diff --git a/tests/functional/cylc-reinstall/01-file-transfer.t b/tests/functional/cylc-reinstall/01-file-transfer.t
index 224c63066b5..4bcb54a1eb1 100644
--- a/tests/functional/cylc-reinstall/01-file-transfer.t
+++ b/tests/functional/cylc-reinstall/01-file-transfer.t
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Test workflow re-installation file transfer
 . "$(dirname "$0")/test_header"
+if ! command -v 'tree' >'/dev/null'; then
+    skip_all '"tree" command not available'
+fi
 set_test_number 14
 
 # Test cylc install copies files to run dir successfully.