diff --git a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/errors.rs b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/errors.rs
index 74f7829ace95a..e66aafc33b8c2 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/errors.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/errors.rs
@@ -1203,14 +1203,17 @@ pub(crate) struct UnstableCTargetFeature<'a> {
 
 #[derive(Diagnostic)]
 #[diag("target feature `{$feature}` cannot be {$enabled} with `-Ctarget-feature`: {$reason}")]
-#[note(
-    "this was previously accepted by the compiler but is being phased out; it will become a hard error in a future release!"
-)]
-#[note("for more information, see issue #116344 <https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/116344>")]
 pub(crate) struct ForbiddenCTargetFeature<'a> {
     pub feature: &'a str,
     pub enabled: &'a str,
     pub reason: &'a str,
+    #[note(
+        "this was previously accepted by the compiler but is being phased out; it will become a hard error in a future release!"
+    )]
+    #[note(
+        "for more information, see issue #116344 <https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/116344>"
+    )]
+    pub future_compat_note: bool,
 }
 
 pub struct TargetFeatureDisableOrEnable<'a> {
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/target_features.rs b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/target_features.rs
index e9209657984e0..ab83da027625e 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/target_features.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/target_features.rs
@@ -298,12 +298,19 @@ pub fn cfg_target_feature<'a, const N: usize>(
                     sess.dcx().emit_warn(unknown_feature);
                 }
                 Some((_, stability, _)) => {
-                    if let Err(reason) = stability.toggle_allowed() {
-                        sess.dcx().emit_warn(errors::ForbiddenCTargetFeature {
+                    if let Stability::Forbidden { reason, hard_error } = stability {
+                        let diag = errors::ForbiddenCTargetFeature {
                             feature: base_feature,
                             enabled: if enable { "enabled" } else { "disabled" },
                             reason,
-                        });
+                            future_compat_note: !hard_error,
+                        };
+
+                        if *hard_error {
+                            sess.dcx().emit_err(diag);
+                        } else {
+                            sess.dcx().emit_warn(diag);
+                        }
                     } else if stability.requires_nightly().is_some() {
                         // An unstable feature. Warn about using it. It makes little sense
                         // to hard-error here since we just warn about fully unknown
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_target/src/target_features.rs b/compiler/rustc_target/src/target_features.rs
index f179274846488..99638ff6f632d 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_target/src/target_features.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_target/src/target_features.rs
@@ -28,7 +28,12 @@ pub enum Stability {
     /// set in the target spec. It is never set in `cfg(target_feature)`. Used in
     /// particular for features are actually ABI configuration flags (not all targets are as nice as
     /// RISC-V and have an explicit way to set the ABI separate from target features).
-    Forbidden { reason: &'static str },
+    Forbidden {
+        reason: &'static str,
+        /// True if this is always an error, false if this can be reported as a warning when set via
+        /// `-Ctarget-feature`.
+        hard_error: bool,
+    },
 }
 use Stability::*;
 
@@ -41,8 +46,9 @@ impl<CTX> HashStable<CTX> for Stability {
             Stability::Unstable(nightly_feature) => {
                 nightly_feature.hash_stable(hcx, hasher);
             }
-            Stability::Forbidden { reason } => {
+            Stability::Forbidden { reason, hard_error } => {
                 reason.hash_stable(hcx, hasher);
+                hard_error.hash_stable(hcx, hasher);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -73,12 +79,12 @@ impl Stability {
     }
 
     /// Returns whether the feature may be toggled via `#[target_feature]` or `-Ctarget-feature`.
-    /// (It might still be nightly-only even if this returns `true`, so make sure to also check
+    /// (It might still be nightly-only even if this returns `Ok(())`, so make sure to also check
     /// `requires_nightly`.)
     pub fn toggle_allowed(&self) -> Result<(), &'static str> {
         match self {
             Stability::Unstable(_) | Stability::Stable { .. } => Ok(()),
-            Stability::Forbidden { reason } => Err(reason),
+            Stability::Forbidden { reason, hard_error: _ } => Err(reason),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -135,7 +141,10 @@ static ARM_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("aes", Unstable(sym::arm_target_feature), &["neon"]),
     (
         "atomics-32",
-        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "unsound because it changes the ABI of atomic operations" },
+        Stability::Forbidden {
+            reason: "unsound because it changes the ABI of atomic operations",
+            hard_error: false,
+        },
         &[],
     ),
     ("crc", Unstable(sym::arm_target_feature), &[]),
@@ -211,7 +220,11 @@ static AARCH64_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     // FEAT_FLAGM2
     ("flagm2", Unstable(sym::aarch64_unstable_target_feature), &[]),
     // We forbid directly toggling just `fp-armv8`; it must be toggled with `neon`.
-    ("fp-armv8", Stability::Forbidden { reason: "Rust ties `fp-armv8` to `neon`" }, &[]),
+    (
+        "fp-armv8",
+        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "Rust ties `fp-armv8` to `neon`", hard_error: false },
+        &[],
+    ),
     // FEAT_FP8
     ("fp8", Unstable(sym::aarch64_unstable_target_feature), &["faminmax", "lut", "bf16"]),
     // FEAT_FP8DOT2
@@ -274,7 +287,11 @@ static AARCH64_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("rcpc3", Unstable(sym::aarch64_unstable_target_feature), &["rcpc2"]),
     // FEAT_RDM
     ("rdm", Stable, &["neon"]),
-    ("reserve-x18", Forbidden { reason: "use `-Zfixed-x18` compiler flag instead" }, &[]),
+    (
+        "reserve-x18",
+        Forbidden { reason: "use `-Zfixed-x18` compiler flag instead", hard_error: false },
+        &[],
+    ),
     // FEAT_SB
     ("sb", Stable, &[]),
     // FEAT_SHA1 & FEAT_SHA256
@@ -448,17 +465,26 @@ static X86_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("rdseed", Stable, &[]),
     (
         "retpoline-external-thunk",
-        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "use `-Zretpoline-external-thunk` compiler flag instead" },
+        Stability::Forbidden {
+            reason: "use `-Zretpoline-external-thunk` compiler flag instead",
+            hard_error: false,
+        },
         &[],
     ),
     (
         "retpoline-indirect-branches",
-        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "use `-Zretpoline` compiler flag instead" },
+        Stability::Forbidden {
+            reason: "use `-Zretpoline` compiler flag instead",
+            hard_error: false,
+        },
         &[],
     ),
     (
         "retpoline-indirect-calls",
-        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "use `-Zretpoline` compiler flag instead" },
+        Stability::Forbidden {
+            reason: "use `-Zretpoline` compiler flag instead",
+            hard_error: false,
+        },
         &[],
     ),
     ("rtm", Unstable(sym::rtm_target_feature), &[]),
@@ -466,7 +492,11 @@ static X86_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("sha512", Stable, &["avx2"]),
     ("sm3", Stable, &["avx"]),
     ("sm4", Stable, &["avx2"]),
-    ("soft-float", Stability::Forbidden { reason: "use a soft-float target instead" }, &[]),
+    (
+        "soft-float",
+        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "use a soft-float target instead", hard_error: false },
+        &[],
+    ),
     ("sse", Stable, &[]),
     ("sse2", Stable, &["sse"]),
     ("sse3", Stable, &["sse2"]),
@@ -608,7 +638,10 @@ static RISCV_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("f", Unstable(sym::riscv_target_feature), &["zicsr"]),
     (
         "forced-atomics",
-        Stability::Forbidden { reason: "unsound because it changes the ABI of atomic operations" },
+        Stability::Forbidden {
+            reason: "unsound because it changes the ABI of atomic operations",
+            hard_error: false,
+        },
         &[],
     ),
     ("m", Stable, &[]),
@@ -863,7 +896,7 @@ const IBMZ_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("miscellaneous-extensions-3", Stable, &[]),
     ("miscellaneous-extensions-4", Stable, &[]),
     ("nnp-assist", Stable, &["vector"]),
-    ("soft-float", Forbidden { reason: "unsupported ABI-configuration feature" }, &[]),
+    ("soft-float", Forbidden { reason: "unsupported ABI-configuration feature", hard_error: false }, &[]),
     ("transactional-execution", Unstable(sym::s390x_target_feature), &[]),
     ("vector", Stable, &[]),
     ("vector-enhancements-1", Stable, &["vector"]),
@@ -915,7 +948,11 @@ static AVR_FEATURES: &[(&str, Stability, ImpliedFeatures)] = &[
     ("rmw", Unstable(sym::avr_target_feature), &[]),
     ("spm", Unstable(sym::avr_target_feature), &[]),
     ("spmx", Unstable(sym::avr_target_feature), &[]),
-    ("sram", Forbidden { reason: "devices that have no SRAM are unsupported" }, &[]),
+    (
+        "sram",
+        Forbidden { reason: "devices that have no SRAM are unsupported", hard_error: false },
+        &[],
+    ),
     ("tinyencoding", Unstable(sym::avr_target_feature), &[]),
     // tidy-alphabetical-end
 ];