diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-conda-arrow/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-conda-arrow/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..980c6302d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-conda-arrow/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+# or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+# distributed with this work for additional information
+# regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+# to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+# "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+# with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+# software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+# "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+# KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+# specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+name: Set up conda Arrow
+description: Install Arrow and Parquet from conda-forge for CMake builds.
+
+inputs:
+  runtime-library-path:
+    description: Runtime library path variable to export.
+    required: false
+    default: LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+  extra-packages:
+    description: Extra conda packages to install, space separated.
+    required: false
+    default: ""
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Set up conda
+      uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@8ee1f361103df19b6f8c8655fd3967a8ecb162d5 # v4.0.1
+      with:
+        miniforge-version: latest
+        channels: conda-forge
+        channel-priority: strict
+        activate-environment: arrow
+    - name: Install Arrow and Parquet
+      shell: bash -el {0}
+      env:
+        RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH: ${{ inputs.runtime-library-path }}
+        EXTRA_PACKAGES: ${{ inputs.extra-packages }}
+      run: |
+        read -r -a extra_packages <<< "${EXTRA_PACKAGES}"
+        mamba install -y "libarrow=24.0.*" "libparquet=24.0.*" "${extra_packages[@]}"
+        echo "CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=${CONDA_PREFIX}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+        echo "ICEBERG_REQUIRE_SYSTEM_ARROW=ON" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+
+        case "${RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH}" in
+          LD_LIBRARY_PATH|DYLD_FALLBACK_LIBRARY_PATH) ;;
+          *)
+            echo "::error::Unsupported runtime-library-path: ${RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+            exit 1
+            ;;
+        esac
+        runtime_path_var="${RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+        echo "${runtime_path_var}=${!runtime_path_var:+${!runtime_path_var}:}${CONDA_PREFIX}/lib" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cpp-linter.yml b/.github/workflows/cpp-linter.yml
index 9e8518199..56cb7d76d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cpp-linter.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cpp-linter.yml
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install -y libcurl4-openssl-dev libsqlite3-dev libpq-dev default-libmysqlclient-dev
+      - name: Set up conda Arrow
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-conda-arrow
+        with:
+          # This leg builds Hive, whose Thrift runtime needs Boost headers.
+          extra-packages: libboost-devel
       - name: Set up sccache
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-sccache
         with:
@@ -78,7 +83,12 @@ jobs:
             -DICEBERG_SQL_SQLITE=ON \
             -DICEBERG_SQL_POSTGRESQL=ON \
             -DICEBERG_SQL_MYSQL=ON \
-            -DICEBERG_BUILD_HIVE=ON
+            -DICEBERG_BUILD_HIVE=ON \
+            -DICEBERG_BUNDLE_THRIFT=OFF
+          if [[ -d _deps/vendoredarrow-src ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Expected Arrow from CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH, but CMake configured vendored Arrow"
+            exit 1
+          fi
           cmake --build .
       - name: Save sccache
         if: always()
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 1c85c7cc0..53a995003 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -93,7 +93,9 @@ jobs:
     env:
       SCCACHE_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/.sccache
       SCCACHE_CACHE_SIZE: "2G"
-      ICEBERG_EXTRA_CMAKE_ARGS: "-DICEBERG_BUILD_HIVE=ON"
+      # Prebuilt Arrow exports no Thrift target, so resolve the Thrift runtime
+      # from conda instead of Arrow's bundled build.
+      ICEBERG_EXTRA_CMAKE_ARGS: "-DICEBERG_BUILD_HIVE=ON -DICEBERG_BUNDLE_THRIFT=OFF"
     steps:
       - name: Checkout iceberg-cpp
         uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
@@ -102,6 +104,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         shell: bash
         run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y libcurl4-openssl-dev
+      - name: Set up conda Arrow
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-conda-arrow
+        with:
+          # Thrift's public C++ headers include Boost, and libboost-devel (not
+          # libboost-headers) is the package carrying BoostConfig.cmake.
+          extra-packages: libboost-devel
       - name: Restore sccache cache
         uses: actions/cache/restore@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
         with:
diff --git a/cmake_modules/FindThriftAlt.cmake b/cmake_modules/FindThriftAlt.cmake
index 13820998b..8ccbd9f74 100644
--- a/cmake_modules/FindThriftAlt.cmake
+++ b/cmake_modules/FindThriftAlt.cmake
@@ -85,10 +85,12 @@ endif()
 
 include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
 if(TARGET thrift::thrift)
-  # CONFIG mode already produced the target; satisfy REQUIRED_VARS with it.
+  # CONFIG mode already produced the target. REQUIRED_VARS dereferences names as
+  # variables, so pass a variable holding the target rather than the target name.
+  set(ThriftAlt_TARGET thrift::thrift)
   find_package_handle_standard_args(
     ThriftAlt
-    REQUIRED_VARS thrift::thrift
+    REQUIRED_VARS ThriftAlt_TARGET
     VERSION_VAR ThriftAlt_VERSION)
 else()
   find_package_handle_standard_args(