diff --git a/crates/c-api/build.rs b/crates/c-api/build.rs
index a5ca742ea0d1..bfa03ab70f13 100644
--- a/crates/c-api/build.rs
+++ b/crates/c-api/build.rs
@@ -1,55 +1,76 @@
 use std::env;
-use std::process::Command;
-
-// WASMTIME_FEATURE_LIST
-const FEATURES: &[&str] = &[
-    "ASYNC",
-    "PROFILING",
-    "CACHE",
-    "PARALLEL_COMPILATION",
-    "WASI",
-    "WASI_HTTP",
-    "LOGGING",
-    "DISABLE_LOGGING",
-    "COREDUMP",
-    "ADDR2LINE",
-    "DEMANGLE",
-    "THREADS",
-    "GC",
-    "GC_DRC",
-    "GC_NULL",
-    "CRANELIFT",
-    "WINCH",
-    "DEBUG_BUILTINS",
-    "WAT",
-    "POOLING_ALLOCATOR",
-    "COMPONENT_MODEL",
-    "COMPONENT_MODEL_ASYNC",
-    "PULLEY",
-    "ALL_ARCH",
-];
-// ... if you add a line above this be sure to change the other locations
-// marked WASMTIME_FEATURE_LIST
+use std::fs;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 fn main() {
-    println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=cmake/features.cmake");
-    println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=cmake/install-headers.cmake");
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed=include");
 
-    let out_dir = std::env::var("OUT_DIR").unwrap();
-    let mut cmake = Command::new("cmake");
-    cmake.arg("-DWASMTIME_DISABLE_ALL_FEATURES=ON");
-    cmake.arg(format!("-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX={out_dir}"));
-    for f in FEATURES {
-        if env::var_os(format!("CARGO_FEATURE_{f}")).is_some() {
-            cmake.arg(format!("-DWASMTIME_FEATURE_{f}=ON"));
-        }
-    }
+    let out_dir = PathBuf::from(env::var_os("OUT_DIR").unwrap());
+    let include_src = PathBuf::from(env::var_os("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR").unwrap()).join("include");
+    let dst = out_dir.join("include");
 
-    cmake.arg("-P").arg("cmake/install-headers.cmake");
+    generate_conf_header(&include_src, &dst);
+    copy_headers(&include_src, &dst);
+
+    println!("cargo:include={}", dst.display());
+}
 
-    let status = cmake.status().expect("failed to spawn `cmake`");
-    assert!(status.success());
+/// Generates `wasmtime/conf.h` from `wasmtime/conf.h.in`, mirroring what
+/// `cmake/install-headers.cmake` does for standalone CMake builds: each
+/// `#cmakedefine WASMTIME_FEATURE_X` line becomes `#define WASMTIME_FEATURE_X`
+/// when the corresponding Cargo feature is enabled and `/* #undef ... */`
+/// otherwise. The feature list is read from the template itself, so this
+/// function needs no copy of the WASMTIME_FEATURE_LIST.
+///
+/// Note the CRLF line endings, matching cmake's `NEWLINE_STYLE CRLF` so that
+/// the generated header is byte-identical either way.
+fn generate_conf_header(include_src: &Path, dst: &Path) {
+    let template_path = include_src.join("wasmtime").join("conf.h.in");
+    let template = fs::read_to_string(&template_path)
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("failed to read {template_path:?}: {e}"));
+    let mut conf = String::new();
+    for line in template.lines() {
+        if let Some(rest) = line.strip_prefix("#cmakedefine ") {
+            let var = rest.split_whitespace().next().unwrap();
+            let feature = var
+                .strip_prefix("WASMTIME_FEATURE_")
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("unexpected #cmakedefine {var} in conf.h.in"));
+            if env::var_os(format!("CARGO_FEATURE_{feature}")).is_some() {
+                conf.push_str("#define ");
+                conf.push_str(var);
+            } else {
+                conf.push_str("/* #undef ");
+                conf.push_str(var);
+                conf.push_str(" */");
+            }
+        } else {
+            conf.push_str(line);
+        }
+        conf.push_str("\r\n");
+    }
+    let conf_dir = dst.join("wasmtime");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&conf_dir).unwrap();
+    fs::write(conf_dir.join("conf.h"), conf).unwrap();
+}
 
-    println!("cargo:include={out_dir}/include");
+/// Copies all `.h`/`.hh` files under `include/` into `$OUT_DIR/include`,
+/// preserving the directory structure (the equivalent of cmake's
+/// `file(INSTALL ... FILES_MATCHING REGEX "\.hh?$")`).
+fn copy_headers(src: &Path, dst: &Path) {
+    for entry in fs::read_dir(src).unwrap() {
+        let entry = entry.unwrap();
+        let path = entry.path();
+        if path.is_dir() {
+            copy_headers(&path, &dst.join(entry.file_name()));
+        } else {
+            let is_header = path
+                .extension()
+                .map(|e| e == "h" || e == "hh")
+                .unwrap_or(false);
+            if is_header {
+                fs::create_dir_all(dst).unwrap();
+                fs::copy(&path, dst.join(entry.file_name())).unwrap();
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }