diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 81bbb78..b956f64 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -73,5 +73,12 @@ jobs:
     - name: Check azure-verifier builds without the TPM stack
       run: cargo check -p attestation --no-default-features --features azure-verifier
 
+    # `azure-attester` carries its generation dependencies per-target, so off
+    # x86_64 linux it has to stay enabled and contribute nothing rather than
+    # fail to build. macos-latest is aarch64-darwin, the target
+    # tss-esapi-sys has no bindings for.
+    - name: Check azure-attester builds off x86_64 linux
+      run: cargo check -p attestation --all-features
+
     - name: Test azure-verifier
       run: cargo test -p attestation --no-default-features --features azure-verifier
diff --git a/crates/attestation/Cargo.toml b/crates/attestation/Cargo.toml
index 764df23..72c7be7 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/attestation/Cargo.toml
@@ -36,12 +36,21 @@ ureq = "2.12.1"
 webpki = { package = "rustls-webpki", version = "0.103.8" }
 x509-parser = "0.18.0"
 
-# Used for azure vTPM attestation support. minimal cvm crate for verification
-# and full tdx crate for generation (linux only because links tpm2-tss).
+# Needed for verification of azure vTPM evidence. No features on purpose since az-cvm-vtpm's
+# verifier feature implies its `tpm` one, which pulls tss-esapi and the native TPM libraries.
+# See https://github.com/kinvolk/azure-cvm-tooling/issues/95
 az-cvm-vtpm = { version = "0.7.4", default-features = false, optional = true }
+openssl = { version = "0.10.79", optional = true }
+
+[target.'cfg(all(target_os = "linux", target_arch = "x86_64"))'.dependencies]
+# Azure vTPM evidence generation: reads the vTPM through tss-esapi, attests Intel TDX.
+# An Azure TDX CVM is x86_64 linux, and tss-esapi-sys has no bindings for most other
+# tuples in any case. Keeping these per-target rather than behind the feature alone
+# leaves `azure-attester` (and --all-features) buildable everywhere: elsewhere the
+# feature stays on but pulls in neither dep, so nothing extra compiles. build.rs
+# mirrors the condition as the `azure_attester_x86_64_linux` cfg; keep the two in sync.
 az-tdx-vtpm = { version = "0.7.4", optional = true }
 tss-esapi = { version = "7.6.0", optional = true }
-openssl = { version = "0.10.79", optional = true }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 mock-tdx = { workspace = true }
@@ -58,9 +67,10 @@ serde_json = "1.0.145"
 [features]
 default = []
 
-# Generation of Microsoft Azure attestation evidence on an Azure TDX CVM.
-# Implies `azure-verifier`. Reads the vTPM through tss-esapi, so it builds
-# only where the native tpm2-tss libraries are available (Linux).
+# Opts into generating Azure evidence, and so into the native tpm2-tss stack
+# that tss-esapi links. Code should be gated on the `azure_attester_x86_64_linux` cfg
+# injected by build.rs rather than on this feature, which says nothing about the target.
+# The crate readme covers what enabling it does off x86_64 linux.
 azure-attester = ["azure-verifier", "dep:az-tdx-vtpm", "dep:tss-esapi"]
 
 # Verification of Microsoft Azure attestation evidence. Pure computation
diff --git a/crates/attestation/README.md b/crates/attestation/README.md
index c7df79e..7f3bf65 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/README.md
+++ b/crates/attestation/README.md
@@ -48,9 +48,20 @@ attestation support.
 This feature requires [tpm2](https://tpm2-software.github.io) and `openssl` to
 be installed. On Debian-based systems tpm2 is provided by
 [`libtss2-dev`](https://packages.debian.org/trixie/libtss2-dev), and on nix
-`tpm2-tss`. This dependency is currently not packaged for MacOS, meaning
-currently it is not possible to compile or run with the `azure-attester`
-feature on MacOS.
+`tpm2-tss`.
+
+The generation code is compiled for x86_64 Linux targets only — where an Azure
+TDX CVM actually runs. **Elsewhere, MacOS and aarch64 Linux included,
+`azure-attester` stays enabled but contributes nothing:** its generation
+dependencies are target-gated out, so the crate behaves as if only
+`azure-verifier` were enabled. `--all-features` still builds everywhere, but
+`AttestationType::detect` will never report `AzureTdx` and generation will fail
+with `AttestationTypeNotSupported`. Verification is unaffected. `build.rs` emits
+a `cargo::warning` when this happens.
+
+The condition is on the target, not the build host, so any machine can produce a
+build with generation in it via `--target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu`, given a
+cross toolchain and tpm2-tss and openssl for that target.
 
