diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 7db7e111c..2c8bb7d7d 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ New in spot 2.11.4.dev  (not yet released)
   - Fix spurious failure of ltlsynt2.test when Python is not installed
     (issue #530).
 
+  - Building from the git repository would fail to report a missing
+    emacs (issue #528).
+
 New in spot 2.11.4  (2023-02-10)
 
   Python:
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e47e2eb29..772b4c24a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ AC_CHECK_PROG([LTL3BA], [ltl3ba], [ltl3ba])
 AC_CHECK_PROG([PERL], [perl], [perl])
 AC_CHECK_PROG([SPIN], [spin], [spin])
 AC_CHECK_PROG([LBTT], [lbtt], [lbtt])
-AC_CHECK_PROG([EMACS], [emacs], [emacs])
+AM_MISSING_PROG([EMACS], [emacs])
 AC_CHECK_PROGS([IPYTHON], [ipython3 ipython], [ipython])
 AC_CHECK_PROGS([JUPYTER], [jupyter], [jupyter])
 AC_CHECK_PROG([LBTT_TRANSLATE], [lbtt-translate], [lbtt-translate])