diff --git a/components/bootloader_support/CMakeLists.txt b/components/bootloader_support/CMakeLists.txt
index 038a2aec0..3dc065e66 100644
--- a/components/bootloader_support/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/bootloader_support/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -36,30 +36,60 @@ idf_component_register(SRCS "${srcs}"
                     REQUIRES "${requires}"
                     PRIV_REQUIRES "${priv_requires}")
 
-if(BOOTLOADER_BUILD AND CONFIG_SECURE_SIGNED_APPS)
-    # Whether CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_BUILD_SIGNED_BINARIES or not, we need verification key to embed
-    # in the library.
-    if(CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_BUILD_SIGNED_BINARIES)
-        # We generate the key from the signing key. The signing key is passed from the main project.
-        get_filename_component(secure_boot_signing_key
-            "${SECURE_BOOT_SIGNING_KEY}"
-            ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
-        get_filename_component(secure_boot_verification_key
-            "signature_verification_key.bin"
-            ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}")
-        add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${secure_boot_verification_key}"
-            COMMAND ${ESPSECUREPY}
+if(CONFIG_SECURE_SIGNED_APPS)
+    if(BOOTLOADER_BUILD)
+        # Whether CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_BUILD_SIGNED_BINARIES or not, we need verification key to embed
+        # in the library.
+        if(CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_BUILD_SIGNED_BINARIES)
+            # We generate the key from the signing key. The signing key is passed from the main project.
+            get_filename_component(secure_boot_signing_key
+                "${SECURE_BOOT_SIGNING_KEY}"
+                ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
+            get_filename_component(secure_boot_verification_key
+                "signature_verification_key.bin"
+                ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}")
+            add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${secure_boot_verification_key}"
+                COMMAND ${ESPSECUREPY}
                 extract_public_key --keyfile "${secure_boot_signing_key}"
                 "${secure_boot_verification_key}"
-            VERBATIM)
-    else()
-        # We expect to 'inherit' the verification key passed from main project.
-        get_filename_component(secure_boot_verification_key
-            ${SECURE_BOOT_VERIFICATION_KEY}
-            ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
+                DEPENDS ${secure_boot_signing_key}
+                VERBATIM)
+        else()
+            # We expect to 'inherit' the verification key passed from main project.
+            get_filename_component(secure_boot_verification_key
+                ${SECURE_BOOT_VERIFICATION_KEY}
+                ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
+        endif()
+    else()  # normal app build
+        idf_build_get_property(project_dir PROJECT_DIR)
+
+        if(CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_VERIFICATION_KEY)
+            # verification-only build supplies verification key
+            set(secure_boot_verification_key ${CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_VERIFICATION_KEY})
+            get_filename_component(secure_boot_verification_key
+                ${secure_boot_verification_key}
+                ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
+        else()
+            # sign at build time, extracts key from signing key
+            set(secure_boot_verification_key "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/signature_verification_key.bin")
+            get_filename_component(secure_boot_signing_key
+                ${CONFIG_SECURE_BOOT_SIGNING_KEY}
+                ABSOLUTE BASE_DIR "${project_dir}")
+
+            add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${secure_boot_verification_key}"
+                COMMAND ${ESPSECUREPY}
+                extract_public_key --keyfile "${secure_boot_signing_key}"
+                "${secure_boot_verification_key}"
+                WORKING_DIRECTORY ${project_dir}
+                DEPENDS ${secure_boot_signing_key}
+                VERBATIM)
+        endif()
     endif()
 
-    target_add_binary_data(${COMPONENT_LIB} "${secure_boot_verification_key}" "BINARY")
+    # Embed the verification key in the binary (app & bootloader)
+    #
+    target_add_binary_data(${COMPONENT_LIB} "${secure_boot_verification_key}" "BINARY"
+        RENAME_TO signature_verification_key_bin)
     set_property(DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}"
         APPEND PROPERTY ADDITIONAL_MAKE_CLEAN_FILES
         "${secure_boot_verification_key}")
diff --git a/tools/cmake/scripts/data_file_embed_asm.cmake b/tools/cmake/scripts/data_file_embed_asm.cmake
index 291f9fea2..cde5b27f7 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/scripts/data_file_embed_asm.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/scripts/data_file_embed_asm.cmake
@@ -38,9 +38,14 @@ string(REGEX REPLACE "[^\n]+$" ".byte \\0\n" data "${data}")
 string(REGEX REPLACE "[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]" "0x\\0, " data "${data}")                      # hex formatted C bytes
 string(REGEX REPLACE ", \n" "\n" data "${data}")                                       # trim the last comma
 
-## Come up with C-friendly symbol name based on source file
-get_filename_component(source_filename "${DATA_FILE}" NAME)
-string(MAKE_C_IDENTIFIER "${source_filename}" varname)
+## Come up with C-friendly variable name based on source file
+# unless VARIABLE_BASENAME is set
+if(NOT VARIABLE_BASENAME)
+    get_filename_component(source_filename "${DATA_FILE}" NAME)
+    string(MAKE_C_IDENTIFIER "${source_filename}" varname)
+else()
+    string(MAKE_C_IDENTIFIER "${VARIABLE_BASENAME}" varname)
+endif()
 
 function(append str)
     file(APPEND "${SOURCE_FILE}" "${str}")
diff --git a/tools/cmake/utilities.cmake b/tools/cmake/utilities.cmake
index 758061307..dcd4e9fbf 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/utilities.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/utilities.cmake
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ endfunction()
 # by converting it to a generated source file which is then compiled
 # to a binary object as part of the build
 function(target_add_binary_data target embed_file embed_type)
+    cmake_parse_arguments(_ "" "RENAME_TO" "" ${ARGN})
     idf_build_get_property(build_dir BUILD_DIR)
     idf_build_get_property(idf_path IDF_PATH)
 
@@ -85,10 +86,16 @@ function(target_add_binary_data target embed_file embed_type)
     get_filename_component(name "${embed_file}" NAME)
     set(embed_srcfile "${build_dir}/${name}.S")
 
+    set(rename_to_arg)
+    if(__RENAME_TO)  # use a predefined variable name
+        set(rename_to_arg -D "VARIABLE_BASENAME=${__RENAME_TO}")
+    endif()
+
     add_custom_command(OUTPUT "${embed_srcfile}"
         COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}"
         -D "DATA_FILE=${embed_file}"
         -D "SOURCE_FILE=${embed_srcfile}"
+        ${rename_to_arg}
         -D "FILE_TYPE=${embed_type}"
         -P "${idf_path}/tools/cmake/scripts/data_file_embed_asm.cmake"
         MAIN_DEPENDENCY "${embed_file}"