diff --git a/stl/inc/__msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp b/stl/inc/__msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp
index dbfd83b311..e9711aab5a 100644
--- a/stl/inc/__msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp
+++ b/stl/inc/__msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp
@@ -128,16 +128,17 @@ _STL_DISABLE_CLANG_WARNINGS
 #pragma detect_mismatch("annotate_optional", "0")
 #endif // ^^^ !defined(_INSERT_OPTIONAL_ANNOTATION) ^^^
 
+extern "C" {
 #ifdef _ACTIVATE_STRING_ANNOTATION
-#pragma comment(lib, "stl_asan")
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_string_should_annotate = true;
 #pragma detect_mismatch("annotate_string", "1")
 #endif // ^^^ defined(_ACTIVATE_STRING_ANNOTATION) ^^^
 #ifdef _ACTIVATE_VECTOR_ANNOTATION
-#pragma comment(lib, "stl_asan")
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_vector_should_annotate = true;
 #pragma detect_mismatch("annotate_vector", "1")
 #endif // ^^^ defined(_ACTIVATE_VECTOR_ANNOTATION) ^^^
 #ifdef _ACTIVATE_OPTIONAL_ANNOTATION
-#pragma comment(lib, "stl_asan")
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_optional_should_annotate = true;
 #pragma detect_mismatch("annotate_optional", "1")
 #endif // ^^^ defined(_ACTIVATE_OPTIONAL_ANNOTATION) ^^^
 
@@ -145,7 +146,6 @@ _STL_DISABLE_CLANG_WARNINGS
 #undef _ACTIVATE_VECTOR_ANNOTATION
 #undef _ACTIVATE_OPTIONAL_ANNOTATION
 
-extern "C" {
 #ifdef _INSERT_VECTOR_ANNOTATION
 extern const bool _Asan_vector_should_annotate;
 #endif
diff --git a/stl/src/asan.cpp b/stl/src/asan.cpp
index e49b05f27f..b496e1c6aa 100644
--- a/stl/src/asan.cpp
+++ b/stl/src/asan.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
 
