diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 9c34da9228..b0ece2a0ea 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ option(ENABLE_PROGRAMS "Build mbed TLS programs." ON)
 
 option(UNSAFE_BUILD "Allow unsafe builds. These builds ARE NOT SECURE." OFF)
 option(MBEDTLS_FATAL_WARNINGS "Compiler warnings treated as errors" ON)
-option(DEV_MODE "Development mode: (re)generate some files as needed" ON)
+option(GEN_FILES "Generate the auto-generated files as needed" ON)
 
 string(REGEX MATCH "Clang" CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_CLANG "${CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID}")
 string(REGEX MATCH "GNU" CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNU "${CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID}")
diff --git a/library/CMakeLists.txt b/library/CMakeLists.txt
index f3b93fbdff..18aff5af39 100644
--- a/library/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/library/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ set(src_tls
     ssl_tls13_generic.c
 )
 
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     find_package(Perl REQUIRED)
 
     file(GLOB error_headers ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../include/mbedtls/*.h)
diff --git a/programs/psa/CMakeLists.txt b/programs/psa/CMakeLists.txt
index fd8eeea783..26ca73c185 100644
--- a/programs/psa/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/programs/psa/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ set(executables
     psa_constant_names
 )
 
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     add_custom_command(
         OUTPUT
             ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/psa_constant_names_generated.c
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ foreach(exe IN LISTS executables)
 endforeach()
 
 target_include_directories(psa_constant_names PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     add_custom_target(generate_psa_constant_names_generated_c
         DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/psa_constant_names_generated.c)
     add_dependencies(psa_constant_names generate_psa_constant_names_generated_c)
diff --git a/programs/ssl/CMakeLists.txt b/programs/ssl/CMakeLists.txt
index 066940e91b..280bbcf3d2 100644
--- a/programs/ssl/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/programs/ssl/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ set(executables
     ssl_server2
 )
 
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     # Inform CMake that the following file will be generated as part of the build
     # process, so it doesn't complain that it doesn't exist yet. Starting from
     # CMake 3.20, this will no longer be necessary as CMake will automatically
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ foreach(exe IN LISTS executables)
     target_link_libraries(${exe} ${libs})
     target_include_directories(${exe} PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../../tests/include)
     if(exe STREQUAL "ssl_client2" OR exe STREQUAL "ssl_server2")
-        if(DEV_MODE)
+        if(GEN_FILES)
             add_dependencies(${exe} generate_query_config_c)
         endif()
         target_include_directories(${exe}
diff --git a/programs/test/CMakeLists.txt b/programs/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 94331b8c7b..142a831667 100644
--- a/programs/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/programs/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ if(TEST_CPP)
     target_link_libraries(cpp_dummy_build ${mbedcrypto_target})
 endif()
 
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     find_package(Perl REQUIRED)
 
     add_custom_command(
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 0bd94baa27..41dceed939 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ foreach(file ${base_generated_data_files})
     list(APPEND generated_data_files ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${file})
 endforeach()
 
-if(DEV_MODE)
+if(GEN_FILES)
     add_custom_command(
         OUTPUT
             ${generated_data_files}
diff --git a/tests/scripts/all.sh b/tests/scripts/all.sh
index f0e9a7d6c0..595b1baf91 100755
--- a/tests/scripts/all.sh
+++ b/tests/scripts/all.sh
@@ -1007,8 +1007,8 @@ component_test_ref_configs () {
     # the generated files only depend on the list of available options, not
     # whether they're on or off. So, disable cmake's (over-sensitive here)
     # dependency resolution for generated files and just rely on them being
-    # present (thanks to pre_generate_files) by turning DEV_MODE off.
-    CC=gcc cmake -D DEV_MODE=Off -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:String=Asan .
+    # present (thanks to pre_generate_files) by turning GEN_FILES off.
+    CC=gcc cmake -D GEN_FILES=Off -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:String=Asan .
     tests/scripts/test-ref-configs.pl
 }