diff --git a/src/restic/backend/sftp/layout_test.go b/src/restic/backend/sftp/layout_test.go
index 4bf0d41ba..cd2b18783 100644
--- a/src/restic/backend/sftp/layout_test.go
+++ b/src/restic/backend/sftp/layout_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestLayout(t *testing.T) {
+	if sftpserver == "" {
+		t.Skip("sftp server binary not available")
+	}
+
 	path, cleanup := TempDir(t)
 	defer cleanup()