diff --git a/t/Makefile b/t/Makefile
index 2994eb5fa9..791e0a0978 100644
--- a/t/Makefile
+++ b/t/Makefile
@@ -59,16 +59,21 @@ CHAINLINTSUPPRESS = GIT_TEST_EXT_CHAIN_LINT=0 && export GIT_TEST_EXT_CHAIN_LINT
 
 all:: $(DEFAULT_TEST_TARGET)
 
-test: pre-clean check-chainlint check-meson $(TEST_LINT)
+test: pre-clean check-meson $(TEST_LINT)
 	$(CHAINLINTSUPPRESS) $(MAKE) aggregate-results-and-cleanup
 
+ifneq ($(PERL_PATH),)
+test: check-chainlint
+prove: check-chainlint
+endif
+
 failed:
 	@failed=$$(cd '$(TEST_RESULTS_DIRECTORY_SQ)' && \
 		grep -l '^failed [1-9]' *.counts | \
 		sed -n 's/\.counts$$/.sh/p') && \
 	test -z "$$failed" || $(MAKE) $$failed
 
-prove: pre-clean check-chainlint $(TEST_LINT)
+prove: pre-clean $(TEST_LINT)
 	@echo "*** prove (shell & unit tests) ***"
 	@$(CHAINLINTSUPPRESS) TEST_OPTIONS='$(GIT_TEST_OPTS)' TEST_SHELL_PATH='$(TEST_SHELL_PATH_SQ)' $(PROVE) --exec ./run-test.sh $(GIT_PROVE_OPTS) $(T) $(UNIT_TESTS)
 	$(MAKE) clean-except-prove-cache
@@ -132,8 +137,13 @@ check-meson:
 		fi; \
 	done
 
-test-lint: test-lint-duplicates test-lint-executable test-lint-shell-syntax \
+test-lint: test-lint-duplicates test-lint-executable \
 	test-lint-filenames
+ifneq ($(PERL_PATH),)
+test-lint: test-lint-shell-syntax
+else
+GIT_TEST_CHAIN_LINT = 0
+endif
 ifneq ($(GIT_TEST_CHAIN_LINT),0)
 test-lint: test-chainlint
 endif