diff --git a/lint.mk b/lint.mk
index 0d18abf..1534363 100644
--- a/lint.mk
+++ b/lint.mk
@@ -5,7 +5,22 @@
 # Self-initializing (via the rule below) so `make lint` works right after a
 # plain `git clone`, with no --recurse-submodules needed, and so CI can rely
 # on the exact same entry point a developer would use locally.
+#
+# Guarded on .git existing: a source tarball (git archive, PGXN's own dist
+# step) has no .git and no submodule content, so `git submodule update`
+# fails outright ("fatal: not a git repository") -- and because Make tries
+# to satisfy every `include` before doing anything else, for any target
+# requested, an unconditional include here aborted EVERY make invocation
+# (make, make install, everything), not just make lint, the moment a real
+# consumer built from a distribution tarball rather than a git checkout.
+# Confirmed by building a real `git archive` tarball into a clean directory
+# with no .git at all and running a plain `make` there. Outside a real git
+# checkout, lint support is simply unavailable; nothing else in the build
+# needs it -- `make lint` there now fails with Make's own "no rule to make
+# target" instead of `make`/`make install` failing too.
+ifneq ($(wildcard .git),)
 .vendor/linter/lint.mk:
 	git submodule update --init -- .vendor/linter
 
 include .vendor/linter/lint.mk
+endif