diff --git a/ChangeLog.md b/ChangeLog.md
--- a/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/ChangeLog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # fontwhich releases
 
+## 0.2.1 (2026-03-26)
+- check and warn about characters without font coverage
+- output base font name when not text given
+
 ## 0.2 (2026-03-12)
 - add --unicode for unicode data output (uses `unicode-data`)
 - rename --hex to --utf8 (for hex bytes)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 `$ fontwhich --version`
 
 ```
-0.2
+0.2.1
 ```
 
 `$ fontwhich --help`
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 ```
 fontwhich
 
-Usage: fontwhich [--version] [-f|--font FONT] [-l|--lang LANG] [-b|--utf8] 
+Usage: fontwhich [--version] [-f|--font FONT] [-l|--lang LANG] [-b|--utf8]
                  [-u|--unicode] [TEXT]
 
   Describes the fonts used to render text with pango
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
 `$ fontwhich -l ja`
 
 ```
-Primary font for ja is: "Noto Sans CJK JP"
+Primary Sans font for ja is: "Noto Sans CJK JP"
 ```
 
 `$ fontwhich --utf8 🌳`
@@ -88,11 +88,21 @@
 
 
 ## Building and installation
-On Fedora:
+On Fedora, install system deps with `cabal-rpm builddep`.
+
+C library dependencies:
+
+- Fedora: cairo-devel pango-devel gobject-introspection-devel
+- Ubuntu: libcairo2-dev libpango1.0-dev libgirepository1.0-dev
+
+Then:
 ```
-$ cabal-rpm builddep
 $ cabal install
 ```
+or
+```
+$ stack install
+```
 
 There is a copr repo: <https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/petersen/fontwhich/>
 
@@ -100,6 +110,8 @@
 Code assisted with Gemini 3.1.
 
 The tool is related conceptually to <https://github.com/sudipshil9862/whichfont> (C codebase).
+
+"fontwhich" as in "sandwhich" but with fonts.
 
 ## Collaborate
 
diff --git a/fontwhich.cabal b/fontwhich.cabal
--- a/fontwhich.cabal
+++ b/fontwhich.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cabal-version:       2.2
 name:                fontwhich
-version:             0.2
+version:             0.2.1
 synopsis:            Determine fonts used to render text
 description:
         Fontwhich is a commandline tool that used pango to determine which
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@
 build-type:          Simple
 extra-doc-files:     README.md
                      ChangeLog.md
-tested-with:         GHC == 9.6.7
+tested-with:         GHC == 9.2.8
+                      || == 9.4.8
+                      || == 9.6.7
                       || == 9.8.4
                       || == 9.10.3
                       || == 9.12.3
diff --git a/src/Main.hs b/src/Main.hs
--- a/src/Main.hs
+++ b/src/Main.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 -- SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 
-import Control.Monad.Extra (forM_, when, whenJust)
+import Control.Monad.Extra (filterM, forM_, when, whenJust)
 import qualified Data.ByteString as B
 import Data.Char (ord)
 import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe)
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@
   fontMap <- PangoCairo.fontMapGetDefault
   context <- Pango.fontMapCreateContext fontMap
   attr <- Pango.attrListNew
-  baseFont <- Pango.fontDescriptionFromString $ T.pack $ fromMaybe "Sans" mfont
+  let baseName = fromMaybe "Sans" mfont
+  baseFont <- Pango.fontDescriptionFromString $ T.pack baseName
   mplang <- Pango.languageFromString $ T.pack <$> mlang
 
   if null txt then do
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@
                 desc' <- Pango.fontDescribe font
                 mfamily <- Pango.fontDescriptionGetFamily desc'
                 whenJust mfamily $ \family ->
-                  putStrLn $ "Primary font" +-+ maybe "" ("for" +-+) mlang +-+ "is:" +-+ show family
+                  putStrLn $ "Primary" +-+ baseName +-+ "font" +-+ maybe "" ("for" +-+) mlang +-+ "is:" +-+ show family
                 return True -- stop after first font
     else do
       let myText = T.pack $ unwords txt
@@ -90,6 +91,9 @@
       let itemBytes = B.take (fromIntegral len) $ B.drop (fromIntegral offset) utf8Bytes
       return (T.unpack $ TE.decodeUtf8 itemBytes, item)
 
+quoteStr :: String -> String
+quoteStr str = '\'' : str ++ "'"
+
 printItemInfo :: Bool -> Bool -> (String, Pango.Item) -> IO ()
 printItemInfo hex unicode (str,item) = do
   -- Get the Analysis struct from the Item
@@ -101,16 +105,22 @@
   mfamily <-
     case maybeFont of
       Nothing -> do
-        putStrLn "No font assigned"
+        putStrLn "No font installed?"
         return Nothing
-      Just font ->
-        Pango.fontDescribe font >>= Pango.fontDescriptionGetFamily
+      Just font -> do
+        notcovered <- filterM (fmap not . Pango.fontHasChar font) str
+        if null notcovered
+          then Pango.fontDescribe font >>= Pango.fontDescriptionGetFamily
+          else do
+          putStrLn $ "no font coverage for" +-+ quoteStr notcovered ++ "!"
+          return Nothing
 
-  let hexStr = if hex
-             then unwords $ map hexify str
-             else ""
+  let hexStr =
+        if hex
+        then unwords $ map hexify str
+        else ""
   putStrLn $
-    '\'' : str ++ "'" +-+ hexStr +-+ ":" +-+ maybe "Unknown" T.unpack mfamily
+    quoteStr str +-+ hexStr +-+ ":" +-+ maybe "Unknown" T.unpack mfamily
   when unicode $
     forM_ str $ \char -> do
     putChar char