diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index c9cf4a7d9cd..25303e742a7 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 src/clientversion.cpp export-subst
+src/CMakeLists.txt export-subst
diff --git a/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake b/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake
index d3ee2eb0621..62773a3a543 100644
--- a/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake
+++ b/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 macro(fatal_error)
   message(FATAL_ERROR "\n"
     "Usage:\n"
-    "  cmake -D BUILD_INFO_HEADER_PATH=<path> [-D SOURCE_DIR=<path>] -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE}\n"
+    "  cmake -D BUILD_INFO_HEADER_PATH=<path> -D GIT_EXECUTABLE=<path> [-D SOURCE_DIR=<path>] -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE}\n"
     "All specified paths must be absolute ones.\n"
   )
 endmacro()
@@ -28,72 +28,69 @@ else()
   set(WORKING_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
 endif()
 
-set(GIT_TAG)
-set(GIT_COMMIT)
-if(NOT "$ENV{BITCOIN_GENBUILD_NO_GIT}" STREQUAL "1")
-  find_package(Git QUIET)
-  if(Git_FOUND)
+set(GIT_TAG "")
+set(GIT_COMMIT "")
+if(GIT_EXECUTABLE)
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
+    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE IS_INSIDE_WORK_TREE
+    OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    ERROR_QUIET
+  )
+  if(IS_INSIDE_WORK_TREE)
+    # Clean 'dirty' status of touched files that haven't been modified.
     execute_process(
-      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} diff
       WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-      OUTPUT_VARIABLE IS_INSIDE_WORK_TREE
+      OUTPUT_QUIET
+      ERROR_QUIET
+    )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} describe --abbrev=0
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE MOST_RECENT_TAG
       OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
       ERROR_QUIET
     )
-    if(IS_INSIDE_WORK_TREE)
-      # Clean 'dirty' status of touched files that haven't been modified.
-      execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} diff
-        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-        OUTPUT_QUIET
-        ERROR_QUIET
-      )
 
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-list -1 ${MOST_RECENT_TAG}
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE MOST_RECENT_TAG_COMMIT
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+    )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse HEAD
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE HEAD_COMMIT
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+    )
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} diff-index --quiet HEAD --
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
+      RESULT_VARIABLE IS_DIRTY
+    )
+
+    if(HEAD_COMMIT STREQUAL MOST_RECENT_TAG_COMMIT AND NOT IS_DIRTY)
+      # If latest commit is tagged and not dirty, then use the tag name.
+      set(GIT_TAG ${MOST_RECENT_TAG})
+    else()
+      # Otherwise, generate suffix from git, i.e. string like "0e0a5173fae3-dirty".
       execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} describe --abbrev=0
+        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --short=12 HEAD
         WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE MOST_RECENT_TAG
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE GIT_COMMIT
         OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
         ERROR_QUIET
       )
-
-      execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-list -1 ${MOST_RECENT_TAG}
-        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE MOST_RECENT_TAG_COMMIT
-        OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-        ERROR_QUIET
-      )
-
-      execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse HEAD
-        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-        OUTPUT_VARIABLE HEAD_COMMIT
-        OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-        ERROR_QUIET
-      )
-
-      execute_process(
-        COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} diff-index --quiet HEAD --
-        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-        RESULT_VARIABLE IS_DIRTY
-      )
-
-      if(HEAD_COMMIT STREQUAL MOST_RECENT_TAG_COMMIT AND NOT IS_DIRTY)
-        # If latest commit is tagged and not dirty, then use the tag name.
-        set(GIT_TAG ${MOST_RECENT_TAG})
-      else()
-        # Otherwise, generate suffix from git, i.e. string like "0e0a5173fae3-dirty".
-        execute_process(
-          COMMAND ${GIT_EXECUTABLE} rev-parse --short=12 HEAD
-          WORKING_DIRECTORY ${WORKING_DIR}
-          OUTPUT_VARIABLE GIT_COMMIT
-          OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
-          ERROR_QUIET
-        )
-        if(IS_DIRTY)
-          string(APPEND GIT_COMMIT "-dirty")
-        endif()
+      if(IS_DIRTY)
+        string(APPEND GIT_COMMIT "-dirty")
       endif()
     endif()
   endif()
diff --git a/doc/release-notes-32220.md b/doc/release-notes-32220.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c2527157155
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/release-notes-32220.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+### Build System
+
+- The undocumented `BITCOIN_GENBUILD_NO_GIT` environment variable is no longer
+  required and has been removed. The build system now automatically detects
+  when it is being built from a source archive or as a subproject of a git-aware
+  parent project and skips git metadata fetching.
+
+  Users who need to disable git execution explicitly can still do so by
+  configuring with `-DCMAKE_DISABLE_FIND_PACKAGE_Git=ON`.
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index b37f3c8ca5c..439239962ab 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -37,9 +37,15 @@ if(NOT CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
   set(CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
 endif()
 
+set(IS_SOURCE_TARBALL FALSE)
+# git will expand the next line to "set(IS_SOURCE_TARBALL TRUE)" inside archives:
+#$Format:%nset(IS_SOURCE_TARBALL TRUE)$
+if(NOT IS_SOURCE_TARBALL AND PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL)
+  find_package(Git QUIET)
+endif()
 add_custom_target(generate_build_info
   BYPRODUCTS ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/bitcoin-build-info.h
-  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DBUILD_INFO_HEADER_PATH=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/bitcoin-build-info.h -DSOURCE_DIR=${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR} -P ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DGIT_EXECUTABLE=${GIT_EXECUTABLE} -DBUILD_INFO_HEADER_PATH=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/bitcoin-build-info.h -DSOURCE_DIR=${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR} -P ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/script/GenerateBuildInfo.cmake
   COMMENT "Generating bitcoin-build-info.h"
   VERBATIM
 )