diff --git a/package/pkg-cmake.mk b/package/pkg-cmake.mk
index 4c6dc62270..aca9e61e04 100644
--- a/package/pkg-cmake.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-cmake.mk
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ define $(2)_CONFIGURE_CMDS
 	cd $$($$(PKG)_BUILDDIR) && \
 	rm -f CMakeCache.txt && \
 	PATH=$$(BR_PATH) \
-	$$($$(PKG)_CONF_ENV) $$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/cmake $$($$(PKG)_SRCDIR) \
+	$$($$(PKG)_CONF_ENV) $$(BR2_CMAKE) $$($$(PKG)_SRCDIR) \
 		-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$$(HOST_DIR)/usr/share/buildroot/toolchainfile.cmake" \
 		-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$$(if $$(BR2_ENABLE_DEBUG),RelWithDebInfo,Release) \
 		-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="/usr" \
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ define $(2)_CONFIGURE_CMDS
 	cd $$($$(PKG)_BUILDDIR) && \
 	rm -f CMakeCache.txt && \
 	PATH=$$(BR_PATH) \
-	$$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/cmake $$($$(PKG)_SRCDIR) \
+	$$(BR2_CMAKE) $$($$(PKG)_SRCDIR) \
 		-DCMAKE_INSTALL_SO_NO_EXE=0 \
 		-DCMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH="$$(HOST_DIR)" \
 		-DCMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH_MODE_PROGRAM="BOTH" \
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ endif
 # primitives to find {C,LD}FLAGS, add it to the dependency list.
 $(2)_DEPENDENCIES += host-pkgconf
 
-$(2)_DEPENDENCIES += host-cmake
+$(2)_DEPENDENCIES += $(BR2_CMAKE_HOST_DEPENDENCY)
 
 #
 # Build step. Only define it if not already defined by the package .mk
diff --git a/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.mk b/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.mk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8002278a3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Versions before 3.0 are affected by the bug described in
+# https://git.busybox.net/buildroot/commit/?id=ef2c1970e4bff3be3992014070392b0e6bc28bd2
+# and fixed in upstream CMake in version 3.0:
+# https://cmake.org/gitweb?p=cmake.git;h=e8b8b37ef6fef094940d3384df5a1d421b9fa568
+#
+# Set this to either 3.0 or higher, depending on the highest minimum
+# version required by any of the packages bundled in Buildroot. If a
+# package is bumped or a new one added, and it requires a higher
+# version, our cmake infra will catch it and whine.
+#
+BR2_CMAKE_VERSION_MIN = 3.1
+
+BR2_CMAKE ?= cmake
+ifeq ($(call suitable-host-package,cmake,\
+	$(BR2_CMAKE) $(BR2_CMAKE_VERSION_MIN)),)
+BR2_CMAKE = $(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/cmake
+BR2_CMAKE_HOST_DEPENDENCY = host-cmake
+endif
diff --git a/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.sh b/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..9b63b0648d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/dependencies/check-host-cmake.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+candidate="${1}"
+version_min="${2}"
+
+major_min="${version_min%.*}"
+minor_min="${version_min#*.}"
+
+cmake=`which ${candidate}`
+if [ ! -x "${cmake}" ]; then
+    # echo nothing: no suitable cmake found
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Extract version X.Y from versions in the form X.Y or X.Y.Z
+# with X, Y and Z numbers with one or more digits each, e.g.
+#   3.2     -> 3.2
+#   3.2.3   -> 3.2
+#   3.2.42  -> 3.2
+#   3.10    -> 3.10
+#   3.10.4  -> 3.10
+#   3.10.42 -> 3.10
+version="$(${cmake} --version \
+           |sed -r -e '/.* ([[:digit:]]+\.[[:digit:]]+).*$/!d;' \
+                   -e 's//\1/'
+          )"
+major="${version%.*}"
+minor="${version#*.}"
+
+if [ ${major} -gt ${major_min} ]; then
+    echo "${cmake}"
+else
+    if [ ${major} -eq ${major_min} -a ${minor} -ge ${minor_min} ]; then
+        echo "${cmake}"
+    else
+        # echo nothing: no suitable cmake found
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi