diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 0ecae332d2..33180d1875 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ variables:
   # This is used only if CI_PYTHON_TOOL_REPO is not empty.
   CI_PYTHON_TOOL_BRANCH: ""
 
+  IDF_CI_BUILD: 1
+
 cache:
   # pull only for most of the use cases since it's cache dir.
   # Only set "push" policy for "upload_cache" stage jobs
diff --git a/Kconfig b/Kconfig
index c110deae0f..dcd17efa92 100644
--- a/Kconfig
+++ b/Kconfig
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ mainmenu "Espressif IoT Development Framework Configuration"
 
     config IDF_CI_BUILD
         bool
-        option env="IDF_CI_BUILD"
+        default y if "$(IDF_CI_BUILD)" = "y" || "$(IDF_CI_BUILD)" = 1
 
     config IDF_TARGET_ARCH_RISCV
         bool
diff --git a/components/esp_common/include/esp_attr.h b/components/esp_common/include/esp_attr.h
index d49f76141c..ade3b3d903 100644
--- a/components/esp_common/include/esp_attr.h
+++ b/components/esp_common/include/esp_attr.h
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ FORCE_INLINE_ATTR TYPE& operator<<=(TYPE& a, int b) { a = a << b; return a; }
 /* Use IDF_DEPRECATED attribute to mark anything deprecated from use in
    ESP-IDF's own source code, but not deprecated for external users.
 */
-#ifdef IDF_CI_BUILD
+#ifdef CONFIG_IDF_CI_BUILD
 #define IDF_DEPRECATED(REASON) __attribute__((deprecated(REASON)))
 #else
 #define IDF_DEPRECATED(REASON)
diff --git a/components/esp_hw_support/test/test_rtc_clk.c b/components/esp_hw_support/test/test_rtc_clk.c
index c45357ede3..3911ad0571 100644
--- a/components/esp_hw_support/test/test_rtc_clk.c
+++ b/components/esp_hw_support/test/test_rtc_clk.c
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ TEST_CASE("Test fast switching between PLL and XTAL", "[rtc_clk]")
 
 /* In CI environments, the 32kXTAL runners don't have 8MB psram for bank switching.
    So can only test one config or the other. */
-#if !IDF_CI_BUILD || !CONFIG_SPIRAM_BANKSWITCH_ENABLE
+#if !defined(CONFIG_IDF_CI_BUILD) || !CONFIG_SPIRAM_BANKSWITCH_ENABLE
 
 #define COUNT_TEST      3
 #define TIMEOUT_TEST_MS (5 + CONFIG_RTC_CLK_CAL_CYCLES / 16)
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ TEST_CASE("Test starting 'External 32kHz XTAL' on the board without it.", "[rtc_
     start_freq(SOC_RTC_SLOW_CLK_SRC_RC_SLOW, 0);
 }
 
-#endif // !IDF_CI_BUILD || !CONFIG_SPIRAM_BANKSWITCH_ENABLE
+#endif // !defined(CONFIG_IDF_CI_BUILD) || !CONFIG_SPIRAM_BANKSWITCH_ENABLE
 
 #endif // !TEMPORARY_DISABLED_FOR_TARGETS(ESP32S2, ESP32S3, ESP32C3)
 
diff --git a/components/espcoredump/test_apps/CMakeLists.txt b/components/espcoredump/test_apps/CMakeLists.txt
index cef5f46515..dc204cb116 100644
--- a/components/espcoredump/test_apps/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/espcoredump/test_apps/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
 # Here for reproducible builds, we use the CI compile options to make sure they're same.
 # Use -ffile-prefix-map to map the local path prefix to ci path prefix
 
-set(ENV{EXTRA_CFLAGS} "-DIDF_CI_BUILD -Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable \
+set(ENV{EXTRA_CFLAGS} "-Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable \
     -Werror=unused-but-set-variable -Werror=unused-function -Wstrict-prototypes \
     -ffile-prefix-map=$ENV{IDF_PATH}=/builds/espressif/esp-idf")
 
-set(ENV{EXTRA_CXXFLAGS} "-DIDF_CI_BUILD -Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable \
+set(ENV{EXTRA_CXXFLAGS} "-Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable \
     -Werror=unused-but-set-variable -Werror=unused-function \
     -ffile-prefix-map=$ENV{IDF_PATH}=/builds/espressif/esp-idf")
 
diff --git a/components/unity/include/unity_test_runner.h b/components/unity/include/unity_test_runner.h
index b14e3c0f77..aea074bbee 100644
--- a/components/unity/include/unity_test_runner.h
+++ b/components/unity/include/unity_test_runner.h
@@ -151,9 +151,9 @@ void unity_testcase_register(test_desc_t* desc);
 
 /*
   Test case macro to be ignored in CI.
-  Tests will still be built (to check for compile error) but not linked if IDF_CI_BUILD.
+  Tests will still be built (to check for compile error) but not linked if CONFIG_IDF_CI_BUILD.
  */
-#if IDF_CI_BUILD
+#ifdef CONFIG_IDF_CI_BUILD
 #define TEST_CASE_CI_IGNORE(name_, desc_) \
     __attribute__((unused)) static void UNITY_TEST_UID(test_func_) (void)
 #else
diff --git a/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh b/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
index 417663742f..a177683020 100644
--- a/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ DEBUG_SHELL=${DEBUG_SHELL:-"0"}
 # Compiler flags to thoroughly check the IDF code in some CI jobs
 # (Depends on default options '-Wno-error=XXX' used in the IDF build system)
 
-PEDANTIC_FLAGS="-DIDF_CI_BUILD -Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable -Werror=unused-but-set-variable -Werror=unused-function"
+PEDANTIC_FLAGS="-Werror -Werror=deprecated-declarations -Werror=unused-variable -Werror=unused-but-set-variable -Werror=unused-function"
 export PEDANTIC_CFLAGS="${PEDANTIC_FLAGS} -Wstrict-prototypes"
 export PEDANTIC_CXXFLAGS="${PEDANTIC_FLAGS}"