diff --git a/src/compute_group_group.cpp b/src/compute_group_group.cpp
index ea1fa0cebf82824d344e2ffc4b1d5b93dd54f12b..bf1cb8184639ceaa6e5ba2055db313c5a3b459e8 100644
--- a/src/compute_group_group.cpp
+++ b/src/compute_group_group.cpp
@@ -66,8 +66,12 @@ ComputeGroupGroup::~ComputeGroupGroup()
 void ComputeGroupGroup::init()
 {
   if (force->pair == NULL)
-    error->all("Pair style does not support compute group/group");
-  if (force->pair->single_enable == 0)
+    error->all("No pair style defined for compute group/group");
+
+  // if non-hybrid, then error if single_enable = 0
+  // if hybrid, let hybrid determine if sub-style sets single_enable = 0
+
+  if (force->pair_match("hybrid",0) == NULL && force->pair->single_enable == 0)
     error->all("Pair style does not support compute group/group");
 
   pair = force->pair;
diff --git a/src/pair_hybrid.cpp b/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
index b71af67dad1fbeb5eb228d03e51784c1c5b22648..5d1e644c91ca57e15e8df72112a58e59c504d519 100644
--- a/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
@@ -576,6 +576,7 @@ void PairHybrid::read_restart(FILE *fp)
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    call sub-style to compute single interaction
+   error if sub-style does not support single() call
    since overlay could have multiple sub-styles, sum results explicitly
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
@@ -592,6 +593,8 @@ double PairHybrid::single(int i, int j, int itype, int jtype,
 
   for (int m = 0; m < nmap[itype][jtype]; m++) {
     if (rsq < styles[map[itype][jtype][m]]->cutsq[itype][jtype]) {
+      if (styles[map[itype][jtype][m]]->single_enable == 0)
+	error->all("Pair hybrid sub-style does not support single call");
       esum += styles[map[itype][jtype][m]]->
 	single(i,j,itype,jtype,rsq,factor_coul,factor_lj,fone);
       fforce += fone;