diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 95e6b38..797df4d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ Reading a sequence repository requires several Python packages, all of which are
 available from pypi. Installation should be as simple as `pip install
 biocommons.seqrepo`.
 
+Acquiring SeqRepo snapshots using the CLI requires an [rsync](https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync) binary to be available on the system $PATH. Note that [openrsync](https://www.openrsync.org/), which now ships with new MacOS installs, does not support all required functions. Mac users should install rsync from [HomeBrew](https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/rsync) and ensure that it's available on the $PATH.
+
 *Writing* sequence files also requires `bgzip`, which provided in the
 [htslib](https://github.com/samtools/htslib) repo. Ubuntu users should install
 the `tabix` package with `sudo apt install tabix`.
diff --git a/src/biocommons/seqrepo/cli.py b/src/biocommons/seqrepo/cli.py
index a767d34..f57d699 100644
--- a/src/biocommons/seqrepo/cli.py
+++ b/src/biocommons/seqrepo/cli.py
@@ -49,6 +49,28 @@
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+class RsyncExeError(Exception):
+    """Raise for issues relating to rsync executable."""
+
+
+def _raise_for_rsync_binary_error(e: subprocess.CalledProcessError, opts: argparse.Namespace):
+    """Check if error appears to be rooted in a known problem with recent (as of 2024)
+    MacOS distributions, which ship with an incompatible rsync clone.
+
+    Raise a custom error type if so. Do nothing otherwise. Calling contexts should
+    presumably raise the original error in that case.
+
+    :param e: originating subprocess error
+    :param opts: CLI args given
+    :raise RsyncExeError: if issue appears to be related to openrsync
+    """
+    if e.returncode == 1:
+        result = subprocess.check_output([opts.rsync_exe, "--version"])
+        if result is not None and ("openrsync" in result.decode()):
+            msg = f"Binary located at {opts.rsync_exe} appears to be an `openrsync` instance, but the SeqRepo CLI requires `rsync` (NOT `openrsync`). Please install `rsync` and either make it available on the $PATH variable or manually provide its location with the `--rsync-exe` option. See README for more information."  # noqa: E501
+            raise RsyncExeError(msg)
+
+
 def _get_remote_instances(opts: argparse.Namespace) -> list[str]:
     line_re = re.compile(r"d[-rwx]{9}\s+[\d,]+ \d{4}/\d{2}/\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2} (.+)")
     rsync_cmd = [
@@ -58,7 +80,12 @@ def _get_remote_instances(opts: argparse.Namespace) -> list[str]:
         opts.remote_host + "::seqrepo",
     ]
     _logger.debug("Executing `" + " ".join(rsync_cmd) + "`")
-    lines = subprocess.check_output(rsync_cmd).decode().splitlines()[1:]
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.check_output(rsync_cmd)
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+        _raise_for_rsync_binary_error(e, opts)
+        raise
+    lines = result.decode().splitlines()[1:]
     dirs = (m.group(1) for m in (line_re.match(line) for line in lines) if m)
     return sorted(list(filter(instance_name_new_re.match, dirs)))
 
@@ -571,7 +598,11 @@ def pull(opts: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
 
     _logger.debug("Executing: " + " ".join(cmd))
     if not opts.dry_run:
-        subprocess.check_call(cmd)
+        try:
+            subprocess.check_call(cmd)
+        except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+            _raise_for_rsync_binary_error(e, opts)
+            raise
         dst_dir = os.path.join(opts.root_directory, instance_name)
         os.rename(tmp_dir, dst_dir)
         _logger.info("{}: successfully updated ({})".format(instance_name, dst_dir))