diff --git a/Modules/ExternalProject/shared_internal_commands.cmake b/Modules/ExternalProject/shared_internal_commands.cmake
index 1ee015378c..d74d2dc78a 100644
--- a/Modules/ExternalProject/shared_internal_commands.cmake
+++ b/Modules/ExternalProject/shared_internal_commands.cmake
@@ -766,18 +766,26 @@ function(_ep_add_script_commands script_var work_dir cmd)
 
   # There can be multiple COMMANDs, but we have to split those up to
   # one command per call to execute_process()
+  string(CONCAT execute_process_precmd
+    "cmake_language(GET_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL _ep_step_log_level)\n"
+    "if(_ep_step_log_level MATCHES \"VERBOSE|DEBUG|TRACE\")\n"
+    "  set(_ep_step_maybe_command_echo COMMAND_ECHO STDOUT)\n"
+    "else()\n"
+    "  set(_ep_step_maybe_command_echo)\n"
+    "endif()\n"
+  )
   string(CONCAT execute_process_cmd
     "execute_process(\n"
     "  WORKING_DIRECTORY \"${work_dir}\"\n"
     "  COMMAND_ERROR_IS_FATAL LAST\n"
+    "  \${_ep_step_maybe_command_echo}\n"
+    "  COMMAND "
   )
-  cmake_language(GET_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL active_log_level)
-  if(active_log_level MATCHES "VERBOSE|DEBUG|TRACE")
-    string(APPEND execute_process_cmd "  COMMAND_ECHO STDOUT\n")
-  endif()
-  string(APPEND execute_process_cmd "  COMMAND ")
 
-  string(APPEND ${script_var} "${execute_process_cmd}")
+  string(APPEND ${script_var}
+    "${execute_process_precmd}"
+    "${execute_process_cmd}"
+  )
 
   foreach(cmd_arg IN LISTS cmd)
     if(cmd_arg STREQUAL "COMMAND")
diff --git a/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevel.cmake b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevel.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f0f278d3be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevel.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+cmake_policy(SET CMP0168 NEW)
+
+include(FetchContent)
+
+set(patch_count_file "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/patch-count.txt")
+
+FetchContent_Declare(
+  t1
+  DOWNLOAD_COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E make_directory <SOURCE_DIR>
+  PATCH_COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
+    -DPATCH_COUNT_FILE=${patch_count_file}
+    -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/LogLevelPatch.cmake
+)
+FetchContent_MakeAvailable(t1)
+
+file(READ "${patch_count_file}" patch_count)
+if(NOT patch_count EQUAL 1)
+  message(SEND_ERROR "Patch step ran ${patch_count} times, expected once")
+endif()
diff --git a/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevelPatch.cmake b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevelPatch.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cd5b3cefed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/LogLevelPatch.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+if(EXISTS "${PATCH_COUNT_FILE}")
+  file(READ "${PATCH_COUNT_FILE}" patch_count)
+else()
+  set(patch_count 0)
+endif()
+math(EXPR patch_count "${patch_count} + 1")
+file(WRITE "${PATCH_COUNT_FILE}" "${patch_count}")
diff --git a/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/RunCMakeTest.cmake b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/RunCMakeTest.cmake
index 9eb40b98b3..d4b0c3fcf0 100644
--- a/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/RunCMakeTest.cmake
+++ b/Tests/RunCMake/FetchContent/RunCMakeTest.cmake
@@ -36,6 +36,17 @@ run_cmake_with_cmp0168(MakeAvailable)
 run_cmake_with_cmp0168(MakeAvailableTwice)
 run_cmake_with_cmp0168(MakeAvailableUndeclared)
 run_cmake_with_cmp0168(VerifyHeaderSet)
+block(SCOPE_FOR VARIABLES)
+  # The direct-population scripts must be independent of the configure-time
+  # log level. Steps should not be seen as out-of-date just because the user
+  # re-ran configure with a different verbosity.
+  # Reuse the build tree for a quiet then verbose configuration.
+  set(RunCMake_TEST_NO_CLEAN 1)
+  set(RunCMake_TEST_BINARY_DIR ${RunCMake_BINARY_DIR}/LogLevel-direct-build)
+  run_cmake(LogLevel)
+  set(RunCMake_TEST_VARIANT_DESCRIPTION "-verbose")
+  run_cmake_with_options(LogLevel --log-level=VERBOSE)
+endblock()
 
 run_cmake_with_cmp0168(FindDependencyExport
   -D "CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES=${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/FindDependencyExportDP.cmake"