diff --git a/third_party/proton/proton/viewer.py b/third_party/proton/proton/viewer.py
index cf6fc1288bc7..84591f95e461 100644
--- a/third_party/proton/proton/viewer.py
+++ b/third_party/proton/proton/viewer.py
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 from collections import namedtuple
 import json
 import pandas as pd
-import hatchet as ht
+try:
+    import hatchet as ht
+except ImportError:
+    raise ImportError("Failed to import hatchet. `pip install llnl-hatchet` to get the correct version.")
 import numpy as np
 from hatchet.query import NegationQuery
 from triton.profiler.hook import COMPUTE_METADATA_SCOPE_NAME, TritonHook