diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a7c6c91..ae1ad28 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -96,18 +96,27 @@ $(DEB_FILE): $(EXTRACT_DIR)/.extracted
 	@chmod +x $(FIND_DEPS_SCRIPT)
 	@echo "Detecting library dependencies..."
 	@DEPS=$$($(FIND_DEPS_SCRIPT) --quiet --format makefile $(EXTRACT_DIR)/zed.app/lib); \
+	if [ -z "$$DEPS" ]; then \
+		echo ""; \
+		echo "ERROR: Failed to detect library dependencies!"; \
+		echo "The dependency detection script did not return any packages."; \
+		echo "This may indicate a problem with:"; \
+		echo "  - The find-deps.sh script"; \
+		echo "  - The bundled libraries in $(EXTRACT_DIR)/zed.app/lib"; \
+		echo "  - Missing system tools (ldd, dpkg-query, etc.)"; \
+		echo ""; \
+		echo "Please investigate and fix the issue before building."; \
+		echo "Run 'make list-deps' for more details."; \
+		echo ""; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi; \
 	echo "Package: $(PACKAGE_NAME)" > $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo "Version: $(VERSION)" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo "Section: editors" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo "Priority: optional" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo "Architecture: amd64" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
-	if [ -n "$$DEPS" ]; then \
-		echo "Depends: $$DEPS" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
-		echo "  Detected dependencies: $$DEPS"; \
-	else \
-		echo "Depends: libc6" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
-		echo "  Warning: Could not detect dependencies, using minimal set"; \
-	fi; \
+	echo "Depends: $$DEPS" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
+	echo "  Detected dependencies: $$DEPS"; \
 	echo "Maintainer: Zed Packager <packager@local>" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo "Description: Zed - A high-performance, multiplayer code editor" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \
 	echo " Zed is a next-generation code editor designed for" >> $(CONTROL_DIR)/control; \