diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/SchemaClassScanner.kt b/src/main/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/SchemaClassScanner.kt
index f73b12f7..3d383130 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/SchemaClassScanner.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/SchemaClassScanner.kt
@@ -113,6 +113,9 @@ internal class SchemaClassScanner(
             handleDictionaryTypes(getAllObjectTypesImplementingDiscoveredInterfaces()) { "Object type '${it.name}' implements a known interface, but no class could be found for that type name.  Please pass a class for type '${it.name}' in the parser's dictionary." }
             if (scanQueue()) continue
 
+            // Discover unions listed as members of discovered unions, even when no field returns them.
+            if (handleNestedUnions()) continue
+
             // Require all members of discovered unions to be discovered.
             handleDictionaryTypes(getAllObjectTypeMembersOfDiscoveredUnions()) { "Object type '${it.name}' is a member of a known union, but no class could be found for that type name.  Please pass a class for type '${it.name}' in the parser's dictionary." }
             if (scanQueue()) continue
@@ -359,6 +362,22 @@ internal class SchemaClassScanner(
         }.flatten().distinct()
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Unions can list other unions as members. Returns whether any new unions were found.
+     */
+    private fun handleNestedUnions(): Boolean {
+        val newUnions = dictionary.keys.filterIsInstance<UnionTypeDefinition>().flatMap { union ->
+            union.withExtensions(typeExtensions).flatMap { it.memberTypes }.filterIsInstance<TypeName>()
+                .map { definitionsByName[it.name] }
+                .filterIsInstance<UnionTypeDefinition>()
+                .filter { !dictionary.containsKey(it) }
+                .map { it to UnionMemberReference(union) }
+        }
+
+        newUnions.forEach { (type, reference) -> handleFoundType(type, null, reference) }
+        return newUnions.isNotEmpty()
+    }
+
     /**
      * Implementations can narrow an interface field to a member of its union or an implementor of its interface, so such a
      * union or interface may not be reachable from any object field. Returns whether any new types were found.
@@ -755,6 +774,10 @@ internal class SchemaClassScanner(
         override fun getDescription() = "interface declarations of ${type.name}"
     }
 
+    private class UnionMemberReference(private val union: UnionTypeDefinition) : Reference() {
+        override fun getDescription() = "member of union ${union.name}"
+    }
+
     private class SealedSubclassReference(private val sealedType: JavaType) : Reference() {
         override fun getDescription() = "subclass of sealed type ${sealedType.typeName}"
     }
diff --git a/src/test/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/TypeExtensionTest.kt b/src/test/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/TypeExtensionTest.kt
index 0e86778d..e98dc9a7 100644
--- a/src/test/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/TypeExtensionTest.kt
+++ b/src/test/kotlin/graphql/kickstart/tools/TypeExtensionTest.kt
@@ -92,17 +92,17 @@ class TypeExtensionTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun `union extensions can add nested unions`() {
+    fun `union extensions can add nested unions that no field returns`() {
         val schema = parser(
             """
             type Query {
                 fooBar: FooBar
-                barBaz: BarBaz
             }
 
             union FooBar = Foo
             extend union FooBar = BarBaz
-            union BarBaz = Bar | Baz
+            union BarBaz = Bar | BazUnion
+            union BazUnion = Baz
 
             $fooBarBaz
             """) {
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ class TypeExtensionTest {
             .assertEveryFieldResolves()
 
         assertEquals((schema.getType("FooBar") as GraphQLUnionType).types.map { it.name }, listOf("Foo", "Bar", "Baz"))
+        assertEquals((schema.getType("BarBaz") as GraphQLUnionType).types.map { it.name }, listOf("Bar", "Baz"))
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -475,7 +476,6 @@ class TypeExtensionTest {
 
     class Query : GraphQLQueryResolver {
         fun fooBar(): FooBar = Baz("baz")
-        fun barBaz(): FooBar? = null
         fun color(): Color = Color.GREEN
         fun node(): Node = Item("1", "item")
         fun search(filter: Filter?): String? = null