diff --git a/builtins/vdt/CMakeLists.txt b/builtins/vdt/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a05772b0abaac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builtins/vdt/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+set(ROOT_VDT_VERSION 0.4.6)
+set(VDT_FOUND True)
+set(VDT_LIBRARIES "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib/${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX}vdt${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}")
+ExternalProject_Add(
+  BUILTIN_VDT
+  URL ${lcgpackages}/vdt-${ROOT_VDT_VERSION}.tar.gz
+  URL_HASH SHA256=1820feae446780763ec8bbb60a0dbcf3ae1ee548bdd01415b1fb905fd4f90c54
+  INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}
+  CMAKE_ARGS
+    -DCMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5
+    -DSSE=OFF # breaks on ARM without this
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}
+    -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=${CMAKE_C_COMPILER}
+    -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
+    -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS=${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}
+    -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=${ROOT_EXTERNAL_CXX_FLAGS}
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=<INSTALL_DIR>
+  LOG_DOWNLOAD 1 LOG_CONFIGURE 1 LOG_BUILD 1 LOG_INSTALL 1 LOG_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE 1
+  BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${VDT_LIBRARIES}
+  TIMEOUT 600
+)
+ExternalProject_Add_Step(
+   BUILTIN_VDT copy2externals
+   COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/include/vdt ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude/vdt
+   DEPENDEES install
+)
+set(VDT_INCLUDE_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude)
+set(VDT_INCLUDE_DIRS ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude)
+
+add_library(VDT::VDT SHARED IMPORTED GLOBAL)
+add_dependencies(VDT::VDT BUILTIN_VDT)
+set_target_properties(VDT::VDT PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION ${VDT_LIBRARIES})
+target_include_directories(VDT::VDT INTERFACE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${VDT_INCLUDE_DIR}> $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include/>)
+
+install(FILES ${VDT_LIBRARIES}
+        DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR} COMPONENT libraries)
+install(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/include/vdt
+        DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR} COMPONENT extra-headers)
+set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_BUILTIN_TARGETS VDT::VDT)
+
+set(VDT_VERSION ${ROOT_VDT_VERSION} PARENT_SCOPE)
+set(VDT_FOUND ${VDT_FOUND} PARENT_SCOPE)
+set(VDT_LIBRARIES ${VDT_LIBRARIES} PARENT_SCOPE)
+set(VDT_INCLUDE_DIRS ${VDT_INCLUDE_DIRS} PARENT_SCOPE)
diff --git a/cmake/modules/SearchInstalledSoftware.cmake b/cmake/modules/SearchInstalledSoftware.cmake
index fb3ba29c6804a..ab26b95f421fb 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/SearchInstalledSoftware.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/SearchInstalledSoftware.cmake
@@ -1030,47 +1030,8 @@ if(vdt OR builtin_vdt)
     endif()
   endif()
   if(builtin_vdt)
-    set(vdt_version 0.4.6)
-    set(VDT_FOUND True)
-    set(VDT_LIBRARIES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib/${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX}vdt${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX})
-    ExternalProject_Add(
-      BUILTIN_VDT
-      URL ${lcgpackages}/vdt-${vdt_version}.tar.gz
-      URL_HASH SHA256=1820feae446780763ec8bbb60a0dbcf3ae1ee548bdd01415b1fb905fd4f90c54
-      INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}
-      CMAKE_ARGS
-        -DCMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5
-        -DSSE=OFF # breaks on ARM without this
-        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}
-        -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=${CMAKE_C_COMPILER}
-        -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
-        -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS=${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}
-        -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=${ROOT_EXTERNAL_CXX_FLAGS}
-        -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=<INSTALL_DIR>
-      LOG_DOWNLOAD 1 LOG_CONFIGURE 1 LOG_BUILD 1 LOG_INSTALL 1 LOG_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE 1
-      BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${VDT_LIBRARIES}
-      TIMEOUT 600
-    )
-    ExternalProject_Add_Step(
-       BUILTIN_VDT copy2externals
-       COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/include/vdt ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude/vdt
-       DEPENDEES install
-    )
-    set(VDT_INCLUDE_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude)
-    set(VDT_INCLUDE_DIRS ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/ginclude)
-
-    add_library(VDT::VDT SHARED IMPORTED GLOBAL)
-    add_dependencies(VDT::VDT BUILTIN_VDT)
-    set_target_properties(VDT::VDT PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION "${VDT_LIBRARIES}")
-    target_include_directories(VDT::VDT INTERFACE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${VDT_INCLUDE_DIR}> $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include/>)
-
-    install(FILES ${VDT_LIBRARIES}
-            DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR} COMPONENT libraries)
-    install(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/include/vdt
-            DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR} COMPONENT extra-headers)
-    set_property(GLOBAL APPEND PROPERTY ROOT_BUILTIN_TARGETS VDT::VDT)
-  else()
-    BUILD_ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH("${VDT_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+    list(APPEND ROOT_BUILTINS VDT)
+    add_subdirectory(builtins/vdt)
   endif()
 endif()
 
diff --git a/roottest/root/math/vdt/CMakeLists.txt b/roottest/root/math/vdt/CMakeLists.txt
index bf391b419a35b..f8462583d210c 100644
--- a/roottest/root/math/vdt/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/roottest/root/math/vdt/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,12 +3,10 @@ if (vdt AND NOT ROOT_CLASSIC_BUILD AND NOT "${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}" STREQUAL "
   set (testname stressVdt)
   set(additional_compile_flags "-O3")
 
-  include_directories(${VDT_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-
   ROOTTEST_GENERATE_EXECUTABLE(${testname}
                                ${testname}.cxx
                                COMPILE_FLAGS ${additional_compile_flags}
-                               LIBRARIES Core Hist Gpad MathCore ${VDT_LIBRARIES}
+                               LIBRARIES Core Hist Gpad MathCore VDT::VDT
                                FIXTURES_SETUP root-math-vdt-stressVdt-fixture)
 
   ROOTTEST_ADD_TEST(${testname}