext))
+  try {
+    string = processors.preprocess(string)
+    // this does not throw an error when template can't be fulfilled, have to try correct beforehand
+    const template = hbsInstance.compile(string, {
+      strict: false,
+    })
+    return processors.postprocess(template(clonedContext))
+  } catch (err) {
+    return removeHandlebarsStatements(input)
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -110,19 +121,27 @@ module.exports.makePropSafe = property => {
  * @returns {boolean} Whether or not the input string is valid.
  */
 module.exports.isValid = string => {
-  const specialCases = ["string", "number", "object", "array"]
+  const validCases = ["string", "number", "object", "array", "cannot read property"]
+  // this is a portion of a specific string always output by handlebars in the case of a syntax error
+  const invalidCases = [`expecting '`]
   // don't really need a real context to check if its valid
   const context = {}
   try {
     hbsInstance.compile(processors.preprocess(string, false))(context)
     return true
   } catch (err) {
-    const msg = err ? err.message : ""
-    const foundCase = specialCases.find(spCase =>
-      msg.toLowerCase().includes(spCase)
+    const msg = err && err.message ? err.message : err
+    if (!msg) {
+      return false
+    }
+    const invalidCase = invalidCases.some(invalidCase =>
+      msg.toLowerCase().includes(invalidCase)
+    )
+    const validCase = validCases.some(validCase =>
+      msg.toLowerCase().includes(validCase)
     )
     // special case for maths functions - don't have inputs yet
-    return !!foundCase
+    return validCase && !invalidCase
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/string-templates/src/processors/preprocessor.js b/packages/string-templates/src/processors/preprocessor.js
index af6d656eaa..ee3a3a9730 100644
--- a/packages/string-templates/src/processors/preprocessor.js
+++ b/packages/string-templates/src/processors/preprocessor.js
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ module.exports.processors = [
         return statement
       }
     }
-    if (HelperNames().some(option => possibleHelper.includes(option))) {
+    if (HelperNames().some(option => option.includes(possibleHelper))) {
       insideStatement = `(${insideStatement})`
     }
     return `{{ all ${insideStatement} }}`
diff --git a/packages/string-templates/src/utilities.js b/packages/string-templates/src/utilities.js
index da3aa6ee94..b33e8bfe1d 100644
--- a/packages/string-templates/src/utilities.js
+++ b/packages/string-templates/src/utilities.js
@@ -32,3 +32,16 @@ module.exports.addConstants = obj => {
   }
   return obj
 }
+
+module.exports.removeHandlebarsStatements = string => {
+  let regexp = new RegExp(exports.FIND_HBS_REGEX)
+  let matches = string.match(regexp)
+  if (matches == null) {
+    return string
+  }
+  for (let match of matches) {
+    const idx = string.indexOf(match)
+    string = exports.swapStrings(string, idx, match.length, "Invalid Binding")
+  }
+  return string
+}
diff --git a/packages/string-templates/test/helpers.spec.js b/packages/string-templates/test/helpers.spec.js
index 4a4ed6592a..cd659fcc78 100644
--- a/packages/string-templates/test/helpers.spec.js
+++ b/packages/string-templates/test/helpers.spec.js
@@ -316,4 +316,18 @@ describe("Cover a few complex use cases", () => {
     const validity = isValid("{{ subtract [c390c23a7f1b6441c98d2fe2a51248ef3].[total profit] [c390c23a7f1b6441c98d2fe2a51248ef3].[total revenue]  }}")
     expect(validity).toBe(true)
   })
+
+  it("should confirm a bunch of invalid strings", () => {
+    const invalids = ["{{ awd )", "{{ awdd () ", "{{ awdwad ", "{{ awddawd }"]
+    for (let invalid of invalids) {
+      const validity = isValid(invalid)
+      expect(validity).toBe(false)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it("input a garbage string, expect it to be returned", async () => {
+    const input = `{{{{{{ } {{ ]] ] ] }}} {{ ] {{ {   } { dsa { dddddd }}}}}}} }DDD`
+    const output = await processString(input, {})
+    expect(output).toBe(input)
+  })
 })
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