diff --git a/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake b/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
index 478c73627ae31..d3919aa27dd81 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/RootMacros.cmake
@@ -631,8 +631,14 @@ function(ROOT_GENERATE_DICTIONARY dictionary)
 
   #---Get the library and module dependencies-----------------
   # Every dictionary implicitly depends on Core's pcm, except the one for Core itself.
+  # Only when building ROOT itself: downstream projects have no plain 'Core' target
+  # (only ROOT::Core), and a bare 'Core' in DEPENDS would be treated as a file.
   if(ARG_MODULE AND NOT ARG_MODULE STREQUAL "Core")
-    list(INSERT ARG_DEPENDENCIES 0 Core)
+    if(TARGET ROOT::Core)
+      list(INSERT ARG_DEPENDENCIES 0 ROOT::Core)
+    elseif(TARGET Core)
+      list(INSERT ARG_DEPENDENCIES 0 Core)
+    endif()
     list(REMOVE_DUPLICATES ARG_DEPENDENCIES)
   endif()
   foreach(dep ${ARG_DEPENDENCIES})