diff --git a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
index 1102e76f0f..e2a0b7a7c9 100644
--- a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
+++ b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ LINUX_HEADERS_REPO_URL = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_REPO_URL))
 LINUX_HEADERS_CIP =
 endif # BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_AS_KERNEL
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_VERSION)$(BR_BUILDING),yy)
+ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION),)
+$(error No kernel headers version set, check your BR2_DEFAULT_KERNEL_VERSION setting)
+endif
+endif
+
 # Compute LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE and LINUX_HEADERS_SITE from the configuration
 ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL),y)
 ifeq ($(BR_BUILDING),y)