diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 5c147e930d0..81089517b5c 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ RUN set -eux; \
 COPY ./ /opt/filecoin
 WORKDIR /opt/filecoin
 
+RUN scripts/docker-git-state-check.sh
+
 ### make configurable filecoin-ffi build
 ARG FFI_BUILD_FROM_SOURCE=0
 ENV FFI_BUILD_FROM_SOURCE=${FFI_BUILD_FROM_SOURCE}
diff --git a/scripts/docker-git-state-check.sh b/scripts/docker-git-state-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..6075ebf843c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/docker-git-state-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+set -e
+
+if [ -z "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
+  echo "PASSED: Working directory clean"
+else
+  echo "FAILED: Working directory not clean."
+  echo "This is likely because the .dockerignore file has removed something checked into git."
+  echo "Add the missing files listed below to the .dockerignore to fix this issue:"
+  echo "$(git status)"
+  exit 1
+fi
+