diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 00024c30e4ed..c60945dd2cbd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -119,7 +119,11 @@ LLVM_CXX_FLAGS += -DLLVM_VERSION=$(LLVM_VERSION_TIMES_10)
 WITH_X86 ?= $(findstring x86, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
 WITH_ARM ?= $(findstring arm, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
 WITH_HEXAGON ?= $(findstring hexagon, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
+ifeq ($(shell test $(LLVM_VERSION_TIMES_10) -ge 170; echo $$?),0)
 WITH_RISCV ?= $(findstring riscv, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
+else
+# leave WITH_RISCV undefined
+endif
 WITH_AARCH64 ?= $(findstring aarch64, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
 WITH_POWERPC ?= $(findstring powerpc, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
 WITH_NVPTX ?= $(findstring nvptx, $(LLVM_COMPONENTS))
diff --git a/dependencies/llvm/CMakeLists.txt b/dependencies/llvm/CMakeLists.txt
index 04fa53c06849..bfb6967f3914 100644
--- a/dependencies/llvm/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/dependencies/llvm/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -76,8 +76,18 @@ foreach (comp IN LISTS known_components)
     string(TOUPPER "TARGET_${comp}" OPTION)
     string(TOUPPER "WITH_${comp}" DEFINE)
 
-    cmake_dependent_option(${OPTION} "Include ${comp} target" ON
-                           "${comp} IN_LIST LLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD" OFF)
+    if (comp STREQUAL "RISCV" AND LLVM_PACKAGE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 17.0)
+        # We default the RISCV target to OFF for LLVM versions prior to 17.0;
+        # it's not clear how robust and well-tested Halide's RISCV codegen
+        # is with LLVM16, and a great deal of effort is being put into
+        # improving it in LLVM17... so default to off so that people won't
+        # hurt themselves too badly.
+        cmake_dependent_option(${OPTION} "Include ${comp} target" OFF
+                               "${comp} IN_LIST LLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD" OFF)
+    else ()
+        cmake_dependent_option(${OPTION} "Include ${comp} target" ON
+                               "${comp} IN_LIST LLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD" OFF)
+    endif ()
     if (${OPTION} OR Halide_SHARED_LLVM)
         message(STATUS "Enabling ${comp} backend")
         list(APPEND Halide_LLVM_DEFS $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${DEFINE}>)