diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index 928eba7fa8..edadd009d9 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ support may be added.
 ## Expert configure options:
 
 * `TA_EXPERT` -- Set to `ON` to disable automatic installation of prerequisites. Useful for experts, hence the name. [Default=OFF].
-* `TA_ASSERT_POLICY` -- Set to `TA_ASSERT_IGNORE` to disable `TA_ASSERT` assertions, `TA_ASSERT_THROW` to cause `TA_ASSERT` assertions to throw, `TA_ASSERT_ABORT` to cause `TA_ASSERT` assertions to abort. The default is `TA_ASSERT_IGNORE` if CMake uses a single-configuration generator and`CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE` is set to `Release` or `MinSizeRel`, else the default is `TA_ASSERT_THROW`.
+* `TA_ASSERT_POLICY` -- Set to `TA_ASSERT_IGNORE` to disable `TA_ASSERT` assertions, `TA_ASSERT_THROW` to cause `TA_ASSERT` assertions to throw, `TA_ASSERT_ABORT` to cause `TA_ASSERT` assertions to abort. The default is `TA_ASSERT_IGNORE` if CMake uses a single-configuration generator and`CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE` is set to `Release` or `MinSizeRel`, else the default is `TA_ASSERT_THROW`. This is also forwarded to BTAS, as `BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY` (`TA_ASSERT_THROW`/`TA_ASSERT_ABORT`/`TA_ASSERT_IGNORE` map onto `BTAS_ASSERT_THROW`/`BTAS_ASSERT_ABORT`/`BTAS_ASSERT_IGNORE`), when BTAS is built from source. An explicit `BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY` is honored and turns `TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA` (default `ON`) `OFF`, after which BTAS no longer follows TA; since CMake cannot distinguish an explicit `-DBTAS_ASSERT_POLICY=<X>` from a cache entry that already holds `<X>`, pin BTAS to a value TA derived on an earlier configure by also passing `-DTA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA=OFF`.
 * `BUILD_TESTING` -- Set of `OFF` to disable building unit tests. The default is `ON`.
 * `TA_TRACE_TASKS` -- Set to `ON` to enable tracing of MADNESS tasks using custom task tracer. Note that standard profilers/tracers are generally useless (except in the trivial cases) with MADWorld-based programs since the submission context of tasks is not captured by standard tracing tools; this makes it impossible in a nontrivial program to attribute tasks to source code. WARNING: task tracing his will greatly increase the memory requirements. [Default=OFF].
 * `TA_TTG` -- Set to `ON` to find or fetch the TTG library. [Default=OFF].
diff --git a/cmake/modules/FindOrFetchBTAS.cmake b/cmake/modules/FindOrFetchBTAS.cmake
index 9071c11158..2a22516dfa 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/FindOrFetchBTAS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/FindOrFetchBTAS.cmake
@@ -28,6 +28,36 @@ if (NOT TARGET BTAS::BTAS)
     set(gpu_backend none CACHE STRING "The device backend to use for Linalg++")
   endif()
 
+  # forward TA's assertion policy to BTAS, else BTAS picks its own default
+  # (BTAS_ASSERT_THROW whenever BUILD_TESTING=ON, no matter what TA_ASSERT does).
+  # BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY has the same three modes as TA_ASSERT_POLICY, and
+  # like it is not affected by NDEBUG.
+  # TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA is the opt-out: while ON, BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY
+  # is (re)derived from TA_ASSERT_POLICY on every configure; an explicit
+  # BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY that differs from the value TA last acknowledged
+  # (recorded in TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_SEEN) is honored and turns the option OFF.
+  # N.B. CMake cannot tell an explicit -DBTAS_ASSERT_POLICY=<X> from a cache
+  #      entry that already holds X, so to pin BTAS to the value TA derived on
+  #      an earlier configure pass -DTA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA=OFF as well
+  set(_ta_btas_follow_doc "Derive BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY from TA_ASSERT_POLICY when BTAS is built from source; OFF leaves BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY to the user (or to BTAS's default)")
+  option(TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA "${_ta_btas_follow_doc}" ON)
+  if (TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA)
+    if (DEFINED BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY AND NOT (DEFINED TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_SEEN AND BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY STREQUAL TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_SEEN))
+      # explicit user value (on the first configure, or changed since TA last saw it): honor it, stop following
+      set(TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA OFF CACHE BOOL "${_ta_btas_follow_doc}" FORCE)
+      message(STATUS "BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY=${BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY} was set explicitly: TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA turned OFF, BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY will no longer follow TA_ASSERT_POLICY")
+    else()
+      if (TA_ASSERT_POLICY STREQUAL TA_ASSERT_THROW)
+        set(BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY BTAS_ASSERT_THROW CACHE STRING "Controls the behavior of BTAS_ASSERT" FORCE)
+      elseif (TA_ASSERT_POLICY STREQUAL TA_ASSERT_ABORT)
+        set(BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY BTAS_ASSERT_ABORT CACHE STRING "Controls the behavior of BTAS_ASSERT" FORCE)
+      else ()
+        set(BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY BTAS_ASSERT_IGNORE CACHE STRING "Controls the behavior of BTAS_ASSERT" FORCE)
+      endif()
+    endif()
+  endif()
+  unset(_ta_btas_follow_doc)
+
   include(FetchContent)
   FetchContent_Declare(
       BTAS
@@ -35,6 +65,14 @@ if (NOT TARGET BTAS::BTAS)
       GIT_TAG             ${TA_TRACKED_BTAS_TAG}
   )
   FetchContent_MakeAvailable(BTAS)
+
+  # record the BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY value TA acknowledged (derived, explicit, or
+  # BTAS's own default when following is OFF): turning
+  # TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_FOLLOWS_TA back ON with this value still in the cache
+  # resumes following. Done after BTAS has been configured so that the entry
+  # exists even on a first configure with following OFF and no explicit value.
+  # N.B. INTERNAL implies FORCE; spelled out for clarity
+  set(TA_BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY_SEEN ${BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY} CACHE INTERNAL "BTAS_ASSERT_POLICY last acknowledged by TiledArray" FORCE)
   FetchContent_GetProperties(BTAS
       SOURCE_DIR BTAS_SOURCE_DIR
       BINARY_DIR BTAS_BINARY_DIR
diff --git a/external/versions.cmake b/external/versions.cmake
index f5565d299c..8b7920a100 100644
--- a/external/versions.cmake
+++ b/external/versions.cmake
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_PREVIOUS_TAG f7aa1401e)
 set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_VERSION 0.10.1)
 set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_PREVIOUS_VERSION 0.10.1)
 
-set(TA_TRACKED_BTAS_TAG 245e49f117981d6124e0f1aa0d1ae72f1c16318b)
-set(TA_TRACKED_BTAS_PREVIOUS_TAG 7e64fbad97c76f316f313f4c8ed3fca5445da15f)
+set(TA_TRACKED_BTAS_TAG 52aadfe54ee48874f6926da5932482e0f5cef85c)
+set(TA_TRACKED_BTAS_PREVIOUS_TAG 245e49f117981d6124e0f1aa0d1ae72f1c16318b)
 
 set(TA_TRACKED_LIBRETT_TAG 6eed30d4dd2a5aa58840fe895dcffd80be7fbece)
 set(TA_TRACKED_LIBRETT_PREVIOUS_TAG 354e0ccee54aeb2f191c3ce2c617ebf437e49d83)