diff --git a/sys/conf/kmod_syms.awk b/sys/conf/kmod_syms.awk
index 677d813507ee..8691d2e0b989 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kmod_syms.awk
+++ b/sys/conf/kmod_syms.awk
@@ -1,26 +1,32 @@
 # $FreeBSD$
 
 # Read global symbols from object file.
 BEGIN {
+	modname = ARGV[1]
         while ("${NM:='nm'} -g " ARGV[1] | getline) {
                 if (match($0, /^[^[:space:]]+ [^AU] (.*)$/)) {
                         syms[$3] = $2
                 }
         }
         delete ARGV[1]
 }
 
 # De-list symbols from the export list.
 {
-        delete syms[$0]
+	smbl = $0
+	if (!(smbl in syms)) {
+		printf "Symbol %s is not present in %s\n",	\
+		    smbl, modname > "/dev/stderr"
+	}
+	delete syms[smbl]
 }
 
 # Strip commons, make everything else local.
 END {
         for (member in syms) {
                 if (syms[member] == "C")
                         print "-N" member
                 else
                         print "-L" member
         }
 }