 **Note:** Azure support is currently **not actively maintained** as we do not
 have production CVMs deployed on Azure and so are unlikely to notice when this
diff --git a/crates/attestation/build.rs b/crates/attestation/build.rs
index 82362d1..e5c0305 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/build.rs
+++ b/crates/attestation/build.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,37 @@ const FIRMWARE_DIR: &str = "assets/ovmf";
 const GENERATED_FIRMWARE: &str = "trusted-firmware.json";
 
 fn main() {
+    // Gate for the Azure evidence generation code. It takes a cfg rather
+    // than the `azure-attester` feature alone because it only compiles
+    // where az-tdx-vtpm and tss-esapi resolve, so this condition has to
+    // stay identical to their target table in Cargo.toml. The
+    // CARGO_CFG_TARGET_* vars describe the target rather than the build
+    // host, which keeps the two in agreement when cross-compiling: any
+    // host targeting x86_64 linux gets the generation code. The
+    // check-cfg goes outside the branch: the name is expected on every
+    // target, including those where the code it gates is switched off.
+    println!("cargo::rustc-check-cfg=cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)");
+    if env::var_os("CARGO_FEATURE_AZURE_ATTESTER").is_some() {
+        let os = env::var("CARGO_CFG_TARGET_OS").unwrap_or_default();
+        let arch = env::var("CARGO_CFG_TARGET_ARCH").unwrap_or_default();
+        if os == "linux" && arch == "x86_64" {
+            println!("cargo::rustc-cfg=azure_attester_x86_64_linux");
+        } else {
+            // Warn rather than fail: --all-features has to stay usable
+            // everywhere, so the feature is a no-op off this
+            // target instead of an error.
+            println!(
+                "cargo::warning=`azure-attester` is enabled but the target is {arch}-{os}. \
+                 The Azure evidence generation code is only compiled for x86_64 linux, so this \
+                 build will behave as if only `azure-verifier` were enabled: `detect` will \
+                 never return `AzureTdx`, and `generate_attestation` for `AzureTdx` will fail \
+                 with `AttestationTypeNotSupported`. Verifying Azure evidence still works. If \
+                 you need generation, target x86_64 linux — any host can, with \
+                 `--target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` and a cross toolchain."
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     println!("cargo:rerun-if-changed={FIRMWARE_DIR}");
 
     let mut paths = fs::read_dir(FIRMWARE_DIR)
diff --git a/crates/attestation/src/azure/mod.rs b/crates/attestation/src/azure/mod.rs
index d0cfd10..fd0e778 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/src/azure/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/attestation/src/azure/mod.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 //! Microsoft Azure vTPM attestation evidence generation and verification
 mod ak_certificate;
-#[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+#[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
 mod attester;
 mod tpm_quote;
 mod tpms_attest;
 mod verify;
 
-#[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+#[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
 pub use attester::{create_azure_attestation, detect_azure_cvm};
 use az_cvm_vtpm::hcl;
 use openssl::error::ErrorStack;
@@ -165,39 +165,39 @@ pub enum MaaError {
     DcapVerification(#[from] crate::dcap::DcapVerificationError),
 
