diff --git a/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java.go b/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java.go
index 80caca6..a1d9afa 100644
--- a/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java.go
+++ b/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var filepathSeparator = "/"
+const JAVA_FILE_EXTENSION_LENGTH = 5
 
 func GenerateFiles(fs files.FileSystem, projectFilePath string, apiFilePath string, packageName string, force bool) error {
 	var fatalErr error
@@ -49,11 +50,14 @@ func generateDirectories(fs files.FileSystem, storeFilepath string, force bool)
 	exists, err := fs.DirExists(storeFilepath)
 	if err == nil {
 		if exists {
-			if !force {
-				err = openapi2beans_errors.NewError("The tool is unable to create files in folder %s because files in that folder already exist. Generating files is a destructive operation, removing all Java files in that folder prior to new files being created.\nIf you wish to proceed, delete the files manually, or re-run the tool using the --force option", storeFilepath)
-			}
-			if err == nil {
-				err = deleteAllJavaFiles(fs, storeFilepath)
+			var javaFilepaths []string
+			javaFilepaths, err = retrieveAllJavaFiles(fs, storeFilepath)
+			if err == nil && len(javaFilepaths) > 0 {
+				if !force {
+					err = openapi2beans_errors.NewError("The tool is unable to create files in folder %s because files in that folder already exist. Generating files is a destructive operation, removing all Java files in that folder prior to new files being created.\nIf you wish to proceed, delete the files manually, or re-run the tool using the --force option", storeFilepath)
+				} else {
+					deleteAllJavaFiles(fs, javaFilepaths)
+				}
 			}
 		} else {
 			log.Printf("Creating output directory: %s\n", storeFilepath)
@@ -83,15 +87,22 @@ func generateStoreFilepath(outputFilepath string, packageName string) string {
 	return outputFilepath + packageFilepath
 }
 
-func deleteAllJavaFiles(fs files.FileSystem, storeFilepath string) error {
+func deleteAllJavaFiles(fs files.FileSystem, javaFilepaths []string) {
+	for _, filepath := range javaFilepaths {
+		fs.DeleteFile(filepath)
+	}
+}
+
+func retrieveAllJavaFiles(fs files.FileSystem, storeFilepath string) ([]string, error) {
+	var javaFilepaths []string
 	filepaths, err := fs.GetAllFilePaths(storeFilepath)
 	for _, filepath := range filepaths {
-		relativePath := filepath[len(storeFilepath)+1:]
-		if len(relativePath) - 5 > 0 {
-			if relativePath[len(relativePath) - 5 :] == ".java" && !strings.Contains(relativePath, filepathSeparator){
-				fs.DeleteFile(filepath)
+		filename := filepath[len(storeFilepath)+1:]
+		if len(filename) - JAVA_FILE_EXTENSION_LENGTH > 0 { // makes sure file name is longer than just the .java extension
+			if filename[len(filename) - JAVA_FILE_EXTENSION_LENGTH:] == ".java" && !strings.Contains(filename, filepathSeparator) {
+				javaFilepaths = append(javaFilepaths, filepath)
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	return err
+	return javaFilepaths, err
 }
diff --git a/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java_test.go b/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java_test.go
index 9eb1eb8..fe27cc2 100644
--- a/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java_test.go
+++ b/openapi2beans/pkg/generator/yaml2java_test.go
@@ -1154,6 +1154,22 @@ func TestGenerateDirectoriesCleansExistingJavaFilesFromFolder(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, fileExists)
 }
 
+func TestGenerateDirectoriesErrorsWhenForceIsFalseAndThereIsAJavaFile(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	randomFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/smthn.java"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath, "public class emptyClass{}")
+
+	// When...
+	err := generateDirectories(mfs, storeFilepath, false)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "The tool is unable to create files in folder openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo because files in that folder already exist. Generating files is a destructive operation, removing all Java files in that folder prior to new files being created.\nIf you wish to proceed, delete the files manually, or re-run the tool using the --force option")
+}
+
 func TestGenerateDirectoriesDoesntRemoveNonJavaFiles(t *testing.T) {
 	// Given...
 	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
@@ -1232,4 +1248,98 @@ func TestGenerateDirectoriesCleansExistingJavaFilesFromFolderButNotSubFolder(t *
 	fileExists, err = mfs.Exists(deepRandomFilepath)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	assert.True(t, fileExists)
+}
+
+func TestRetrieveAllJavaFilesWithNoJavaFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+
+	// When...
+	javafilepaths, err := retrieveAllJavaFiles(mfs, storeFilepath)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Empty(t, javafilepaths)
+}
+
+func TestRetrieveAllJavaFilesWithOneJavaFile(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	randomFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/smthn.java"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath, "public class emptyClass{}")
+
+	// When...
+	javafilepaths, err := retrieveAllJavaFiles(mfs, storeFilepath)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, javafilepaths)
+	assert.Equal(t, randomFilepath, javafilepaths[0])
+}
+
+func TestRetrieveAllJavaFilesWithMultipleJavaFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	randomFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/smthn.java"
+	randomFilepath2 := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/bonsai.java"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath, "public class emptyClass{}")
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath2, "public class Bonsai{private int leaves;}")
+
+	// When...
+	javafilepaths, err := retrieveAllJavaFiles(mfs, storeFilepath)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, javafilepaths)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, len(javafilepaths))
+	assert.Contains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath)
+	assert.Contains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath2)
+}
+
+func TestRetrieveAllJavaFilesDoesntPickUpNonJavaFile(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	randomFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/smthn.java"
+	randomFilepath2 := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/bonsai.txt"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath, "public class emptyClass{}")
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath2, "I am a bonsai, short n stout")
+
+	// When...
+	javafilepaths, err := retrieveAllJavaFiles(mfs, storeFilepath)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, javafilepaths)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, len(javafilepaths))
+	assert.Contains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath)
+	assert.NotContains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath2)
+}
+
+func TestRetrieveAllJavaFilesDoesntPickUpDeepJavaFile(t *testing.T) {
+	// Given...
+	mfs := files.NewMockFileSystem()
+	storeFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo"
+	randomFilepath := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/smthn.java"
+	randomFilepath2 := "openapi2beans.dev/src/main/java/this/package/hallo/tree/bonsai.java"
+	mfs.MkdirAll(storeFilepath)
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath, "public class emptyClass{}")
+	mfs.WriteTextFile(randomFilepath2, "public class Bonsai{private int branches}")
+
+	// When...
+	javafilepaths, err := retrieveAllJavaFiles(mfs, storeFilepath)
+
+	// Then...
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, javafilepaths)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, len(javafilepaths))
+	assert.Contains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath)
+	assert.NotContains(t, javafilepaths, randomFilepath2)
 }
\ No newline at end of file