diff --git a/awx/api/serializers.py b/awx/api/serializers.py
index d8015c90e2..f198566c55 100644
--- a/awx/api/serializers.py
+++ b/awx/api/serializers.py
@@ -979,6 +979,12 @@ class CustomInventoryScriptSerializer(BaseSerializer):
         model = CustomInventoryScript
         fields = ('*', "script", "organization")
 
+    def validate_script(self, attrs, source):
+        script_contents = attrs.get(source, '')
+        if not script_contents.startswith("#!"):
+            raise serializers.ValidationError('Script must begin with a hashbang sequence: i.e.... #!/usr/bin/env python')
+        return attrs
+
     def to_native(self, obj):
         ret = super(CustomInventoryScriptSerializer, self).to_native(obj)
         if obj is None:
diff --git a/awx/main/tests/inventory.py b/awx/main/tests/inventory.py
index f7ccbd1016..d8785b23d9 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/inventory.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/inventory.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ from awx.main.tests.base import BaseTest, BaseTransactionTest
 __all__ = ['InventoryTest', 'InventoryUpdatesTest']
 
 TEST_SIMPLE_INVENTORY_SCRIPT = "#!/usr/bin/env python\nimport json\nprint json.dumps({'hosts': ['ahost-01', 'ahost-02', 'ahost-03', 'ahost-04']})"
+TEST_SIMPLE_INVENTORY_SCRIPT_WITHOUT_HASHBANG = "import json\nprint json.dumps({'hosts': ['ahost-01', 'ahost-02', 'ahost-03', 'ahost-04']})"
 
 TEST_UNICODE_INVENTORY_SCRIPT = u"""#!/usr/bin/env python
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
@@ -299,6 +300,10 @@ class InventoryTest(BaseTest):
         new_failed_script = dict(name="Shouldfail", description="This test should fail", script=TEST_SIMPLE_INVENTORY_SCRIPT, organization=self.organizations[0].id)
         self.post(inventory_scripts, data=new_failed_script, expect=403, auth=self.get_normal_credentials())
 
+        failed_no_shebang = dict(name="ShouldAlsoFail", descript="This test should also fail", script=TEST_SIMPLE_INVENTORY_SCRIPT_WITHOUT_HASHBANG,
+                                 organization=self.organizations[0].id)
+        self.post(inventory_scripts, data=failed_no_shebang, expect=400, auth=self.get_super_credentials())
+
     def test_main_line(self):
        
         # some basic URLs...