diff --git a/lighthouse-core/report/templates/report-templates.js b/lighthouse-core/report/templates/report-templates.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a97628c1ddc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lighthouse-core/report/templates/report-templates.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+throw new Error('Missing build file! You must first run `gulp` to generate this file.');