diff --git a/libs/freetype/examples/single-glyph.zig b/libs/freetype/examples/single-glyph.zig
index 336ee46c..a8d194c5 100644
--- a/libs/freetype/examples/single-glyph.zig
+++ b/libs/freetype/examples/single-glyph.zig
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ pub fn main() !void {
 
     const face = try lib.createFace("upstream/assets/FiraSans-Regular.ttf", 0);
     try face.setCharSize(60 * 48, 0, 50, 0);
+    if (args.len < 2) {
+        std.debug.print("usage: single-glyph 'a'\n", .{});
+        std.process.exit(1);
+    }
     try face.loadChar(args[1][0], .{ .render = true });
     const bitmap = face.glyph().bitmap();