-namespace std {
-    extern "C" {
-    extern const bool _Asan_string_should_annotate   = true;
-    extern const bool _Asan_vector_should_annotate   = true;
-    extern const bool _Asan_optional_should_annotate = true;
-    } // extern "C"
-} // namespace std
+extern "C" {
+// TRANSITION, ABI: preserved for compatibility with old headers, which
+// added stl_asan.lib to the link line. We use __declspec(selectany) to be
+// compatible with the new headers that define these variables as
+// __declspec(selectany) in __msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp.
+// The new method is preferred because previously enabling just string
+// would also enable vector and optional. See GH-6186 for details.
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_string_should_annotate   = true;
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_vector_should_annotate   = true;
+__declspec(selectany) extern const bool _Asan_optional_should_annotate = true;
+} // extern "C"
diff --git a/tests/std/test.lst b/tests/std/test.lst
index 74cfcda8f4..588ba0bd94 100644
--- a/tests/std/test.lst
+++ b/tests/std/test.lst
@@ -282,6 +282,7 @@ tests\GH_005800_stable_sort_large_alignment
 tests\GH_005816_numeric_limits_traps
 tests\GH_005968_headers_provide_begin_end
 tests\GH_005974_asan_annotate_optional
+tests\GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial
 tests\LWG2381_num_get_floating_point
 tests\LWG2510_tag_classes
 tests\LWG2597_complex_branch_cut
diff --git a/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/env.lst b/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/env.lst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2c694ae2c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/env.lst
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+
+# This test matrix is the usual test matrix, with all currently unsupported options removed, crossed with the ASan flags.
+
+# TRANSITION, google/sanitizers#328: clang-cl does not support /MDd or /MTd with ASan
+RUNALL_INCLUDE ..\prefix.lst
+RUNALL_CROSSLIST
+PM_CL="/fsanitize=address /DTEST_ENSURE_VECTOR_ENABLED /DTEST_ENSURE_STRING_ENABLED /DTEST_ENSURE_OPTIONAL_ENABLED"
+PM_CL="/fsanitize=address /D_DISABLE_VECTOR_ANNOTATION /DTEST_ENSURE_STRING_ENABLED /DTEST_ENSURE_OPTIONAL_ENABLED"
+PM_CL="/fsanitize=address /DTEST_ENSURE_VECTOR_ENABLED /D_DISABLE_STRING_ANNOTATION /DTEST_ENSURE_OPTIONAL_ENABLED"
+PM_CL="/fsanitize=address /DTEST_ENSURE_VECTOR_ENABLED /DTEST_ENSURE_STRING_ENABLED /D_DISABLE_OPTIONAL_ANNOTATION"
+PM_CL="/D_ANNOTATE_STL"
+RUNALL_CROSSLIST
+PM_CL="/Zi /wd4611 /w14640 /Zc:threadSafeInit-" PM_LINK="/debug"
+RUNALL_CROSSLIST
+PM_CL="/BE /c /EHsc /MD /std:c++14"
+PM_CL="/BE /c /EHsc /MDd /std:c++17 /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/BE /c /EHsc /MT /std:c++20 /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/BE /c /EHsc /MTd /std:c++latest /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MD /std:c++14"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MD /std:c++17"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MD /std:c++20"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MD /std:c++latest /permissive- /Zc:char8_t- /Zc:preprocessor"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MD /std:c++latest /permissive- /Zc:noexceptTypes-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MDd /std:c++14 /fp:except /Zc:preprocessor"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MDd /std:c++17 /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MDd /std:c++20 /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MDd /std:c++latest /permissive- /Zc:wchar_t-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MDd /std:c++latest /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MT /std:c++latest /permissive- /analyze:only /analyze:autolog-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MT /std:c++latest /permissive-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MTd /std:c++latest /permissive"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MTd /std:c++latest /permissive- /analyze:only /analyze:autolog-"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MTd /std:c++latest /permissive- /fp:strict"
+PM_CL="/EHsc /MTd /std:c++latest /permissive-"
+PM_COMPILER="clang-cl" PM_CL="-fno-ms-compatibility -fno-delayed-template-parsing -Wno-unqualified-std-cast-call /EHsc /MD /std:c++14"
+PM_COMPILER="clang-cl" PM_CL="-fno-ms-compatibility -fno-delayed-template-parsing -Wno-unqualified-std-cast-call /EHsc /MD /std:c++17"
+PM_COMPILER="clang-cl" PM_CL="-fno-ms-compatibility -fno-delayed-template-parsing -Wno-unqualified-std-cast-call /EHsc /MT /std:c++20 /permissive-"
+PM_COMPILER="clang-cl" PM_CL="-fno-ms-compatibility -fno-delayed-template-parsing -Wno-unqualified-std-cast-call /EHsc /MT /std:c++latest /permissive- /fp:strict"
diff --git a/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/test.cpp b/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/test.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2096f12df8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/std/tests/GH_006186_asan_annotate_partial/test.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+
+// REQUIRES: x64 || x86 || arm64
+
+#if defined(__clang__) && defined(_M_ARM64) // TRANSITION, LLVM-184902, fixed in Clang 23
+#pragma comment(linker, "/INFERASANLIBS")
+int main() {}
+#else // ^^^ workaround / no workaround vvv
+
+#include <cassert>
+#include <vector> // include __msvc_sanitizer_annotate_container.hpp
+
+extern "C" {
+extern const bool _Asan_vector_should_annotate;
+extern const bool _Asan_string_should_annotate;
+extern const bool _Asan_optional_should_annotate;
+} // extern "C"
+
+int main() {
+#ifdef TEST_ENSURE_VECTOR_ENABLED
+    assert(_Asan_vector_should_annotate == true);
+#else
+    assert(_Asan_vector_should_annotate == false);
+#endif
+
+#ifdef TEST_ENSURE_STRING_ENABLED
+    assert(_Asan_string_should_annotate == true);
+#else
+    assert(_Asan_string_should_annotate == false);
+#endif
+
+#ifdef TEST_ENSURE_OPTIONAL_ENABLED
+    assert(_Asan_optional_should_annotate == true);
+#else
+    assert(_Asan_optional_should_annotate == false);
+#endif
+}
+
+#endif // ^^^ no workaround ^^^