diff --git a/arch/arm/src/cmake/elf.cmake b/arch/arm/src/cmake/elf.cmake
index 91b1037d631..ab09828847c 100644
--- a/arch/arm/src/cmake/elf.cmake
+++ b/arch/arm/src/cmake/elf.cmake
@@ -39,8 +39,21 @@ if(CONFIG_FDPIC)
     set(FDPIC_CROSSDEV arm-uclinuxfdpiceabi-)
   endif()
 
+  # Say which linker is missing rather than failing later with a command that
+  # cannot be run.
+
+  find_program(FDPIC_LD "${FDPIC_CROSSDEV}ld")
+
+  if(NOT FDPIC_LD)
+    message(
+      FATAL_ERROR
+        "CONFIG_FDPIC needs ${FDPIC_CROSSDEV}ld, which is not on PATH. "
+        "It is in the NuttX CI image, and tools/ci/docker/linux/Dockerfile "
+        "shows how it is built.  Set FDPIC_CROSSDEV to use a different prefix")
+  endif()
+
   set(CMAKE_ELF_LD
-      "${FDPIC_CROSSDEV}ld"
+      "${FDPIC_LD}"
       CACHE INTERNAL "Linker for FDPIC modules")
 
   nuttx_elf_compile_options(-mfdpic -fPIC -Wa,--noexecstack)
diff --git a/arch/arm/src/common/Toolchain.defs b/arch/arm/src/common/Toolchain.defs
index 949b7161573..a1d65803263 100644
--- a/arch/arm/src/common/Toolchain.defs
+++ b/arch/arm/src/common/Toolchain.defs
@@ -653,6 +653,22 @@ ifeq ($(CONFIG_FDPIC),y)
   FDPIC_CROSSDEV ?= arm-uclinuxfdpiceabi-
   MODULELD = $(FDPIC_CROSSDEV)ld
 
+  # Say which linker is missing rather than letting make report a command it
+  # cannot run.  The report is deferred to the link itself rather than made
+  # here, so that a tree configured for FDPIC on a host without the linker can
+  # still be cleaned and reconfigured.
+
+  FDPIC_LD_FOUND := $(shell command -v $(MODULELD) 2> /dev/null)
+
+  ifeq ($(FDPIC_LD_FOUND),)
+    FDPIC_NO_LD_MSG = CONFIG_FDPIC needs $(FDPIC_CROSSDEV)ld, which is not \
+      on PATH.  It is in the NuttX CI image, and \
+      tools/ci/docker/linux/Dockerfile shows how it is built.  Set \
+      FDPIC_CROSSDEV to use a different prefix.
+
+    MODULELD = $(SHELL) -c 'echo "ERROR: $(FDPIC_NO_LD_MSG)" 1>&2; exit 1' --
+  endif
+
   CELFFLAGS += -mfdpic -fPIC -Wa,--noexecstack
   CXXELFFLAGS += -mfdpic -fPIC -Wa,--noexecstack