Index: src/main/java/org/glassfish/config/support/XMLStreamReaderFilter.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/glassfish/config/support/XMLStreamReaderFilter.java	(revision 31270)
+++ src/main/java/org/glassfish/config/support/XMLStreamReaderFilter.java	(working copy)
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@
  */
 package org.glassfish.config.support;
 
+import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamConstants;
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException;
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamReader;
+import javax.xml.stream.events.XMLEvent;
 import javax.xml.stream.util.StreamReaderDelegate;
 
 /**
@@ -63,13 +65,67 @@
 
     public int nextTag() throws XMLStreamException {
         while(true) {
-            int r = super.nextTag();
+            int r = thisNextTag();
             if(r!=START_ELEMENT || !filterOut())
                 return r;
             skipTree();
         }
     }
 
+    private int thisNextTag() throws XMLStreamException {
+      int eventType = super.next();
+        while((eventType == XMLStreamConstants.CHARACTERS && isWhiteSpace()) // skip whitespace
+        || (eventType == XMLStreamConstants.CDATA && isWhiteSpace())
+        // skip whitespace
+        || eventType == XMLStreamConstants.SPACE
+        || eventType == XMLStreamConstants.PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION
+        || eventType == XMLStreamConstants.COMMENT
+        || eventType == XMLStreamConstants.DTD
+        ) {
+            eventType = super.next();
+        }
+
+        if (eventType != XMLStreamConstants.START_ELEMENT && eventType != XMLStreamConstants.END_ELEMENT) {
+            throw new XMLStreamException(
+                    "found: " + getEventTypeString(eventType)
+                    + ", expected " + getEventTypeString(XMLStreamConstants.START_ELEMENT)
+                    + " or " + getEventTypeString(XMLStreamConstants.END_ELEMENT));
+        }
+
+        return eventType;
+
+    }
+
+    final static String getEventTypeString(int eventType) {
+        switch (eventType){
+            case XMLEvent.START_ELEMENT:
+                return "START_ELEMENT";
+            case XMLEvent.END_ELEMENT:
+                return "END_ELEMENT";
+            case XMLEvent.PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION:
+                return "PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION";
+            case XMLEvent.CHARACTERS:
+                return "CHARACTERS";
+            case XMLEvent.COMMENT:
+                return "COMMENT";
+            case XMLEvent.START_DOCUMENT:
+                return "START_DOCUMENT";
+            case XMLEvent.END_DOCUMENT:
+                return "END_DOCUMENT";
+            case XMLEvent.ENTITY_REFERENCE:
+                return "ENTITY_REFERENCE";
+            case XMLEvent.ATTRIBUTE:
+                return "ATTRIBUTE";
+            case XMLEvent.DTD:
+                return "DTD";
+            case XMLEvent.CDATA:
+                return "CDATA";
+            case XMLEvent.SPACE:
+                return "SPACE";
+        }
+        return "UNKNOWN_EVENT_TYPE, " + String.valueOf(eventType);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Skips a whole subtree, and return with the cursor pointing to the end element
      * of the skipped subtree.