diff --git a/lib/getConfigGroups.js b/lib/getConfigGroups.js
index db1ce142a..eff2460eb 100644
--- a/lib/getConfigGroups.js
+++ b/lib/getConfigGroups.js
@@ -99,13 +99,6 @@ export const getConfigGroups = async (
   // Discover configs from the base directory of each file
   await Promise.all(Object.entries(filesByDir).map(([dir, files]) => searchConfig(dir, files)))
 
-  // Throw if no configurations were found
-  if (Object.keys(configGroups).length === 0) {
-    debugLog('Found no config groups!')
-    logger.error(`${ConfigNotFoundError.message}.`)
-    throw ConfigNotFoundError
-  }
-
   debugLog('Grouped staged files into %d groups!', Object.keys(configGroups).length)
 
   return configGroups
diff --git a/lib/loadConfig.js b/lib/loadConfig.js
index 78fa3c767..43e281eff 100644
--- a/lib/loadConfig.js
+++ b/lib/loadConfig.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const debugLog = debug('lint-staged:loadConfig')
  * The list of files `lint-staged` will read configuration
  * from, in the declared order.
  */
-const searchPlaces = [
+export const searchPlaces = [
   'package.json',
   '.lintstagedrc',
   '.lintstagedrc.json',
diff --git a/lib/runAll.js b/lib/runAll.js
index 1e282630a..db2d1c830 100644
--- a/lib/runAll.js
+++ b/lib/runAll.js
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ import {
   restoreOriginalStateSkipped,
   restoreUnstagedChangesSkipped,
 } from './state.js'
-import { GitRepoError, GetStagedFilesError, GitError } from './symbols.js'
+import { GitRepoError, GetStagedFilesError, GitError, ConfigNotFoundError } from './symbols.js'
+import { searchConfigs } from './searchConfigs.js'
 
 const debugLog = debug('lint-staged:runAll')
 
@@ -121,7 +122,19 @@ export const runAll = async (
 
   const configGroups = await getConfigGroups({ configObject, configPath, cwd, files }, logger)
 
-  const hasMultipleConfigs = Object.keys(configGroups).length > 1
+  const hasExplicitConfig = configObject || configPath
+  const foundConfigs = hasExplicitConfig ? null : await searchConfigs(gitDir, logger)
+  const numberOfConfigs = hasExplicitConfig ? 1 : Object.keys(foundConfigs).length
+
+  // Throw if no configurations were found
+  if (numberOfConfigs === 0) {
+    ctx.errors.add(ConfigNotFoundError)
+    throw createError(ctx, ConfigNotFoundError)
+  }
+
+  debugLog('Found %d configs:\n%O', numberOfConfigs, foundConfigs)
+
+  const hasMultipleConfigs = numberOfConfigs > 1
 
   // lint-staged 10 will automatically add modifications to index
   // Warn user when their command includes `git add`
diff --git a/lib/searchConfigs.js b/lib/searchConfigs.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..063e0e29d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/searchConfigs.js
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/** @typedef {import('./index').Logger} Logger */
+
+import { basename, join } from 'path'
+
+import normalize from 'normalize-path'
+
+import { execGit } from './execGit.js'
+import { loadConfig, searchPlaces } from './loadConfig.js'
+import { validateConfig } from './validateConfig.js'
+
+const EXEC_GIT = ['ls-files', '-z', '--full-name']
+
+const filterPossibleConfigFiles = (file) => searchPlaces.includes(basename(file))
+
+const numberOfLevels = (file) => file.split('/').length
+
+const sortDeepestParth = (a, b) => (numberOfLevels(a) > numberOfLevels(b) ? -1 : 1)
+
+/**
+ * Search all config files from the git repository
+ *
+ * @param {string} gitDir
+ * @param {Logger} logger
+ * @returns {Promise<{ [key: string]: * }>} found configs with filepath as key, and config as value
+ */
+export const searchConfigs = async (gitDir = process.cwd(), logger) => {
+  /** Get all possible config files known to git */
+  const cachedFiles = (await execGit(EXEC_GIT, { cwd: gitDir }))
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
+    .replace(/\u0000$/, '')
+    .split('\u0000')
+    .filter(filterPossibleConfigFiles)
+
+  /** Get all possible config files from uncommitted files */
+  const otherFiles = (
+    await execGit([...EXEC_GIT, '--others', '--exclude-standard'], { cwd: gitDir })
+  )
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
+    .replace(/\u0000$/, '')
+    .split('\u0000')
+    .filter(filterPossibleConfigFiles)
+
+  /** Sort possible config files so that deepest is first */
+  const possibleConfigFiles = [...cachedFiles, ...otherFiles]
+    .map((file) => join(gitDir, file))
+    .map((file) => normalize(file))
+    .sort(sortDeepestParth)
+
+  /** Create object with key as config file, and value as null */
+  const configs = possibleConfigFiles.reduce(
+    (acc, configPath) => Object.assign(acc, { [configPath]: null }),
+    {}
+  )
+
+  /** Load and validate all configs to the above object */
+  await Promise.all(
+    possibleConfigFiles
+      .map((configPath) => loadConfig({ configPath }, logger))
+      .map((promise) =>
+        promise.then(({ config, filepath }) => {
+          if (config) {
+            configs[filepath] = validateConfig(config, filepath, logger)
+          }
+        })
+      )
+  )
+
+  /** Get validated configs from the above object, without any `null` values (not found) */
+  const foundConfigs = Object.entries(configs)
+    .filter(([, value]) => !!value)
+    .reduce((acc, [key, value]) => ({ ...acc, [key]: value }), {})
+
+  return foundConfigs
+}
diff --git a/test/getConfigGroups.spec.js b/test/getConfigGroups.spec.js
index 6f1ceddd9..70ada8e7e 100644
--- a/test/getConfigGroups.spec.js
+++ b/test/getConfigGroups.spec.js
@@ -30,12 +30,6 @@ describe('getConfigGroups', () => {
     )
   })
 
