diff --git a/taskfile/ast/fingerprint.go b/taskfile/ast/fingerprint.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..632ef29bc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/taskfile/ast/fingerprint.go
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package ast
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// ReferencesFingerprintVar reports whether the task references the variable
+// produced by the given fingerprint method in fields compiled after it.
+func (t *Task) ReferencesFingerprintVar(kind string) bool {
+	name := strings.ToUpper(kind)
+	if t == nil || name == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, status := range t.Status {
+		if stringReferencesFingerprintVar(status, name) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	for _, cmd := range t.Cmds {
+		if cmdReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd, name) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	for _, dep := range t.Deps {
+		if depReferencesFingerprintVar(dep, name) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	for _, precondition := range t.Preconditions {
+		if preconditionReferencesFingerprintVar(precondition, name) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func cmdReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd *Cmd, name string) bool {
+	if cmd == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return stringReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd.Cmd, name) ||
+		stringReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd.Task, name) ||
+		stringReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd.If, name) ||
+		forReferencesFingerprintVar(cmd.For, name) ||
+		varsReferenceFingerprintVar(cmd.Vars, name)
+}
+
+func depReferencesFingerprintVar(dep *Dep, name string) bool {
+	if dep == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return stringReferencesFingerprintVar(dep.Task, name) ||
+		forReferencesFingerprintVar(dep.For, name) ||
+		varsReferenceFingerprintVar(dep.Vars, name)
+}
+
+func preconditionReferencesFingerprintVar(precondition *Precondition, name string) bool {
+	if precondition == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return stringReferencesFingerprintVar(precondition.Sh, name) ||
+		stringReferencesFingerprintVar(precondition.Msg, name)
+}
+
+func forReferencesFingerprintVar(f *For, name string) bool {
+	if f == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	if valueReferencesFingerprintVar(f.List, name) {
+		return true
+	}
+	for _, row := range f.Matrix.All() {
+		if row != nil && (stringReferencesFingerprintVar(row.Ref, name) ||
+			valueReferencesFingerprintVar(row.Value, name)) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func varsReferenceFingerprintVar(vars *Vars, name string) bool {
+	for _, v := range vars.All() {
+		if valueReferencesFingerprintVar(v.Value, name) ||
+			valueReferencesFingerprintVar(v.Live, name) ||
+			stringPointerReferencesFingerprintVar(v.Sh, name) ||
+			stringReferencesFingerprintVar(v.Ref, name) ||
+			stringReferencesFingerprintVar(v.Dir, name) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func valueReferencesFingerprintVar(value any, name string) bool {
+	if value == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	if s, ok := value.(string); ok {
+		return stringReferencesFingerprintVar(s, name)
+	}
+
+	rv := reflect.ValueOf(value)
+	switch rv.Kind() {
+	case reflect.Pointer, reflect.Interface:
+		if rv.IsNil() {
+			return false
+		}
+		return valueReferencesFingerprintVar(rv.Elem().Interface(), name)
+	case reflect.Array, reflect.Slice:
+		for i := 0; i < rv.Len(); i++ {
+			if valueReferencesFingerprintVar(rv.Index(i).Interface(), name) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	case reflect.Map:
+		for _, key := range rv.MapKeys() {
+			if valueReferencesFingerprintVar(key.Interface(), name) ||
+				valueReferencesFingerprintVar(rv.MapIndex(key).Interface(), name) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func stringPointerReferencesFingerprintVar(s *string, name string) bool {
+	return s != nil && stringReferencesFingerprintVar(*s, name)
+}
+
+func stringReferencesFingerprintVar(s string, name string) bool {
+	return strings.Contains(s, name)
+}
diff --git a/taskfile/ast/fingerprint_test.go b/taskfile/ast/fingerprint_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee55b22d11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/taskfile/ast/fingerprint_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package ast
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestTaskReferencesFingerprintVar(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	fingerprintRef := "{{.CHECKSUM}}"
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		task *Task
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "nil task",
+			want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "status",
+			task: &Task{Status: []string{"test -n " + fingerprintRef}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "command",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{Cmd: "echo " + fingerprintRef}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "task call",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{Task: "build-" + fingerprintRef}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "command condition",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{If: "test -n " + fingerprintRef}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "loop list nested value",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{For: &For{List: []any{map[string]any{"value": fingerprintRef}}}}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "loop matrix reference",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{For: &For{Matrix: NewMatrix(
+				&MatrixElement{Key: "item", Value: &MatrixRow{Ref: fingerprintRef}},
+			)}}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "command variable",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{Vars: NewVars(
+				&VarElement{Key: "VALUE", Value: Var{Value: []any{fingerprintRef}}},
+			)}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "dynamic command variable",
+			task: &Task{Cmds: []*Cmd{{Vars: NewVars(
+				&VarElement{Key: "VALUE", Value: Var{Sh: &fingerprintRef}},
+			)}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "dependency",
+			task: &Task{Deps: []*Dep{{Task: "build-" + fingerprintRef}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "dependency variable",
+			task: &Task{Deps: []*Dep{{Vars: NewVars(
+				&VarElement{Key: "VALUE", Value: Var{Ref: fingerprintRef}},
+			)}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "precondition",
+			task: &Task{Preconditions: []*Precondition{{Msg: fingerprintRef}}},
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "unrelated fields and nil entries",
+			task: &Task{
+				Cmds:          []*Cmd{nil, {Cmd: "echo ok"}},
+				Deps:          []*Dep{nil, {Task: "build"}},
+				Preconditions: []*Precondition{nil, {Sh: "test -f output"}},
+				Status:        []string{"test -f output"},
+			},
+			want: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, tt.task.ReferencesFingerprintVar("checksum"))
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/variables.go b/variables.go
index b9f43d85a1..900f87c0d9 100644
--- a/variables.go
+++ b/variables.go
@@ -217,15 +217,17 @@ func (e *Executor) compiledTask(call *Call, evaluateShVars bool) (*ast.Task, err
 			checker = fingerprint.NewChecksumChecker(e.TempDir.Fingerprint, e.Dry)
 		}
 
-		value, err := checker.Value(&new)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		vars.Set(strings.ToUpper(checker.Kind()), ast.Var{Live: value})
+		if origTask.ReferencesFingerprintVar(checker.Kind()) {
+			value, err := checker.Value(&new)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			vars.Set(strings.ToUpper(checker.Kind()), ast.Var{Live: value})
 
-		// Adding new variables, requires us to refresh the templaters
-		// cache of the the values manually
-		cache.ResetCache()
+			// Adding new variables, requires us to refresh the templaters
+			// cache of the the values manually
+			cache.ResetCache()
+		}
 	}
 
 	if len(origTask.Cmds) > 0 {