diff --git a/.github/workflows/go.yml b/.github/workflows/go.yml
index da379e449..2022385b6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/go.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/go.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: golangci-lint
         uses: golangci/golangci-lint-action@v1
         with:
-          version: v1.27
+          version: v1.28
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           args: --timeout=2m
           only-new-issues: false
diff --git a/rules.mk b/rules.mk
index 19f076751..1d9056582 100644
--- a/rules.mk
+++ b/rules.mk
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ all: help
 ##
 
 rwildcard = $(foreach d,$(wildcard $1*),$(call rwildcard,$d/,$2) $(filter $(subst *,%,$2),$d))
+check-program = $(foreach exec,$(1),$(if $(shell PATH="$(PATH)" which $(exec)),,$(error "No $(exec) in PATH")))
 
 ##
 ## rules.mk
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ INSTALL_STEPS += go.install
 
 .PHONY: go.release
 go.release:
+	$(call check-program, goreleaser)
 	goreleaser --snapshot --skip-publish --rm-dist
 	@echo -n "Do you want to release? [y/N] " && read ans && \
 	  if [ $${ans:-N} = y ]; then set -xe; goreleaser --rm-dist; fi
@@ -238,6 +240,7 @@ ifdef DOCKER_IMAGE
 ifneq ($(DOCKER_IMAGE),none)
 .PHONY: docker.build
 docker.build:
+	$(call check-program, docker)
 	$(call docker_build,$(DOCKERFILE_PATH),$(DOCKER_IMAGE))
 
 BUILD_STEPS += docker.build