diff --git a/check_livestatus b/check_livestatus
index 4f523be..042721e 100755
--- a/check_livestatus
+++ b/check_livestatus
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ if not options.logfile or options.console:
     logconsole.setFormatter(logformat)
     log.addHandler(logconsole)
 
+peer = "UNKNOWN"
 try:
     if options.unix_socket_path:
         peer = options.unix_socket_path