diff --git a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/hf_prompt_execution_settings.py b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/hf_prompt_execution_settings.py
index ada6bcd112ee..0e1c8271637d 100644
--- a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/hf_prompt_execution_settings.py
+++ b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/hf_prompt_execution_settings.py
@@ -9,8 +9,11 @@
     from transformers import GenerationConfig
 
 
-imported = importlib.import_module("transformers")
-ready = imported is not None and hasattr(imported, "GenerationConfig")
+try:
+    imported = importlib.import_module("transformers")
+    ready = hasattr(imported, "GenerationConfig")
+except ModuleNotFoundError:
+    ready = False
 
 
 class HuggingFacePromptExecutionSettings(PromptExecutionSettings):
@@ -27,10 +30,13 @@ class HuggingFacePromptExecutionSettings(PromptExecutionSettings):
 
     def get_generation_config(self) -> "GenerationConfig":
         """Get the generation config."""
-        from transformers import GenerationConfig
-
         if not ready:
-            raise ImportError("transformers is not installed.")
+            raise ImportError(
+                "transformers is not installed. Install the 'hugging_face' extra with "
+                "`pip install semantic-kernel[hugging_face]`."
+            )
+
+        from transformers import GenerationConfig
 
         return GenerationConfig(
             **self.model_dump(
diff --git a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/services/hf_text_completion.py b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/services/hf_text_completion.py
index 5dfa7d0aadb1..b72618eef5a7 100644
--- a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/services/hf_text_completion.py
+++ b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/hugging_face/services/hf_text_completion.py
@@ -11,8 +11,15 @@
 else:
     from typing_extensions import override  # pragma: no cover
 
-import torch
-from transformers import AutoTokenizer, TextIteratorStreamer, pipeline
+try:
+    import torch
+    from transformers import AutoTokenizer, TextIteratorStreamer, pipeline
+except ModuleNotFoundError as exc:
+    missing_package = exc.name or "Hugging Face dependencies"
+    raise ImportError(
+        f"{missing_package} is not installed. Install the 'hugging_face' extra with "
+        "`pip install semantic-kernel[hugging_face]`."
+    ) from exc
 
 from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.hugging_face.hf_prompt_execution_settings import HuggingFacePromptExecutionSettings
 from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.prompt_execution_settings import PromptExecutionSettings
diff --git a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/onnx/services/onnx_gen_ai_completion_base.py b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/onnx/services/onnx_gen_ai_completion_base.py
index 9bafaa38b31f..df5e2348fc3d 100644
--- a/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/onnx/services/onnx_gen_ai_completion_base.py
+++ b/python/semantic_kernel/connectors/ai/onnx/services/onnx_gen_ai_completion_base.py
@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@ def __init__(self, ai_model_path: str, **kwargs) -> None:
             ServiceInitializationError: When model cannot be loaded
         """
         if not ready:
-            raise ImportError("onnxruntime-genai is not installed.")
+            raise ImportError(
+                "onnxruntime-genai is not installed. Install the 'onnx' extra with `pip install semantic-kernel[onnx]`."
+            )
         try:
             json_gen_ai_config = os.path.join(ai_model_path + "/genai_config.json")
             with open(json_gen_ai_config) as file:
diff --git a/python/tests/unit/connectors/test_optional_dependencies.py b/python/tests/unit/connectors/test_optional_dependencies.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8cccfdea98a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/tests/unit/connectors/test_optional_dependencies.py
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
+
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("module_name", "class_name", "package_name", "extra_name", "method_name", "load_directly"),
+    [
+        (
+            "semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.hugging_face.hf_prompt_execution_settings",
+            "HuggingFacePromptExecutionSettings",
+            "transformers",
+            "hugging_face",
+            "get_generation_config",
+            True,
+        ),
+        (
+            "semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.onnx.services.onnx_gen_ai_completion_base",
+            "OnnxGenAICompletionBase",
+            "onnxruntime_genai",
+            "onnx",
+            "",
+            False,
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_missing_optional_dependency_names_install_extra(
+    module_name: str,
+    class_name: str,
+    package_name: str,
+    extra_name: str,
+    method_name: str,
+    load_directly: bool,
+) -> None:
+    script = """
+import importlib
+import importlib.abc
+import importlib.util
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+
+class MissingDependencyFinder(importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder):
+    def find_spec(self, fullname, path, target=None):
+        if fullname == sys.argv[3] or fullname.startswith(f"{sys.argv[3]}."):
+            raise ModuleNotFoundError(f"No module named '{sys.argv[3]}'", name=sys.argv[3])
+        return None
+
+sys.meta_path.insert(0, MissingDependencyFinder())
+try:
+    if sys.argv[6] == "True":
+        package_spec = importlib.util.find_spec("semantic_kernel")
+        module_path = Path(package_spec.origin).parent.joinpath(*sys.argv[1].split(".")[1:]).with_suffix(".py")
+        module_spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("optional_dependency_module", module_path)
+        module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(module_spec)
+        module_spec.loader.exec_module(module)
+    else:
+        module = importlib.import_module(sys.argv[1])
+    connector = getattr(module, sys.argv[2])() if sys.argv[5] else getattr(module, sys.argv[2])("unused")
+    if sys.argv[5]:
+        getattr(connector, sys.argv[5])()
+except ImportError as exc:
+    print(exc)
+else:
+    raise AssertionError("Expected an ImportError for the blocked optional dependency")
+"""
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [
+            sys.executable,
+            "-c",
+            script,
+            module_name,
+            class_name,
+            package_name,
+            extra_name,
+            method_name,
+            str(load_directly),
+        ],
+        capture_output=True,
+        check=True,
+        text=True,
+    )
+
+    assert package_name.replace("_", "-") in result.stdout
+    assert f"semantic-kernel[{extra_name}]" in result.stdout