diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/lib/cfn-include.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/lib/cfn-include.ts
index 318846833a426..2577910e6a035 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/lib/cfn-include.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/lib/cfn-include.ts
@@ -584,7 +584,12 @@ export class CfnInclude extends core.CfnElement {
     return cfnCondition;
   }
 
-  private getOrCreateResource(logicalId: string): core.CfnResource {
+  private getOrCreateResource(logicalId: string, cycleChain: string[] = []): core.CfnResource {
+    cycleChain = cycleChain.concat([logicalId]);
+    if (cycleChain.length !== new Set(cycleChain).size) {
+      throw new Error(`Found a cycle between resources in the template: ${cycleChain.join(' depends on ')}`);
+    }
+
     const ret = this.resources[logicalId];
     if (ret) {
       return ret;
@@ -618,7 +623,7 @@ export class CfnInclude extends core.CfnElement {
         if (!(lId in (self.template.Resources || {}))) {
           return undefined;
         }
-        return self.getOrCreateResource(lId);
+        return self.getOrCreateResource(lId, cycleChain);
       },
 
       findRefTarget(elementName: string): core.CfnElement | undefined {
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/invalid-templates.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/invalid-templates.test.ts
index fb2f4697f610e..a3f55427dbbc9 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/invalid-templates.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/invalid-templates.test.ts
@@ -139,6 +139,12 @@ describe('CDK Include', () => {
       includeTestTemplate(stack, 'short-form-get-att-no-dot.yaml');
     }).toThrow(/Short-form Fn::GetAtt must contain a '.' in its string argument, got: 'Bucket1Arn'/);
   });
+
+  test('detects a cycle between resources in the template', () => {
+    expect(() => {
+      includeTestTemplate(stack, 'cycle-in-resources.json');
+    }).toThrow(/Found a cycle between resources in the template: Bucket1 depends on Bucket2 depends on Bucket1/);
+  });
 });
 
 function includeTestTemplate(scope: constructs.Construct, testTemplate: string): inc.CfnInclude {
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/test-templates/invalid/cycle-in-resources.json b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/test-templates/invalid/cycle-in-resources.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..61ab0a4b692a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cloudformation-include/test/test-templates/invalid/cycle-in-resources.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "Resources": {
+    "Bucket1": {
+      "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
+      "Properties": {
+        "BucketName": {
+          "Ref": "Bucket2"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "Bucket2": {
+      "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
+      "DependsOn": "Bucket1"
+    }
+  }
+}