diff --git a/buildconf b/buildconf
index 709434f497..d7efd575f2 100755
--- a/buildconf
+++ b/buildconf
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ findtool(){
   IFS=":"
   for path in $PATH
   do
-    if test -r "$path/$file"; then
+    if test -f "$path/$file"; then
       echo "$path/$file"
       return
     fi