diff --git a/doc/languages-frameworks/tcl.section.md b/doc/languages-frameworks/tcl.section.md
index 71ec9d89eb50..5215e2b3f6a2 100644
--- a/doc/languages-frameworks/tcl.section.md
+++ b/doc/languages-frameworks/tcl.section.md
@@ -52,3 +52,35 @@ Its use is documented in `pkgs/development/tcl-modules/by-name/README.md`.
 
 All Tcl applications reside elsewhere.
 In case a package is used as both a library and an application (for example `expect`), it should be defined in `tcl-packages.nix`, with an alias elsewhere.
+
+### Using tclRequiresCheck {#using-tclrequirescheck}
+
+Although unit tests are highly preferred to validate correctness of a package, not
+all packages have test suites that can be run easily, and some have none at all.
+To help ensure the package still works, [`tclRequiresCheck`](#using-tclrequirescheck) can attempt to `package require`
+the listed modules.
+
+```nix
+{
+  tclRequiresCheck = [
+    "json"
+    "doctools"
+  ];
+}
+```
+
+roughly translates to:
+
+```nix
+{
+  preDist = ''
+    TCLLIBPATH="$out/lib $TCLLIBPATH"
+    tclsh <<<'exit [catch {package require json; package require doctools}]'
+  '';
+}
+```
+
+However, this is done in its own phase, and not dependent on whether [`doCheck = true;`](#var-stdenv-doCheck).
+
+This can also be useful in verifying that the package doesn't assume commonly
+present packages (e.g. `tcllib`).
diff --git a/doc/redirects.json b/doc/redirects.json
index 03285903666e..8623f60f067d 100644
--- a/doc/redirects.json
+++ b/doc/redirects.json
@@ -752,6 +752,9 @@
   "typst-package-scope-and-usage": [
     "index.html#typst-package-scope-and-usage"
   ],
+  "using-tclrequirescheck": [
+    "index.html#using-tclrequirescheck"
+  ],
   "var-go-buildTestBinaries": [
     "index.html#var-go-buildTestBinaries"
   ],
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/generic.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/generic.nix
index 9f2e781124e5..53d076f878d1 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/generic.nix
@@ -142,6 +142,16 @@ let
           };
         } ./tcl-package-hook.sh
       ) { };
+      tclRequiresCheckHook = callPackage (
+        { buildPackages }:
+        makeSetupHook {
+          name = "tcl-requires-check-hook";
+          propagatedBuildInputs = [ buildPackages.makeBinaryWrapper ];
+          meta = {
+            inherit (meta) maintainers platforms;
+          };
+        } ./tcl-requires-check-hook.sh
+      ) { };
       # verify that Tcl's clock library can access tzdata
       tests.tzdata = runCommand "${pname}-test-tzdata" { } ''
         ${baseInterp}/bin/tclsh <(echo "set t [clock scan {2004-10-30 05:00:00} \
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/mk-tcl-derivation.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/mk-tcl-derivation.nix
index 55da68361071..11f46d414ab5 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/mk-tcl-derivation.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/mk-tcl-derivation.nix
@@ -51,10 +51,15 @@ let
       // {
 
         buildInputs = buildInputs ++ [ tcl.tclPackageHook ];
-        nativeBuildInputs = nativeBuildInputs ++ [
-          makeWrapper
-          tcl
-        ];
+        nativeBuildInputs =
+          nativeBuildInputs
+          ++ [
+            makeWrapper
+            tcl
+          ]
+          ++ lib.optionals (stdenv.buildPlatform.canExecute stdenv.hostPlatform) [
+            tcl.tclRequiresCheckHook
+          ];
         propagatedBuildInputs = propagatedBuildInputs ++ [ tcl ];
 
         env = {
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/tcl-requires-check-hook.sh b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/tcl-requires-check-hook.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0027a0c4b386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/tcl/tcl-requires-check-hook.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Setup hook for checking whether Tcl requires succeed
+echo "Sourcing tcl-requires-check-hook.sh"
+
+tclRequiresCheckPhase () {
+    echo "Executing tclRequiresCheckPhase"
+
+    if [ -n "$tclRequiresCheck" ]; then
+        echo "Check whether the following packages can be required: $tclRequiresCheck"
+        export TCLLIBPATH="$out/lib $TCLLIBPATH" # Redundant if tcl-package-hook is also used
+        tclsh <<<'exit [catch {foreach req $env(tclRequiresCheck) {package require $req}}]'
+    fi
+}
+
+if [ -z "${dontUseTclRequiresCheck-}" ]; then
+    echo "Using tclRequiresCheckPhase"
+    preDistPhases+=" tclRequiresCheckPhase"
+fi