diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
index 854b7ec6419c2..34d9c15d68160 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ export class CdkToolkit {
         }
 
         let changeSet = undefined;
-
+        
+        // only perform this check if we're going to make a changeset. This check requires permissions that --no-change-set users might not have.
         if (options.changeSet) {
-
           let stackExists = false;
           try {
             stackExists = await this.props.deployments.stackExists({