diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 8bf1629..c125127 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.11) # FetchContent requires CMake 3.11
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
 project(chaiscript_extras)
 
 # MINGW does not yet support C++11's concurrency features
diff --git a/cmake/chaiscript.cmake b/cmake/chaiscript.cmake
index 1d00c2e..8f16bf6 100644
--- a/cmake/chaiscript.cmake
+++ b/cmake/chaiscript.cmake
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@ find_package(chaiscript ${CHAISCRIPT_VERSION} QUIET)
 if (NOT chaiscript_FOUND)
   include(FetchContent)
 
+  # FetchContent_Populate is deprecated in CMake 3.30+, but it still gives us the
+  # fine-grained control (EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL on add_subdirectory) we need to keep
+  # the upstream `chai` REPL target out of the default build. Opt into the OLD
+  # behaviour explicitly.
+  if(POLICY CMP0169)
+    cmake_policy(SET CMP0169 OLD)
+  endif()
+
   FetchContent_Declare(
     chaiscript
     GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/ChaiScript/ChaiScript.git
@@ -12,14 +20,21 @@ if (NOT chaiscript_FOUND)
 
   FetchContent_GetProperties(chaiscript)
   if (NOT chaiscript_POPULATED)
-    set(FETCHCONTENT_QUIET NO)
     FetchContent_Populate(chaiscript)
 
     set(BUILD_SAMPLES OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-    set(BUILD_MODULES ON CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(BUILD_MODULES OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
     set(BUILD_TESTING OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
     set(BUILD_LIBFUZZ_TESTER OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
 
-    add_subdirectory(${chaiscript_SOURCE_DIR} ${chaiscript_BINARY_DIR})
+    # ChaiScript 6.1.0's root CMakeLists.txt declares
+    # cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8), which CMake 4.x refuses. Force a
+    # floor so the fetched subproject is accepted.
+    set(CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM 3.5)
+
+    # EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL keeps ChaiScript's `chai` REPL out of the default build.
+    # We only consume ChaiScript's headers here, and its src/main.cpp in 6.1.0
+    # does not compile on current MSVC (missing <chrono> include).
+    add_subdirectory(${chaiscript_SOURCE_DIR} ${chaiscript_BINARY_DIR} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
   endif()
 endif()