diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 64f963508d27..6043c8864f06 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(rpcserver,
    *) AC_MSG_ERROR(bad value ${enableval} for --enable-rpcserver) ;;
 esac],[rpcserver=false])
 AM_CONDITIONAL(SAITHRIFT, test x$rpcserver = xtrue)
+AM_COND_IF([SAITHRIFT], [
+        AC_CHECK_LIB([thrift], [main], [], [AC_MSG_ERROR(libthrift is required for rpcserver)])
+])
 
 CFLAGS_COMMON="-std=c++11 -Wall -fPIC -Wno-write-strings"
 AC_SUBST(CFLAGS_COMMON)
diff --git a/syncd/Makefile.am b/syncd/Makefile.am
index 6ede4ef691e8..68fc21fe84ec 100644
--- a/syncd/Makefile.am
+++ b/syncd/Makefile.am
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ if SAITHRIFT
 SAI_RPC_INCLUDE_DIR = ../libsaiserver/include
 SAI_RPC_LIB_DIR = ../libsaiserver/lib
 syncd_CPPFLAGS += -I$(SAI_RPC_INCLUDE_DIR) -DSAITHRIFT=yes
-syncd_LDADD += -L$(SAI_RPC_LIB_DIR) -lrpcserver
+syncd_LDADD += -L$(SAI_RPC_LIB_DIR) -lrpcserver -lthrift
 endif
 
 syncd_request_shutdown_SOURCES = syncd_request_shutdown.cpp