diff --git a/tests/admin_docs/test_middleware.py b/tests/admin_docs/test_middleware.py
index ab53716481..7c89dce929 100644
--- a/tests/admin_docs/test_middleware.py
+++ b/tests/admin_docs/test_middleware.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.test import override_settings
 
 from .tests import AdminDocsTestCase, TestDataMixin
 
@@ -45,3 +46,13 @@ class XViewMiddlewareTest(TestDataMixin, AdminDocsTestCase):
         self.client.force_login(self.superuser)
         response = self.client.head('/xview/callable_object/')
         self.assertEqual(response['X-View'], 'admin_docs.views.XViewCallableObject')
+
+    @override_settings(MIDDLEWARE=[])
+    def test_no_auth_middleware(self):
+        msg = (
+            "The XView middleware requires authentication middleware to be "
+            "installed. Edit your MIDDLEWARE setting to insert "
+            "'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware'."
+        )
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(AssertionError, msg):
+            self.client.head('/xview/func/')
diff --git a/tests/auth_tests/test_middleware.py b/tests/auth_tests/test_middleware.py
index 635c43beb0..fb50854066 100644
--- a/tests/auth_tests/test_middleware.py
+++ b/tests/auth_tests/test_middleware.py
@@ -27,3 +27,13 @@ class TestAuthenticationMiddleware(TestCase):
         self.assertTrue(self.request.user.is_anonymous)
         # session should be flushed
         self.assertIsNone(self.request.session.session_key)
+
+    def test_no_session(self):
+        msg = (
+            "The Django authentication middleware requires session middleware "
+            "to be installed. Edit your MIDDLEWARE setting to insert "
+            "'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware' before "
+            "'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware'."
+        )
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(AssertionError, msg):
+            self.middleware(HttpRequest())
diff --git a/tests/messages_tests/test_session.py b/tests/messages_tests/test_session.py
index e06ba656fa..16f893f08b 100644
--- a/tests/messages_tests/test_session.py
+++ b/tests/messages_tests/test_session.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from django.contrib.messages import constants
 from django.contrib.messages.storage.base import Message
 from django.contrib.messages.storage.session import SessionStorage
+from django.http import HttpRequest
 from django.test import TestCase
 from django.utils.safestring import SafeData, mark_safe
 
@@ -34,6 +35,15 @@ class SessionTests(BaseTests, TestCase):
     def stored_messages_count(self, storage, response):
         return stored_session_messages_count(storage)
 
+    def test_no_session(self):
+        msg = (
+            'The session-based temporary message storage requires session '
+            'middleware to be installed, and come before the message '
+            'middleware in the MIDDLEWARE list.'
+        )
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(AssertionError, msg):
+            self.storage_class(HttpRequest())
+
     def test_get(self):
         storage = self.storage_class(self.get_request())
         example_messages = ['test', 'me']