diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index 37541f3d10daba..e9112b3a64cd52 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -414,6 +414,20 @@ jobs:
     - name: prepare libc6 for actions
       if: matrix.vector.jobname == 'linux32'
       run: apt -q update && apt -q -y install libc6-amd64 lib64stdc++6
+    - name: install git in container
+      run: |
+        if command -v git
+        then
+          : # nothing to do
+        elif command -v apk
+        then
+          apk add --update git
+        elif command -v dnf
+        then
+          dnf -yq update && dnf -yq install git
+        else
+          apt-get -q update && apt-get -q -y install git
+        fi
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - run: ci/install-dependencies.sh
     - run: useradd builder --create-home
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ac32d2d0bdae93..961ee508be37c4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3326,8 +3326,10 @@ HCC = $(HCO:hco=hcc)
 $(HCO): %.hco: %.hcc $(GENERATED_H) FORCE
 	$(QUIET_HDR)$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) -o /dev/null -c -xc $<
 
-.PHONY: hdr-check $(HCO)
+# TODO: deprecate 'hdr-check' in lieu of 'check-headers' in Git 2.51+
+.PHONY: hdr-check check-headers $(HCO)
 hdr-check: $(HCO)
+check-headers: hdr-check
 
 .PHONY: style
 style:
diff --git a/ci/run-static-analysis.sh b/ci/run-static-analysis.sh
index 0d51e5ce0e7cb4..60c175a094331d 100755
--- a/ci/run-static-analysis.sh
+++ b/ci/run-static-analysis.sh
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ then
 	exit 1
 fi
 
-make hdr-check ||
+make check-headers ||
 exit 1
 
 make check-pot
diff --git a/contrib/coccinelle/meson.build b/contrib/coccinelle/meson.build
index 5d76a7fee6fbb6..dc3f73c2e7b117 100644
--- a/contrib/coccinelle/meson.build
+++ b/contrib/coccinelle/meson.build
@@ -1,23 +1,13 @@
-spatch = find_program('spatch', required: get_option('coccinelle'))
+coccinelle_opt = get_option('coccinelle').require(
+  fs.exists(meson.project_source_root() / '.git'),
+  error_message: 'coccinelle can only be run from a git checkout',
+)
+
+spatch = find_program('spatch', required: coccinelle_opt)
 if not spatch.found()
   subdir_done()
 endif
 
-third_party_sources = [
-  ':!contrib',
-  ':!compat/inet_ntop.c',
-  ':!compat/inet_pton.c',
-  ':!compat/nedmalloc',
-  ':!compat/obstack.*',
-  ':!compat/poll',
-  ':!compat/regex',
-  ':!sha1collisiondetection',
-  ':!sha1dc',
-  ':!t/unit-tests/clar',
-  ':!t/unit-tests/clar',
-  ':!t/t[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]*',
-]
-
 rules = [
   'array.cocci',
   'commit.cocci',
@@ -50,18 +40,18 @@ concatenated_rules = custom_target(
   capture: true,
 )
 
-sources = [ ]
-foreach source : run_command(git, '-C', meson.project_source_root(), 'ls-files', '--deduplicate', '*.c', third_party_sources, check: true).stdout().split()
-  sources += source
+coccinelle_sources = []
+foreach source : run_command(git, '-C', meson.project_source_root(), 'ls-files', '--deduplicate', '*.c', third_party_excludes, check: true).stdout().split()
+  coccinelle_sources += source
 endforeach
 
-headers = [ ]
-foreach header : run_command(git, '-C', meson.project_source_root(), 'ls-files', '--deduplicate', '*.h', third_party_sources, check: true).stdout().split()
-  headers += meson.project_source_root() / header
+coccinelle_headers = []
+foreach header : headers_to_check
+  coccinelle_headers += meson.project_source_root() / header
 endforeach
 
 patches = [ ]
-foreach source : sources
+foreach source : coccinelle_sources
   patches += custom_target(
     command: [
       spatch,
@@ -73,7 +63,7 @@ foreach source : sources
     input: meson.project_source_root() / source,
     output: source.underscorify() + '.patch',
     capture: true,
-    depend_files: headers,
+    depend_files: coccinelle_headers,
   )
 endforeach
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index e98cfa4909f288..569e3888fb2d0b 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -633,6 +633,28 @@ builtin_sources = [
   'builtin/write-tree.c',
 ]
 
+third_party_excludes = [
+  ':!contrib',
+  ':!compat/inet_ntop.c',
+  ':!compat/inet_pton.c',
+  ':!compat/nedmalloc',
+  ':!compat/obstack.*',
+  ':!compat/poll',
+  ':!compat/regex',
+  ':!sha1collisiondetection',
+  ':!sha1dc',
+  ':!t/unit-tests/clar',
+  ':!t/t[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]*',
+  ':!xdiff',
+]
+
+headers_to_check = []
+if git.found() and fs.exists(meson.project_source_root() / '.git')
+  foreach header : run_command(git, '-C', meson.project_source_root(), 'ls-files', '--deduplicate', '*.h', third_party_excludes, check: true).stdout().split()
+    headers_to_check += header
+  endforeach
+endif
+
 if not get_option('breaking_changes')
   builtin_sources += 'builtin/pack-redundant.c'
 endif
@@ -1973,6 +1995,70 @@ endif
 
 subdir('contrib')
 
+exclude_from_check_headers = [
+  'compat/',
+  'unicode-width.h',
+]
+
+if sha1_backend != 'openssl'
+  exclude_from_check_headers += 'sha1/openssl.h'
+endif
+if sha256_backend != 'openssl'
+  exclude_from_check_headers += 'sha256/openssl.h'
+endif
+if sha256_backend != 'nettle'
+  exclude_from_check_headers += 'sha256/nettle.h'
+endif
+if sha256_backend != 'gcrypt'
+  exclude_from_check_headers += 'sha256/gcrypt.h'
+endif
+
+if headers_to_check.length() != 0 and compiler.get_argument_syntax() == 'gcc'
+  hco_targets = []
+  foreach h : headers_to_check
+    skip_header = false
+    foreach exclude : exclude_from_check_headers
+      if h.startswith(exclude)
+        skip_header = true
+        break
+      endif
+    endforeach
+
+    if skip_header
+      continue
+    endif
+
+    hcc = custom_target(
+      input: h,
+      output: h.underscorify() + 'cc',
+      command: [
+        shell,
+        '-c',
+        'echo \'#include "git-compat-util.h"\' > @OUTPUT@ && echo \'#include "' + h + '"\' >> @OUTPUT@'
+      ]
+    )
+
+    hco = custom_target(
+      input: hcc,
+      output: fs.replace_suffix(h.underscorify(), '.hco'),
+      command: [
+        compiler.cmd_array(),
+        libgit_c_args,
+        '-I', meson.project_source_root(),
+        '-I', meson.project_source_root() / 't/unit-tests',
+        '-o', '/dev/null',
+        '-c', '-xc',
+        '@INPUT@'
+      ]
+    )
+    hco_targets += hco
+  endforeach
+
+  # TODO: deprecate 'hdr-check' in lieu of 'check-headers' in Git 2.51+
+  hdr_check = alias_target('hdr-check', hco_targets)
+  alias_target('check-headers', hdr_check)
+endif
+
 foreach key, value : {
   'DIFF': diff.full_path(),
   'GIT_SOURCE_DIR': meson.project_source_root(),