diff --git a/include/nuttx/lib/builtin.h b/include/nuttx/lib/builtin.h
index 70d9ad90ba944..51d32d75a1969 100644
--- a/include/nuttx/lib/builtin.h
+++ b/include/nuttx/lib/builtin.h
@@ -30,12 +30,16 @@
 #include <nuttx/config.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_BUILTIN
+#ifdef CONFIG_APP_REGISTRY
 
 /****************************************************************************
  * Public Types
  ****************************************************************************/
 
+/* Under CONFIG_BUILD_KERNEL, only priority/stacksize are consumed; main
+ * (and uid/gid/mode, if enabled) are populated but unused.
+ */
+
 struct builtin_s
 {
   FAR const char *name;     /* Invocation name and as seen under /sbin/ */
@@ -241,5 +245,5 @@ int builtin_getmode(int index);
 }
 #endif
 
-#endif /* CONFIG_BUILTIN */
+#endif /* CONFIG_APP_REGISTRY */
 #endif /* __INCLUDE_NUTTX_LIB_BUILTIN_H */
diff --git a/libs/libc/builtin/CMakeLists.txt b/libs/libc/builtin/CMakeLists.txt
index 1be9f03b46252..f7587c3a46500 100644
--- a/libs/libc/builtin/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/libs/libc/builtin/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #
 # ##############################################################################
 
-if(CONFIG_BUILTIN)
+if(CONFIG_APP_REGISTRY)
   set(SRCS lib_builtin_getname.c lib_builtin_isavail.c lib_builtin_forindex.c)
 
   if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED)
diff --git a/libs/libc/builtin/Kconfig b/libs/libc/builtin/Kconfig
index ad94cedee1c62..8680ddb7958d9 100644
--- a/libs/libc/builtin/Kconfig
+++ b/libs/libc/builtin/Kconfig
@@ -13,3 +13,15 @@ config BUILTIN
 		those names in a file system from which they can be executed.  This feature
 		is also the underlying requirement to support built-in applications in the
 		NuttShell (NSH).
+
+config APP_REGISTRY
+	bool
+	default y if BUILTIN || BUILD_KERNEL
+	---help---
+		Hidden option indicating that the compile-time name/priority/stacksize
+		registry table for applications (struct builtin_s / g_builtins[]) is
+		available.  This is a broader condition than BUILTIN: BUILD_KERNEL
+		cannot select BUILTIN (main_t dispatch is meaningless when the caller
+		and the application are in different address spaces), but it still
+		needs this table so that posix_spawn() can pick up each application's
+		configured priority and stack size.
diff --git a/libs/libc/builtin/Make.defs b/libs/libc/builtin/Make.defs
index afb284e18c7ba..268ee4f20d3ee 100644
--- a/libs/libc/builtin/Make.defs
+++ b/libs/libc/builtin/Make.defs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #
 ############################################################################
 
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_BUILTIN),y)
+ifneq ($(CONFIG_APP_REGISTRY),)
 
 # Builtin library files