diff --git a/borghelper.sh b/borghelper.sh
index aecf914..d9acb9a 100644
--- a/borghelper.sh
+++ b/borghelper.sh
@@ -116,6 +116,11 @@ if [ -z "$operation" ]; then
     consoleError 1 'Nothing to do!'
 fi
 
+# no borg information file
+if [ -z "$varsFile" ]; then
+    consoleError 1 'You must provide a valid .borgvars file with information about your borg repo.'
+fi
+
 # list without archive
 if [ "$operation" = 'list' ] && [ -z "$archiveName" ]; then
     consoleError 1 "List operation requested but no archive name provided. Please use '--list-all' for a list of all available archives."