diff --git a/.husky/pre-commit b/.husky/pre-commit
index 7a891170..1ef10e0d 100644
--- a/.husky/pre-commit
+++ b/.husky/pre-commit
@@ -8,5 +8,11 @@ git update-index --again
 
 # check for secrets
 if [ -z "$CI" ] && [ -z "$GITHUB_ACTIONS" ]; then
+  if ! command -v trufflehog >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "trufflehog' is not installed or not in your PATH."
+    echo "Download it from: https://github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog"
+    echo "Skipping secrets check due to missing trufflehog."
+    exit 1
+  fi
   trufflehog git file://. --since-commit HEAD --fail
 fi