-  it('should throw when config not found', async () => {
-    await expect(
-      getConfigGroups({ files: ['/foo.js'] })
-    ).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(`"Configuration could not be found"`)
-  })
-
   it('should find config files for all staged files', async () => {
     // Base cwd
     loadConfig.mockResolvedValueOnce({ config, filepath: '/.lintstagedrc.json' })
diff --git a/test/runAll.spec.js b/test/runAll.spec.js
index 01168ecea..84fa9c4ae 100644
--- a/test/runAll.spec.js
+++ b/test/runAll.spec.js
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ import { getStagedFiles } from '../lib/getStagedFiles'
 import { GitWorkflow } from '../lib/gitWorkflow'
 import { resolveGitRepo } from '../lib/resolveGitRepo'
 import { runAll } from '../lib/runAll'
-import { GitError } from '../lib/symbols'
+import { ConfigNotFoundError, GitError } from '../lib/symbols'
+import * as searchConfigsNS from '../lib/searchConfigs'
 import * as getConfigGroupsNS from '../lib/getConfigGroups'
 
 jest.mock('../lib/file')
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ jest.mock('../lib/resolveConfig', () => ({
   },
 }))
 
+const searchConfigs = jest.spyOn(searchConfigsNS, 'searchConfigs')
 const getConfigGroups = jest.spyOn(getConfigGroupsNS, 'getConfigGroups')
 
 getStagedFiles.mockImplementation(async () => [])
@@ -277,17 +279,18 @@ describe('runAll', () => {
     const cwd = process.cwd()
     // For the test, set cwd in test/
     const innerCwd = path.join(cwd, 'test/')
-    try {
-      // Run lint-staged in `innerCwd` with relative option
-      // This means the sample task will receive `foo.js`
-      await runAll({
+
+    // Run lint-staged in `innerCwd` with relative option
+    // This means the sample task will receive `foo.js`
+    await expect(
+      runAll({
         configObject: { '*.js': mockTask },
         configPath,
         stash: false,
         relative: true,
         cwd: innerCwd,
       })
-    } catch {} // eslint-disable-line no-empty
+    ).rejects.toThrowError()
 
     // task received relative `foo.js`
     expect(mockTask).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
@@ -313,17 +316,22 @@ describe('runAll', () => {
       },
     })
 
+    searchConfigs.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      '.lintstagedrc.json': { '*.js': mockTask },
+      'test/.lintstagedrc.json': { '*.js': mockTask },
+    })
+
     // We are only interested in the `matchedFileChunks` generation
     let expected
     const mockConstructor = jest.fn(({ matchedFileChunks }) => (expected = matchedFileChunks))
     GitWorkflow.mockImplementationOnce(mockConstructor)
 
-    try {
-      await runAll({
+    await expect(
+      runAll({
         stash: false,
         relative: true,
       })
-    } catch {} // eslint-disable-line no-empty
+    ).rejects.toThrowError()
 
     // task received relative `foo.js` from both directories
     expect(mockTask).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
@@ -355,17 +363,42 @@ describe('runAll', () => {
       },
     })
 
-    try {
-      await runAll({
+    searchConfigs.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      '.lintstagedrc.json': { '*.js': mockTask },
+      'test/.lintstagedrc.json': { '*.js': mockTask },
+    })
+
+    await expect(
+      runAll({
         cwd: '.',
         stash: false,
         relative: true,
       })
-    } catch {} // eslint-disable-line no-empty
+    ).rejects.toThrowError()
 
     expect(mockTask).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
     expect(mockTask).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, ['foo.js'])
     // This is now relative to "." instead of "test/"
     expect(mockTask).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, ['test/foo.js'])
   })
+
+  it('should error when no configurations found', async () => {
+    getStagedFiles.mockImplementationOnce(async () => ['foo.js', 'test/foo.js'])
+
+    getConfigGroups.mockResolvedValueOnce({})
+
+    searchConfigs.mockResolvedValueOnce({})
+
+    expect.assertions(1)
+
+    try {
+      await runAll({
+        cwd: '.',
+        stash: false,
+        relative: true,
+      })
+    } catch ({ ctx }) {
+      expect(ctx.errors.has(ConfigNotFoundError)).toBe(true)
+    }
+  })
 })