diff --git a/compiler/nodejs.nim b/compiler/nodejs.nim
index 781035bb76..283643e8d2 100644
--- a/compiler/nodejs.nim
+++ b/compiler/nodejs.nim
@@ -3,5 +3,8 @@ import os
 proc findNodeJs*(): string {.inline.} =
   ## Find NodeJS executable and return it as a string.
   result = findExe("nodejs")
-  if result == "":
+  if result.len == 0:
     result = findExe("node")
+  if result.len == 0:
+    echo "Please install NodeJS first, see https://nodejs.org/en/download"
+    raise newException(IOError, "NodeJS not found in PATH: " & result)