diff --git a/includes/Checker/Checks/Plugin_Repo/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check.php b/includes/Checker/Checks/Plugin_Repo/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check.php
index fda72fdee..4e7d51372 100644
--- a/includes/Checker/Checks/Plugin_Repo/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check.php
+++ b/includes/Checker/Checks/Plugin_Repo/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check.php
@@ -252,8 +252,9 @@ private function find_wp_function_calls( string $file ): array {
 			return array();
 		}
 
-		$tokens = token_get_all( $source );
-		$calls  = array();
+		$tokens            = token_get_all( $source );
+		$guarded_functions = $this->get_function_exists_guarded_names( $tokens );
+		$calls             = array();
 
 		foreach ( $tokens as $index => $token ) {
 			if ( ! is_array( $token ) || T_STRING !== $token[0] ) {
@@ -269,8 +270,18 @@ private function find_wp_function_calls( string $file ): array {
 				continue;
 			}
 
+			$function_name = strtolower( $token[1] );
+
+			// Skip calls that are guarded by a function_exists() check for the same
+			// function anywhere in the file. This is a documented backward
+			// compatibility pattern, so the call is never reached on WordPress
+			// versions that lack the function.
+			if ( isset( $guarded_functions[ $function_name ] ) ) {
+				continue;
+			}
+
 			$calls[] = array(
-				'name' => strtolower( $token[1] ),
+				'name' => $function_name,
 				'line' => (int) $token[2],
 			);
 		}
@@ -278,6 +289,69 @@ private function find_wp_function_calls( string $file ): array {
 		return $calls;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Collects function names guarded by a function_exists() call within the file.
+	 *
+	 * Only string literal arguments are considered, since a dynamic argument cannot
+	 * be resolved to a specific function name through tokenization.
+	 *
+	 * @since 2.0.0
+	 *
+	 * @param array $tokens Token stream.
+	 * @return array<string, true> Map of guarded function names, keyed by lowercase name.
+	 */
+	private function get_function_exists_guarded_names( array $tokens ): array {
+		$guarded = array();
+
+		foreach ( $tokens as $index => $token ) {
+			if ( ! is_array( $token ) || T_STRING !== $token[0] || 'function_exists' !== strtolower( $token[1] ) ) {
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			$guarded_name = $this->resolve_function_exists_argument( $tokens, $index );
+			if ( null !== $guarded_name ) {
+				$guarded[ $guarded_name ] = true;
+			}
+		}
+
+		return $guarded;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Resolves the string literal argument of a function_exists() call to a function name.
+	 *
+	 * @since 2.0.0
+	 *
+	 * @param array $tokens Token stream.
+	 * @param int   $index  Index of the function_exists T_STRING token.
+	 * @return string|null Lowercase function name, or null when the call is not a
+	 *                     global function_exists() with a single string literal argument.
+	 */
+	private function resolve_function_exists_argument( array $tokens, int $index ): ?string {
+		$open_index = $this->get_next_significant_token_index( $tokens, $index );
+		if ( null === $open_index || '(' !== $tokens[ $open_index ] ) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		if ( ! $this->is_global_function_call( $tokens, $index ) ) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		$argument_index = $this->get_next_significant_token_index( $tokens, $open_index );
+		if ( null === $argument_index ) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		$argument_token = $tokens[ $argument_index ];
+		if ( ! is_array( $argument_token ) || T_CONSTANT_ENCAPSED_STRING !== $argument_token[0] ) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		$guarded_name = strtolower( ltrim( trim( $argument_token[1], '\'"' ), '\\' ) );
+
+		return '' !== $guarded_name ? $guarded_name : null;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Checks whether a tokenized T_STRING is a global function call.
 	 *
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/load.php b/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/load.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..89d0813c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/load.php
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Plugin Name: Test Plugin WP Functions Compatibility With function_exists Guard
+ * Plugin URI: https://github.com/WordPress/plugin-check
+ * Description: Test plugin for WordPress functions compatibility check where a newer function is guarded by function_exists().
+ * Requires at least: 5.0
+ * Requires PHP: 7.4
+ * Tested up to: 5.4
+ * Version: 1.0.0
+ * Author: WordPress Performance Team
+ * Author URI: https://make.wordpress.org/performance/
+ * License: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ * License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
+ * Text Domain: test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard
+ *
+ * @package test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard
+ */
+
+require_once __DIR__ . '/uses-guarded-function.php';
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/uses-guarded-function.php b/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/uses-guarded-function.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..118ce8741
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/phpunit/testdata/plugins/test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/uses-guarded-function.php
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Test file with a newer WordPress function guarded by function_exists().
+ *
+ * The guard and the call live in different methods of the same file, wired
+ * together through add_action(), mirroring the real-world deferred hook pattern.
+ *
+ * @package test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard
+ */
+
+class Guarded_Feature {
+
+	public function __construct() {
+		if ( function_exists( 'wp_get_environment_type' ) ) {
+			add_action( 'init', array( $this, 'run' ) );
+		}
+	}
+
+	public function run() {
+		wp_get_environment_type();
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/Checker/Checks/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check_Tests.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/Checker/Checks/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check_Tests.php
index ab457f563..49d425f25 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/Checker/Checks/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check_Tests.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/Checker/Checks/WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check_Tests.php
@@ -35,6 +35,17 @@ public function test_run_without_errors() {
 		$this->assertEmpty( wp_list_filter( $errors['uses-compatible-function.php'][8][0] ?? array(), array( 'code' => 'wp_function_not_compatible_with_requires_wp' ) ) );
 	}
 
+	public function test_run_with_function_exists_guard_without_errors() {
+		$check_context = new Check_Context( UNIT_TESTS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-function-exists-guard/load.php' );
+		$check_result  = new Check_Result( $check_context );
+
+		$check = new WP_Functions_Compatibility_Check();
+		$check->run( $check_result );
+
+		$errors = $check_result->get_errors();
+		$this->assertArrayNotHasKey( 'uses-guarded-function.php', $errors );
+	}
+
 	public function test_run_with_php_serialize_without_errors() {
 		$check_context = new Check_Context( UNIT_TESTS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'test-plugin-wp-functions-compatibility-with-php-serialize/load.php' );
 		$check_result  = new Check_Result( $check_context );