diff --git a/src/main/java/org/datadog/jmxfetch/App.java b/src/main/java/org/datadog/jmxfetch/App.java
index 821d9c777..6c076c2c4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/datadog/jmxfetch/App.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/datadog/jmxfetch/App.java
@@ -830,8 +830,7 @@ public void init(final boolean forceNewConnection) {
         this.brokenInstanceMap.clear();
 
         final List<Instance> newInstances = new ArrayList<>();
-        // used to track instance names already seen
-        Set<String> instanceNames = new HashSet<String>();
+        Set<String> instanceNamesSeen = new HashSet<String>();
 
         log.info("Dealing with YAML config instances...");
         final Iterator<Entry<String, YamlParser>> it = this.configs.entrySet().iterator();
@@ -873,10 +872,10 @@ public void init(final boolean forceNewConnection) {
                 }
                 final String instanceName = (String) configInstance.get("name");
                 if (instanceName != null) {
-                    if (instanceNames.contains(instanceName)) {
-                        log.warn("Instance with name: {} already exists", instanceName);
+                    if (instanceNamesSeen.contains(instanceName)) {
+                        log.warn("Found multiple instances with name: '{}'. Instance names should be unique, update the 'name' field on your instances to be unique.", instanceName);
                     }
-                    instanceNames.add(instanceName);
+                    instanceNamesSeen.add(instanceName);
                 }
                 // Create a new Instance object
                 log.info("Instantiating instance for: {}", name);
@@ -905,10 +904,10 @@ public void init(final boolean forceNewConnection) {
                     log.info("Instantiating instance for: " + checkName);
                     final String instanceName = (String) configInstance.get("name");
                     if (instanceName != null) {
-                        if (instanceNames.contains(instanceName)) {
-                            log.warn("Instance with name: {} already exists", instanceName);
+                        if (instanceNamesSeen.contains(instanceName)) {
+                            log.warn("Found multiple instances with name: '{}'. Instance names should be unique, update the 'name' field on your instances to be unique.", instanceName);
                         }
-                        instanceNames.add(instanceName);
+                        instanceNamesSeen.add(instanceName);
                     }
                     final Instance instance =
                             instantiate(configInstance, initConfig, checkName, this.appConfig);