diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ba9f41f62987..95421654a16d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ endif
 # Some architectures define CROSS_COMPILE in arch/$(SRCARCH)/Makefile.
 # CC_VERSION_TEXT is referenced from Kconfig (so it needs export),
 # and from include/config/auto.conf.cmd to detect the compiler upgrade.
-CC_VERSION_TEXT = $(shell $(CC) --version | head -n 1)
+CC_VERSION_TEXT = $(shell $(CC) --version 2>/dev/null | head -n 1)
 
 ifeq ($(config-targets),1)
 # ===========================================================================
diff --git a/scripts/Kconfig.include b/scripts/Kconfig.include
index 87ff1dcc6bd5..0b267fb27f07 100644
--- a/scripts/Kconfig.include
+++ b/scripts/Kconfig.include
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ if-success = $(shell,{ $(1); } >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "$(2)" || echo "$(3)")
 # Return y if <command> exits with 0, n otherwise
 success = $(if-success,$(1),y,n)
 
+# $(failure,<command>)
+# Return n if <command> exits with 0, y otherwise
+failure = $(if-success,$(1),n,y)
+
 # $(cc-option,<flag>)
 # Return y if the compiler supports <flag>, n otherwise
 cc-option = $(success,$(CC) -Werror $(1) -E -x c /dev/null -o /dev/null)
@@ -26,5 +30,9 @@ cc-option = $(success,$(CC) -Werror $(1) -E -x c /dev/null -o /dev/null)
 # Return y if the linker supports <flag>, n otherwise
 ld-option = $(success,$(LD) -v $(1))
 
+# check if $(CC) and $(LD) exist
+$(error-if,$(failure,command -v $(CC)),compiler '$(CC)' not found)
+$(error-if,$(failure,command -v $(LD)),linker '$(LD)' not found)
+
 # gcc version including patch level
 gcc-version := $(shell,$(srctree)/scripts/gcc-version.sh $(CC))