diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index befdc5f..4581ac4 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@
 						<goals>
 							<goal>descriptor</goal>
 						</goals>
+						<configuration>
+							<goalPrefix>ban</goalPrefix>
+						</configuration>
 					</execution>
 					<execution>
 						<id>help-descriptor</id>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/AbstractBanConfiguration.java b/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/AbstractBanConfiguration.java
index 418d354..14d7753 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/AbstractBanConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/AbstractBanConfiguration.java
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractBanConfiguration implements BanConfiguration {
                 downloader = new BanConfigurationDownloader(this.session, this.artifactResolver, url);
             } else if (child.getName().equals("artifact")) {
                 Artifact artifact = new DefaultArtifact(child.getValue());
-                if (artifact.getExtension() == null)
+                if (!"xml".equals(artifact.getExtension()))
                     artifact = new DefaultArtifact(artifact.getGroupId(), artifact.getArtifactId(), artifact.getClassifier(), "xml", artifact.getVersion());
                 ArtifactRequest request = new ArtifactRequest(artifact, this.session.getCurrentProject().getRemoteProjectRepositories(), null);
                 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/PurgeRepoMojo.java b/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/PurgeRepoMojo.java
index d544675..2ba8e9e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/PurgeRepoMojo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/inteligr8/maven/ban/PurgeRepoMojo.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.nio.file.attribute.BasicFileAttributes;
 import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -90,10 +91,13 @@ public class PurgeRepoMojo extends AbstractMojo {
                 continue;
             }
             
-            Path groupPath = this.getGroupPath(afilter);
-            List<Path> artifactPaths = this.getArtifactPaths(groupPath, afilter);
+            Path groupPath = this.resolveGroupPath(afilter);
+            if (groupPath == null)
+                continue;
+            
+            List<Path> artifactPaths = this.resolveArtifactPaths(groupPath, afilter);
             for (Path artifactPath : artifactPaths)
-                includePaths.addAll(this.getVersionPaths(artifactPath, afilter.getVersionRange()));
+                includePaths.addAll(this.resolveVersionPaths(artifactPath, afilter.getVersionRange()));
         }
 
         this.getLog().debug("May be purging all files in " + includePaths.size() + " paths");
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@ public class PurgeRepoMojo extends AbstractMojo {
             StringBuilder regex = new StringBuilder();
             
             if (afilter.getGroupId() != null) {
-                regex.append('^').append(this.getGroupPath(afilter));
+                regex.append('^').append(this.resolveGroupPath(afilter));
             } else if (afilter.getGroupIdRegex() != null) {
                 regex.append(afilter.getGroupIdRegex().replace("\\.", regexDirectorySeparator));
                 if (regex.charAt(0) != '^')
@@ -171,20 +175,39 @@ public class PurgeRepoMojo extends AbstractMojo {
         return new BanConfigurationParser(this.session, this.artifactResolver, plugin);
     }
     
-    private Path getGroupPath(ArtifactFilter afilter) {
+    private Path resolveGroupPath(ArtifactFilter afilter) {
+        if (afilter.getGroupId() == null)
+            return null;
+        
         String[] pathElements = afilter.getGroupId().split("\\.");
         Path groupPath = Paths.get("");
         for (String pathElement : pathElements)
             groupPath = groupPath.resolve(pathElement);
+        
+        Path fullGroupPath = this.getRepositoryPath().resolve(groupPath);
+        if (!Files.exists(fullGroupPath)) {
+            this.getLog().debug("The group path does not exist, so nothing to purge: " + fullGroupPath);
+            return null;
+        }
+        
         return groupPath;
     }
     
-    private List<Path> getArtifactPaths(Path groupPath, ArtifactFilter afilter) throws IOException {
-        if (afilter.getArtifactId() != null)
-            return Arrays.asList(groupPath.resolve(afilter.getArtifactId()));
+    private List<Path> resolveArtifactPaths(Path groupPath, ArtifactFilter afilter) throws IOException {
+        Path repoPath = this.getRepositoryPath();
+        
+        if (afilter.getArtifactId() != null) {
+            Path artifactPath = groupPath.resolve(afilter.getArtifactId());
+            Path fullArtifactPath = repoPath.resolve(artifactPath);
+            if (Files.exists(fullArtifactPath)) {
+                return Arrays.asList(artifactPath);
+            } else {
+                this.getLog().debug("The artifact path does not exist, so nothing to purge: " + fullArtifactPath);
+                return Collections.emptyList();
+            }
+        }
         
         Pattern artifactPattern = afilter.getArtifactIdRegex() == null ? null : Pattern.compile(afilter.getArtifactIdRegex());
-        Path repoPath = this.getRepositoryPath();
         List<Path> paths = new LinkedList<>();
         
         if (artifactPattern == null)
@@ -208,7 +231,7 @@ public class PurgeRepoMojo extends AbstractMojo {
         return paths;
     }
     
-    private List<Path> getVersionPaths(Path artifactPath, VersionRange versionRange) throws IOException {
+    private List<Path> resolveVersionPaths(Path artifactPath, VersionRange versionRange) throws IOException {
         Path repoPath = this.getRepositoryPath();
         List<Path> paths = new LinkedList<>();