diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 30b4bc6..957c88b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ sudo pip3 install -r dotdrop/requirements.txt
 
 Finally import your dotfiles as described [below](#usage).
 
+For MacOS users, make sure to install `realpath` through homebrew
+(part of *coreutils*).
+
 # Usage
 
 If starting fresh, the import function of dotdrop
diff --git a/dotdrop.sh b/dotdrop.sh
index 5aceaa9..f935259 100755
--- a/dotdrop.sh
+++ b/dotdrop.sh
@@ -2,8 +2,19 @@
 # author: deadc0de6 (https://github.com/deadc0de6)
 # Copyright (c) 2017, deadc0de6
 
+# check for readlink/realpath presence
+# https://github.com/deadc0de6/dotdrop/issues/6
+rl="readlink -f"
+${rl} >/dev/null 2>&1
+if [ "$?" != "0" ]; then
+  rl="realpath"
+  hash ${rl}
+  [ "$?" != "0" ] && echo "\"${rl}\" not found !" && exit 1
+fi
+
+# setup variables
 args="$@"
-cur=`dirname $(readlink -f $0)`
+cur=`dirname $(${rl} ${0})`
 opwd=`pwd`
 bin="${cur}/dotdrop/dotdrop.py"
 cfg="${cur}/config.yaml"