     // Errors that can only occur during evidence generation on an Azure CVM
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("Report: {0}")]
     Report(#[from] az_tdx_vtpm::report::ReportError),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("IMDS: {0}")]
     Imds(#[from] az_tdx_vtpm::imds::ImdsError),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("vTPM report: {0}")]
     VtpmReport(#[from] az_tdx_vtpm::vtpm::ReportError),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("vTPM quote: {0}")]
     VtpmQuote(#[from] az_tdx_vtpm::vtpm::QuoteError),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("vTPM read: {0}")]
     TssEsapi(#[from] tss_esapi::Error),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("IO: {0}")]
     Io(#[from] std::io::Error),
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("AIA URL is not HTTP(S): {url}")]
     UnsupportedAiaUrl { url: String },
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("Failed to fetch AIA issuer certificate from {url}: {source}")]
     AiaFetch { url: String, source: Box<ureq::Error> },
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error(
         "Azure vTPM AK issuer chain exceeded maximum intermediate certificate count: {max_depth}"
     )]
     AkIssuerChainTooDeep { max_depth: usize },
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error("Azure vTPM AK issuer chain could not be built to a pinned Azure root certificate")]
     AkIssuerChainIncomplete,
-    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
     #[error(
         "Azure metadata API returned a successful response with non-JSON content-type: {content_type:?}"
     )]
diff --git a/crates/attestation/src/azure/tpm_quote.rs b/crates/attestation/src/azure/tpm_quote.rs
index 8cefaab..16b08bb 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/src/azure/tpm_quote.rs
+++ b/crates/attestation/src/azure/tpm_quote.rs
@@ -14,9 +14,11 @@
 //! extraction done by the `tpms_attest` parser instead of tss-esapi. It is
 //! vendored because az-cvm-vtpm's verifier feature currently requires its
 //! TPM device support (tss-esapi links the native tpm2-tss libraries,
-//! making such builds Linux-only). If upstream decouples verification
-//! from the TPM stack, this module can be retired in favour of depending
-//! on az-cvm-vtpm's verifier again.
+//! making such builds Linux-only). Tracked upstream as
+//! <https://github.com/kinvolk/azure-cvm-tooling/issues/95>; if upstream
+//! decouples verification from the TPM stack, this module and
+//! [`super::tpms_attest`] can be retired in favour of depending on
+//! az-cvm-vtpm's verifier again.
 
 use openssl::{
     hash::MessageDigest,
diff --git a/crates/attestation/src/lib.rs b/crates/attestation/src/lib.rs
index b5706c4..0d432a0 100644
--- a/crates/attestation/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/attestation/src/lib.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 // `azure-verifier` is the base Azure feature: it gates the whole module,
 // and `azure-attester` (which implies it) additionally enables the
-// generation code inside.
+// generation code inside, on the x86_64 linux targets where the vTPM it
+// reads exists.
 #[cfg(feature = "azure-verifier")]
 pub mod azure;
 pub mod dcap;
@@ -171,7 +172,7 @@ impl AttestationType {
     /// Detect what platform we are on by attempting an attestation
     pub fn detect() -> Result<Self, AttestationError> {
         // First attempt azure, if the feature is present
-        #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+        #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
         {
             if azure::detect_azure_cvm()? {
                 return Ok(AttestationType::AzureTdx);
@@ -282,7 +283,7 @@ impl AttestationGenerator {
             match self.attestation_type {
                 AttestationType::None => Ok(AttestationExchangeMessage::without_attestation()),
                 AttestationType::AzureTdx => {
-                    #[cfg(feature = "azure-attester")]
+                    #[cfg(azure_attester_x86_64_linux)]
                     {
                         let platform = attest_measure::platform::metadata_for(
                             self.attestation_type.try_into()?,
@@ -294,10 +295,10 @@ impl AttestationGenerator {
                             }),
                         })
                     }
-                    #[cfg(not(feature = "azure-attester"))]
+                    #[cfg(not(azure_attester_x86_64_linux))]
                     {
                         tracing::error!(
-                            "Attempted to generate an azure attestation but the `azure-attester` feature not enabled"
+                            "Azure attestation generation requires the `azure-attester` feature on an x86_64 linux host"
                         );
                         Err(AttestationError::AttestationTypeNotSupported)
                     }
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 2416f3d..ff2fbc9 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ More details in the individual READMEs of the provided crates:
 
 The included `shell.nix` file can be used with `nix-shell`, `direnv`, or `nix
 develop` to add the dependencies needed by the optional `azure-attester`
-feature of the `attestation` crate on Linux. The `azure-verifier` feature
-needs no extra system dependencies and builds on any platform.  See the
+feature of the `attestation` crate on x86_64 Linux, the only target its
+generation code is compiled for. The `azure-verifier` feature needs no extra
+system dependencies and builds on any platform.  See the
 [`attestation` crate readme](./crates/attestation) for details.