diff --git a/compiler/rustc_codegen_cranelift/build_system/tests.rs b/compiler/rustc_codegen_cranelift/build_system/tests.rs
index 818f3d6f08d26..77137bae3cbd8 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_codegen_cranelift/build_system/tests.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_codegen_cranelift/build_system/tests.rs
@@ -475,6 +475,7 @@ impl<'a> TestRunner<'a> {
         cmd.arg("-Zunstable-options");
         cmd.arg("--check-cfg=cfg(no_unstable_features)");
         cmd.arg("--check-cfg=cfg(jit)");
+        cmd.arg("--emit=metadata,link");
         cmd.args(args);
         cmd
     }
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/rmeta/encoder.rs b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/rmeta/encoder.rs
index a13a772220adb..a14065a013fce 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/rmeta/encoder.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/rmeta/encoder.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::errors::{FailCreateFileEncoder, FailWriteFile};
+use crate::errors::{FailCreateFileEncoder, FailWriteFile, FailedCreateFile};
 use crate::rmeta::*;
 
 use rustc_ast::Attribute;
@@ -2274,6 +2274,10 @@ pub fn encode_metadata(tcx: TyCtxt<'_>, path: &Path, ref_path: &Path) {
             });
             header.position.get()
         });
+    } else {
+        std::fs::File::create(&ref_path).unwrap_or_else(|err| {
+            tcx.dcx().emit_fatal(FailedCreateFile { filename: &ref_path, err });
+        });
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/core/build_steps/compile.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/core/build_steps/compile.rs
index 4bf50e19c3fd0..8e1b6b8fb91b8 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/core/build_steps/compile.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/core/build_steps/compile.rs
@@ -1927,14 +1927,12 @@ pub fn run_cargo(
                 || filename.ends_with(".a")
                 || is_debug_info(&filename)
                 || is_dylib(&filename)
+                || filename.ends_with(".rmeta")
             {
-                // Always keep native libraries, rust dylibs and debuginfo
+                // Always keep native libraries, rust dylibs, debuginfo and crate metadata
                 keep = true;
             }
-            if is_check && filename.ends_with(".rmeta") {
-                // During check builds we need to keep crate metadata
-                keep = true;
-            } else if rlib_only_metadata {
+            if !is_check && rlib_only_metadata {
                 if filename.contains("jemalloc_sys")
                     || filename.contains("rustc_smir")
                     || filename.contains("stable_mir")
@@ -1946,7 +1944,6 @@ pub fn run_cargo(
                     // Distribute the rest of the rustc crates as rmeta files only to reduce
                     // the tarball sizes by about 50%. The object files are linked into
                     // librustc_driver.so, so it is still possible to link against them.
-                    keep |= filename.ends_with(".rmeta");
                 }
             } else {
                 // In all other cases keep all rlibs
@@ -1992,7 +1989,12 @@ pub fn run_cargo(
             let file_stem = parts.next().unwrap().to_owned();
             let extension = parts.next().unwrap().to_owned();
 
-            toplevel.push((file_stem, extension, expected_len));
+            if extension == "so" || extension == "dylib" {
+                // FIXME workaround for the fact that cargo doesn't understand `-Zsplit-metadata`
+                toplevel.push((file_stem.clone(), "rmeta".to_owned(), None));
+            }
+
+            toplevel.push((file_stem, extension, Some(expected_len)));
         }
     });
 
@@ -2013,7 +2015,7 @@ pub fn run_cargo(
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
     for (prefix, extension, expected_len) in toplevel {
         let candidates = contents.iter().filter(|&(_, filename, meta)| {
-            meta.len() == expected_len
+            expected_len.map_or(true, |expected_len| meta.len() == expected_len)
                 && filename
                     .strip_prefix(&prefix[..])
                     .map(|s| s.starts_with('-') && s.ends_with(&extension[..]))
@@ -2024,6 +2026,7 @@ pub fn run_cargo(
         });
         let path_to_add = match max {
             Some(triple) => triple.0.to_str().unwrap(),
+            None if extension == "rmeta" => continue, // cfg(not(bootstrap)) remove this once -Zsplit-metadata is passed for all stages
             None => panic!("no output generated for {prefix:?} {extension:?}"),
         };
         if is_dylib(path_to_add) {
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder.rs
index 8223a80c93107..e483acdee1517 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder.rs
@@ -1530,6 +1530,12 @@ impl<'a> Builder<'a> {
         hostflags.arg("-Zunstable-options");
         hostflags.arg("--check-cfg=cfg(bootstrap)");
 
