diff --git a/.github/instructions/gradle.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/gradle.instructions.md
index 28629fe2e73..b702b46d390 100644
--- a/.github/instructions/gradle.instructions.md
+++ b/.github/instructions/gradle.instructions.md
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ All `src/*` Gradle projects share two repo config files: **`eng/gradle/plugin-re
 pluginManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle", to: pluginManagement
 }
-plugins {
-    id 'com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider' version '1.1.1'
+if (System.getenv('ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES') == 'true') {
+    apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle"
 }
 dependencyResolutionManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/dependency-repositories.gradle", to: dependencyResolutionManagement
@@ -25,12 +25,17 @@ rootProject.name = '<project>'
 
 ## CI vs local
 
-Both files switch on `System.getenv('RunningOnCI')` (or `RUNNINGONCI` — AzDO uppercases env vars on Linux/macOS agents):
+Both files switch on `System.getenv('RUNNINGONCI')`. Azure DevOps exports the
+`RunningOnCI` pipeline variable under this normalized environment-variable name.
 
-- **`RunningOnCI=true`** (Azure DevOps, set in `build-tools/automation/yaml-templates/variables.yaml`) → dnceng `dotnet-public-maven` feed (CFSClean isolation, https://aka.ms/1es/netiso/CFS). Anonymous read of cached packages.
+- **`RUNNINGONCI=true`** (Azure DevOps, sourced from `RunningOnCI` in `build-tools/automation/yaml-templates/variables.yaml`) → dnceng `dotnet-public-maven` feed (CFSClean isolation, https://aka.ms/1es/netiso/CFS). Anonymous read of cached packages.
 - **unset** (local, Dependabot, GitHub Actions) → `google()` + `mavenCentral()` + `gradlePluginPortal()` for plugins, `google()` + `mavenCentral()` for deps. No credentials needed.
 
-Test the CI path locally: `$env:RunningOnCI='true'` (PowerShell) or `RunningOnCI=true ...` (bash).
+CI reads cached packages from the mirror anonymously. The Azure Artifacts
+credential provider is loaded only when `ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES=true`;
+`mirror-dependencies.ps1` sets this while seeding uncached packages.
+
+Test the CI path locally: `$env:RUNNINGONCI='true'` (PowerShell) or `RUNNINGONCI=true ...` (bash).
 
 ## When CI fails 401 on a Dependabot bump
 
@@ -54,5 +59,4 @@ After it succeeds, just re-run the failed CI job. No PR edits needed — the pac
 ## Don'ts
 
 - Don't hard-code Maven repo URLs in `build.gradle` / `settings.gradle`; use the shared file.
-- Don't wrap `plugins {}` in `if (...)` — Gradle rejects it.
 - Don't use modern `plugins { id 'com.android.application' version '...' }` DSL without confirming the plugin is in `dotnet-public-maven`; prefer `buildscript { ... } / apply plugin: '...'` when in doubt.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle b/eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..32f6fa95e8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// The dependency-mirroring helper uses this plugin to authenticate with the
+// Maven mirror. Regular local and CI builds do not apply this script.
+buildscript {
+    repositories {
+        maven {
+            url = 'https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/artifacts-public/PublicTools/_packaging/AzureArtifacts/maven/v1'
+            name = 'AzureArtifacts'
+        }
+    }
+    dependencies {
+        classpath 'com.microsoft.azure:artifacts-gradle-credprovider:1.1.1'
+    }
+}
+
+// Plugins loaded through an applied script's buildscript classpath cannot be
+// resolved by ID; Gradle requires the implementation class in this context.
+apply plugin: com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider.gradle.GradleCredentialProviderPlugin
diff --git a/eng/gradle/dependency-repositories.gradle b/eng/gradle/dependency-repositories.gradle
index ac491c649c2..a9daafecc52 100644
--- a/eng/gradle/dependency-repositories.gradle
+++ b/eng/gradle/dependency-repositories.gradle
@@ -2,16 +2,10 @@
 // (dependencyResolutionManagement.repositories) across every settings.gradle
 // in this repo. See plugin-repositories.gradle for plugin resolution.
 //
-// Switches on RunningOnCI for the same CFSClean reasons described there.
-// AzureArtifacts is intentionally NOT included here — it only hosts the
-// credprovider plugin, so listing it in this scope would add a 404 round-trip
-// to every dependency lookup.
+// Switches on RUNNINGONCI for the same CFSClean reasons described there.
 
 repositories {
-    // AzDO uppercases pipeline variables when exporting them as env vars on
-    // Linux/macOS agents, so check both spellings.
-    def runningOnCI = System.getenv('RunningOnCI') ?: System.getenv('RUNNINGONCI')
-    if (runningOnCI == 'true') {
+    if (System.getenv('RUNNINGONCI') == 'true') {
         maven {
             url = 'https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/public/_packaging/dotnet-public-maven/maven/v1'
             name = 'dotnet-public-maven'
diff --git a/eng/gradle/mirror-dependencies.ps1 b/eng/gradle/mirror-dependencies.ps1
index 20a225c9d21..dedf0abbdfc 100644
--- a/eng/gradle/mirror-dependencies.ps1
+++ b/eng/gradle/mirror-dependencies.ps1
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     so a developer has to authenticate locally once to seed the feed.
 
