diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile
index 136df8c10281..9359377aeb35 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile
@@ -146,6 +146,9 @@ VMLINUX_BTF_PATHS ?= $(if $(O),$(O)/vmlinux)				\
 		     /sys/kernel/btf/vmlinux				\
 		     /boot/vmlinux-$(shell uname -r)
 VMLINUX_BTF ?= $(abspath $(firstword $(wildcard $(VMLINUX_BTF_PATHS))))
+ifeq ($(VMLINUX_BTF),)
+$(error Cannot find a vmlinux for VMLINUX_BTF at any of "$(VMLINUX_BTF_PATHS)")
+endif
 
 DEFAULT_BPFTOOL := $(SCRATCH_DIR)/sbin/bpftool