diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index abd032e3e30..4abc4ab52f0 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -519,7 +519,11 @@ target_link_libraries(executorch_core PRIVATE program_schema)
 if(ANDROID)
   target_link_libraries(executorch_core PUBLIC log)
 endif()
-if(EXECUTORCH_USE_DL)
+# Skip when cross-compiling: find_library() resolves the host libdl even for a
+# bare-metal target (e.g. arm-none-eabi), which then links -ldl into the
+# baremetal runner and fails ("cannot find -ldl"). dladdr() isn't used on those
+# targets anyway. Per-target presets also set EXECUTORCH_USE_DL OFF explicitly.
+if(EXECUTORCH_USE_DL AND NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
   # Check if dl exists for this toolchain and only then link it.
   find_library(DL_LIBRARY_EXISTS NAMES dl)
   # Check if the library was found
diff --git a/tools/cmake/preset/arm_baremetal.cmake b/tools/cmake/preset/arm_baremetal.cmake
index c12cc95233a..cb39de6945e 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/preset/arm_baremetal.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/preset/arm_baremetal.cmake
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXECUTOR_RUNNER OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_FLAT_TENSOR OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_DATA_LOADER OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_ARM_BAREMETAL ON)
+# Bare-metal has no libdl (see CMakeLists.txt EXECUTORCH_USE_DL block).
+set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_USE_DL OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_KERNELS_QUANTIZED ON)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_RUNNER_UTIL ON)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_CORTEX_M ON)
diff --git a/tools/cmake/preset/esp_baremetal.cmake b/tools/cmake/preset/esp_baremetal.cmake
index 3df77586d1d..8935b6f2fe7 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/preset/esp_baremetal.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/preset/esp_baremetal.cmake
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ set(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}")
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXECUTOR_RUNNER OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_FLAT_TENSOR OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_DATA_LOADER OFF)
+# Bare-metal has no libdl (see CMakeLists.txt EXECUTORCH_USE_DL block).
+set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_USE_DL OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_KERNELS_QUANTIZED ON)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_RUNNER_UTIL ON)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_ENABLE_LOGGING ON)
diff --git a/tools/cmake/preset/zephyr.cmake b/tools/cmake/preset/zephyr.cmake
index 651e3e0b3c6..69a39bbad71 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/preset/zephyr.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/preset/zephyr.cmake
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_COREML OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_ENABLE_EVENT_TRACER OFF)
+# Bare-metal has no libdl (see CMakeLists.txt EXECUTORCH_USE_DL block).
+set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_USE_DL OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_KERNELS_LLM OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_KERNELS_LLM_AOT OFF)
 set_overridable_option(EXECUTORCH_BUILD_EXTENSION_DATA_LOADER OFF)