     This script does that by running the requested gradle build in a loop:
-      1. Run gradle with RunningOnCI=true so it points at the dnceng feed.
+      1. Run gradle with RUNNINGONCI=true so it points at the dnceng feed.
       2. Parse any 'Could not GET' URLs out of the build log.
       3. Re-fetch each failing URL with an Azure DevOps OAuth bearer token
          (obtained via `az account get-access-token`). The feed's upstream
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ if ($AndroidHome) { Write-Host "ANDROID_HOME: $AndroidHome" }
 Get-AzDevOpsToken | Out-Null
 
 if ($AndroidHome) { $env:ANDROID_HOME = $AndroidHome }
-$env:RunningOnCI = 'true'
+$env:RUNNINGONCI = 'true'
+$env:ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES = 'true'
 
 Push-Location $projectDirAbs
 try {
diff --git a/eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle b/eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle
index 5763cacff65..898391470d1 100644
--- a/eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle
+++ b/eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle
@@ -2,14 +2,11 @@
 // across every settings.gradle in this repo. See plugin-repositories.gradle's
 // sibling, dependency-repositories.gradle, for project dependency resolution.
 //
-// In our Azure DevOps CI pipeline (RunningOnCI=true), plugins resolve through
+// In our Azure DevOps CI pipeline (RUNNINGONCI=true), plugins resolve through
 // the dnceng Azure Artifacts feed (dotnet-public-maven) for CFSClean network
 // isolation compliance (https://aka.ms/1es/netiso/CFS). Locally and from
 // GitHub Actions (e.g. Dependabot), the standard Gradle Plugin Portal is used.
 //
-// AzureArtifacts (anonymous public feed) is always included because every
-// settings.gradle loads the artifacts-credprovider plugin from there.
-//
 // The dnceng feed proxies public sources. Once any package has been pulled
 // through the feed (an authenticated request), it is cached and anonymous
 // reads work forever after. CI therefore does NOT need credentials — it just
@@ -22,17 +19,7 @@
 // After it succeeds, just re-run the failed CI job — no PR edit is needed.
 
 repositories {
-    // Anonymous public Azure Artifacts feed that hosts the
-    // artifacts-credprovider Gradle plugin (loaded by every settings.gradle).
-    maven {
-        url = 'https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/artifacts-public/PublicTools/_packaging/AzureArtifacts/maven/v1'
-        name = 'AzureArtifacts'
-    }
-
-    // AzDO uppercases pipeline variables when exporting them as env vars on
-    // Linux/macOS agents, so check both spellings.
-    def runningOnCI = System.getenv('RunningOnCI') ?: System.getenv('RUNNINGONCI')
-    if (runningOnCI == 'true') {
+    if (System.getenv('RUNNINGONCI') == 'true') {
         maven {
             url = 'https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/public/_packaging/dotnet-public-maven/maven/v1'
             name = 'dotnet-public-maven'
diff --git a/src/manifestmerger/settings.gradle b/src/manifestmerger/settings.gradle
index 483063983cd..47d043fb305 100644
--- a/src/manifestmerger/settings.gradle
+++ b/src/manifestmerger/settings.gradle
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ pluginManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle", to: pluginManagement
 }
 
-plugins {
-    id 'com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider' version '1.1.1'
+if (System.getenv('ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES') == 'true') {
+    apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle"
 }
 
 dependencyResolutionManagement {
diff --git a/src/proguard-android/settings.gradle b/src/proguard-android/settings.gradle
index f1d5c0e6326..8a8d63d070d 100644
--- a/src/proguard-android/settings.gradle
+++ b/src/proguard-android/settings.gradle
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ pluginManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle", to: pluginManagement
 }
 
-plugins {
-    id 'com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider' version '1.1.1'
+if (System.getenv('ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES') == 'true') {
+    apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle"
 }
 
 dependencyResolutionManagement {
diff --git a/src/r8/settings.gradle b/src/r8/settings.gradle
index 0d56e34025f..39e8674b5d8 100644
--- a/src/r8/settings.gradle
+++ b/src/r8/settings.gradle
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ pluginManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle", to: pluginManagement
 }
 
-plugins {
-    id 'com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider' version '1.1.1'
+if (System.getenv('ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES') == 'true') {
+    apply from: "${rootDir}/../../eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle"
 }
 
 dependencyResolutionManagement {
diff --git a/tests/CodeGen-Binding/Xamarin.Android.LibraryProjectZip-LibBinding/java/JavaLib/settings.gradle b/tests/CodeGen-Binding/Xamarin.Android.LibraryProjectZip-LibBinding/java/JavaLib/settings.gradle
index 571862a24e5..0f5b891e40c 100644
--- a/tests/CodeGen-Binding/Xamarin.Android.LibraryProjectZip-LibBinding/java/JavaLib/settings.gradle
+++ b/tests/CodeGen-Binding/Xamarin.Android.LibraryProjectZip-LibBinding/java/JavaLib/settings.gradle
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ pluginManagement {
     apply from: "${rootDir}/../../../../../eng/gradle/plugin-repositories.gradle", to: pluginManagement
 }
 
-plugins {
-    id 'com.microsoft.azure.artifacts.credprovider' version '1.1.1'
+if (System.getenv('ANDROID_MIRROR_MAVEN_DEPENDENCIES') == 'true') {
+    apply from: "${rootDir}/../../../../../eng/gradle/credential-provider.gradle"
 }
 
 dependencyResolutionManagement {