+        // cfg(bootstrap) unconditionally pass this once the bootstrap compiler understands it
+        if stage != 0 {
+            // FIXME remove once cargo enables this by default
+            rustflags.arg("-Zsplit-metadata");
+        }
+
         // FIXME: It might be better to use the same value for both `RUSTFLAGS` and `RUSTDOCFLAGS`,
         // but this breaks CI. At the very least, stage0 `rustdoc` needs `--cfg bootstrap`. See
         // #71458.
diff --git a/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.rs b/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.rs
index 7ebbab4709557..575a1c4bae6ce 100644
--- a/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.rs
+++ b/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libstd-.*.rlib" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rlib"
+//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libstd-.*.rmeta" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rmeta"
 // note-pattern: first defined in crate `std`.
 
 // Test for issue #31788 and E0152
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use std::panic::PanicInfo;
 
 #[lang = "panic_impl"]
 fn panic_impl(info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
-//~^ ERROR: found duplicate lang item `panic_impl`
+    //~^ ERROR: found duplicate lang item `panic_impl`
     loop {}
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.stderr b/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.stderr
index 3b5998df353c4..d310b46dd2432 100644
--- a/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.stderr
+++ b/tests/ui/duplicate_entry_error.stderr
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ LL | | }
    | |_^
    |
    = note: the lang item is first defined in crate `std` (which `duplicate_entry_error` depends on)
-   = note: first definition in `std` loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rlib
+   = note: first definition in `std` loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rmeta
    = note: second definition in the local crate (`duplicate_entry_error`)
 
 error: aborting due to 1 previous error
diff --git a/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.rs b/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.rs
index d56d4e710a405..bbd27003d58b0 100644
--- a/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.rs
+++ b/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*liballoc-.*.rlib" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/liballoc-*.rlib"
+//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*liballoc-.*.rmeta" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/liballoc-*.rmeta"
 #![feature(lang_items)]
 
 #[lang = "owned_box"]
 struct Foo<T>(T); //~ ERROR E0152
 
-fn main() {
-}
+fn main() {}
diff --git a/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.stderr b/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.stderr
index dbea7e6d27fbe..73df5803e839a 100644
--- a/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.stderr
+++ b/tests/ui/error-codes/E0152.stderr
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ LL | struct Foo<T>(T);
    | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    |
    = note: the lang item is first defined in crate `alloc` (which `std` depends on)
-   = note: first definition in `alloc` loaded from SYSROOT/liballoc-*.rlib
+   = note: first definition in `alloc` loaded from SYSROOT/liballoc-*.rmeta
    = note: second definition in the local crate (`E0152`)
 
 error: aborting due to 1 previous error
diff --git a/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.rs b/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.rs
index 2b68fef87c0a7..3e335ce55c4d9 100644
--- a/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.rs
+++ b/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libcore-.*.rlib" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libcore-*.rlib"
+//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libcore-.*.rmeta" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libcore-*.rmeta"
 #![feature(lang_items)]
 
 #[lang = "sized"]
diff --git a/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.stderr b/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.stderr
index aaa8f5e605afa..5639bcc838d81 100644
--- a/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.stderr
+++ b/tests/ui/lang-items/duplicate.stderr
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ LL | trait Sized {}
    | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    |
    = note: the lang item is first defined in crate `core` (which `std` depends on)
-   = note: first definition in `core` loaded from SYSROOT/libcore-*.rlib
+   = note: first definition in `core` loaded from SYSROOT/libcore-*.rmeta
    = note: second definition in the local crate (`duplicate`)
 
 error: aborting due to 1 previous error
diff --git a/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.rs b/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.rs
index 91b3997819ce4..bca904e9aaf9c 100644
--- a/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.rs
+++ b/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libstd-.*.rlib" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rlib"
+//@ normalize-stderr-test "loaded from .*libstd-.*.rmeta" -> "loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rmeta"
 //@ error-pattern: found duplicate lang item `panic_impl`
 
 
diff --git a/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.stderr b/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.stderr
index 48c216ce27ec4..3c44267822337 100644
--- a/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.stderr
+++ b/tests/ui/panic-handler/panic-handler-std.stderr
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ LL | | }
    | |_^
    |
    = note: the lang item is first defined in crate `std` (which `panic_handler_std` depends on)
-   = note: first definition in `std` loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rlib
+   = note: first definition in `std` loaded from SYSROOT/libstd-*.rmeta
    = note: second definition in the local crate (`panic_handler_std`)
 
 error: aborting due to 1 previous error