diff --git a/.github/checks/Makefile b/.github/checks/Makefile
index ee373d53d..7fc51d8d4 100644
--- a/.github/checks/Makefile
+++ b/.github/checks/Makefile
@@ -40,4 +40,7 @@ sorted: sorted.sh sorted_codeopt.sh sorted_opcodes.sh
 	@./sorted_codeopt.sh
 	@./sorted_opcodes.sh
 
+checksp: checksp.sh
+	@./checksp.sh
+
 endif
diff --git a/.github/checks/checksp.sh b/.github/checks/checksp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..f70d92e25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/checks/checksp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#! /bin/bash
+OD65_EXE=../bin/od65
+CHECK_PATH=../../libwrk
+
+cd "${CHECK_PATH}" || {
+    echo "error: Directory ${CHECK_PATH} doesn't seem to exist" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+[ -x "${OD65_EXE}" ] || {
+    echo "error: This check requires the od65 executable to be built" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+EXITCODE=0
+find . -name \*.o -print | while read OBJ; do
+    "${OD65_EXE}" --dump-imports "${OBJ}" | grep -q "\"sp\"" && {
+        echo "error: Usage of symbol 'sp' found in module ${OBJ}" >&2
+        EXITCODE=1
+    }
+done
+exit ${EXITCODE}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-on-pull-request.yml b/.github/workflows/build-on-pull-request.yml
index af79733cf..b577e4b03 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-on-pull-request.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-on-pull-request.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build the platform libraries.
         shell: bash
         run: make -j2 lib QUIET=1
+      - name: check test that no modules use sp
+        shell: bash
+        run: make -j2 checksp QUIET=1             
       - name: Run the regression tests.
         shell: bash
         run: make -j2 test QUIET=1
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 13e965c9e..21c1b3208 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ checkstyle:
 sorted:
 	@$(MAKE) -C .github/checks --no-print-directory $@
 
+# check that no modules use "sp", requires the binaries to be built first
+checksp:
+	@$(MAKE) -C .github/checks --no-print-directory $@
+
 # runs regression tests, requires libtest target libraries
 test:
 	@$(MAKE) -C test                 --no-print-directory $@