--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -98,6 +98,10 @@
 	])
 ])
 
+AC_SEARCH_LIBS([keyname], [tinfo], [], [
+	AC_MSG_ERROR([ You need to have ncurses panelw library installed to compile sngrep.])
+])
+
 ####
 #### GnuTLS Support
 ####
