diff --git a/package/uboot-tools/uboot-tools.mk b/package/uboot-tools/uboot-tools.mk
index 6aa7cba2dd..db5da0b2a3 100644
--- a/package/uboot-tools/uboot-tools.mk
+++ b/package/uboot-tools/uboot-tools.mk
@@ -137,11 +137,11 @@ ifeq ($(BR_BUILDING),y)
 ifeq ($(call qstrip,$(BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SIZE)),)
 $(error Please provide U-Boot environment size (BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SIZE setting))
 endif
-# If U-Boot is available, ENVIMAGE_SOURCE is optional because the default can
-# be taken from U-Boot.
+# If U-Boot is not available, ENVIMAGE_SOURCE must be provided by user,
+# otherwise it is optional because the default can be taken from U-Boot
 ifeq ($(BR2_TARGET_UBOOT),)
-ifeq ($(call qstrip,$(BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SOURCE),)
-$(error Please provide U-Boot environment file BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SOURCE setting))
+ifeq ($(call qstrip,$(BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SOURCE)),)
+$(error Please provide U-Boot environment file (BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_UBOOT_TOOLS_ENVIMAGE_SOURCE setting))
 endif
 endif #BR2_TARGET_UBOOT
 endif #BR_BUILDING