diff --git a/plugins/pyenv-binary/libexec/pyenv-binary-generate-installer b/plugins/pyenv-binary/libexec/pyenv-binary-generate-installer
index b0282a56..4e943ba8 100755
--- a/plugins/pyenv-binary/libexec/pyenv-binary-generate-installer
+++ b/plugins/pyenv-binary/libexec/pyenv-binary-generate-installer
@@ -185,6 +185,11 @@ elif [ -n "$DEPS" ]; then
   echo "pyenv-binary: cannot check required system libraries (ldconfig cache unavailable)" >&2
 fi
 
+if ! command -v patchelf >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "pyenv-binary: need patchelf to relocate the binary" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 build_package_relocate() {
   pyenv binary relocate "$PREFIX_PATH"
 }
diff --git a/plugins/pyenv-binary/test/generate-installer.bats b/plugins/pyenv-binary/test/generate-installer.bats
index 8f098c51..02f63fac 100644
--- a/plugins/pyenv-binary/test/generate-installer.bats
+++ b/plugins/pyenv-binary/test/generate-installer.bats
@@ -106,6 +106,17 @@ create_meta() {
   assert_failure "pyenv-binary: missing required system libraries: libmissing.so.1"
 }
 
+@test "checks for patchelf before installing the archive" {
+  local out="${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/definition"
+  pyenv-binary-generate-installer "$(create_meta)" \
+    --archive-url http://example.com/a.tar.gz -o "$out"
+  create_stub uname 'case "$1" in -s) echo Linux;; -m) echo x86_64;; esac'
+  create_stub getconf 'echo "glibc 2.31"'
+
+  PATH="$(path_without patchelf)" run bash "$out"
+  assert_failure "pyenv-binary: need patchelf to relocate the binary"
+}
+
 @test "fails when the archive is not beside the metadata" {
   local meta="$(create_meta)"
   rm "${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/3.12.7.tar.gz"
@@ -125,6 +136,7 @@ create_meta() {
   mkdir -p "$cache"
   cp "$archive" "${cache}/Python-3.12.7-binary.tar.gz"
   create_stub pyenv 'echo "pyenv $*"'
+  create_path_executable patchelf "exit 0"
   create_stub uname 'case "$1" in -s) echo Linux;; -m) echo x86_64;; esac'
 
   PYTHON_BUILD_CACHE_PATH="$cache" run \