diff --git a/poky/scripts/lib/checklayer/cases/common.py b/poky/scripts/lib/checklayer/cases/common.py
index 491a139..722d3cf 100644
--- a/poky/scripts/lib/checklayer/cases/common.py
+++ b/poky/scripts/lib/checklayer/cases/common.py
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
 
 class CommonCheckLayer(OECheckLayerTestCase):
     def test_readme(self):
+        if self.tc.layer['type'] == LayerType.CORE:
+            raise unittest.SkipTest("Core layer's README is top level")
+
         # The top-level README file may have a suffix (like README.rst or README.txt).
         readme_files = glob.glob(os.path.join(self.tc.layer['path'], '[Rr][Ee][Aa][Dd][Mm][Ee]*'))
         self.assertTrue(len(readme_files) > 0,