diff --git a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
index ecb60283a19c..3b8751292ab3 100644
--- a/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
+++ b/packages/@angular/cli/models/webpack-configs/common.ts
@@ -99,11 +99,12 @@ export function getCommonConfig(wco: WebpackConfigOptions) {
       // specify a configuration flag.
       // Also prevent writing outside the project path. That is not overridable.
       const fullOutputPath = path.resolve(buildOptions.outputPath, asset.output);
-      if (!fullOutputPath.startsWith(projectRoot)) {
-        const message = 'An asset cannot be written to a location outside the project.';
-        throw new SilentError(message);
-      }
       if (!fullOutputPath.startsWith(path.resolve(buildOptions.outputPath))) {
+        if (!fullOutputPath.startsWith(projectRoot)) {
+          const message = 'An asset cannot be written to a location outside the project.';
+          throw new SilentError(message);
+        }
+
         if (!asset.allowOutsideOutDir) {
           const message = 'An asset cannot be written to a location outside of the output path. '
                         + 'You can override this message by setting the `allowOutsideOutDir` '
diff --git a/tests/e2e/tests/build/assets.ts b/tests/e2e/tests/build/assets.ts
index 9b7e91941339..4b5a9a07a9d7 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/tests/build/assets.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/tests/build/assets.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as path from 'path';
 import {
   writeMultipleFiles,
   createDir,
@@ -10,6 +11,10 @@ import { expectToFail } from '../../utils/utils';
 import {getGlobalVariable} from '../../utils/env';
 
 
+const temp = require('temp');
+const tempDir = path.join(temp.mkdirSync('angular-cli-e2e-assets-'), 'out');
+
+
 export default function () {
   // Disable parts of it in webpack tests.
   const ejected = getGlobalVariable('argv').eject;
@@ -55,6 +60,21 @@ export default function () {
     }))
     .then(() => expectToFail(() => ng('build')))
 
+    // This asset will not fail with the exception above.
+    .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {
+      const app = configJson['apps'][0];
+      app['outDir'] = tempDir;
+      app['assets'] = [
+        { 'glob': '**/*', 'input': '../node_modules/some-package/', 'output': tempDir,
+          'allowOutsideOutDir': true }
+      ];
+    }))
+    .then(() => ng('build'))
+    .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {
+      const app = configJson['apps'][0];
+      app['outDir'] = 'dist';
+    })
+
     // This asset should also fail from reading from outside the project.
     .then(() => updateJsonFile('.angular-cli.json', configJson => {
       const app = configJson['apps'][0];