diff --git a/.github/build.sh b/.github/build.sh
index 4d4ed695d..2fc2bb24e 100755
--- a/.github/build.sh
+++ b/.github/build.sh
@@ -218,23 +218,9 @@ if [[ $PACKAGE_MODE == nolua ]]; then
 fi
 if [[ $PACKAGE_MODE == backendvs ]]; then
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dbackend=vs
-	echo "NOTE: patching CREATEPROCESS_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID out of powder-res.template.rc"
-	echo "TODO: remove this patch once https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/pull/12472 makes it into a release"
-	echo "TODO: also remove the relevant note from the building guide"
-	git apply <<PATCH
-diff --git a/resources/powder-res.template.rc b/resources/powder-res.template.rc
-index 1dc26c78..2094049f 100644
---- a/resources/powder-res.template.rc
-+++ b/resources/powder-res.template.rc
-@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
- 
- IDI_ICON ICON DISCARDABLE "@ICON_EXE_ICO@"
- IDI_DOC_ICON ICON DISCARDABLE "@ICON_CPS_ICO@"
--CREATEPROCESS_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID RT_MANIFEST "@WINUTF8_XML@"
- 
- VS_VERSION_INFO VERSIONINFO
- FILEVERSION @DISPLAY_VERSION_MAJOR@,@DISPLAY_VERSION_MINOR@,0,@BUILD_NUM@
-PATCH
+	# meson 1.2.3 configures vs projects that bring their own manifest, which conflicts with ours
+	# TODO: remove this patch once https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/pull/12472 makes it into a release that we can use
+	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dwindows_utf8cp=false
 fi
 if [[ $BSH_STATIC_DYNAMIC == static ]]; then
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dstatic=prebuilt
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index eee6a57be..ef6e2f69e 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -299,3 +299,9 @@ option(
 	value: true,
 	description: 'Add icon resources to the executable on Windows'
 )
+option(
+	'windows_utf8cp',
+	type: 'boolean',
+	value: true,
+	description: 'Ask Windows nicely for UTF-8 as the codepage'
+)
diff --git a/resources/meson.build b/resources/meson.build
index c493f5864..81c3bed7b 100644
--- a/resources/meson.build
+++ b/resources/meson.build
@@ -33,9 +33,14 @@ endif
 
 if host_platform == 'windows'
 	windows_icons = get_option('windows_icons')
+	windows_utf8cp = get_option('windows_utf8cp')
 	rc_conf_depends = []
+	rc_conf_depend_files = [
+		'resource.h',
+	]
 	icon_exe_ico_path = ''
 	icon_cps_ico_path = ''
+	winutf8_xml_path = ''
 	if windows_icons
 		make_ico = executable('makeico', sources: 'MakeIco.cpp', native: true)
 		generated_win_icos = {}
@@ -64,11 +69,18 @@ if host_platform == 'windows'
 		icon_exe_ico_path = join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), 'icon_exe.ico')
 		icon_cps_ico_path = join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), 'icon_cps.ico')
 	endif
+	if windows_utf8cp
+		rc_conf_depend_files += [
+			'winutf8.xml',
+		]
+		winutf8_xml_path = join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'winutf8.xml')
+	endif
 	rc_conf_data = configuration_data()
 	rc_conf_data.merge_from(conf_data)
 	rc_conf_data.set('HAVE_ICONS', windows_icons ? 1 : 0)
+	rc_conf_data.set('HAVE_UTF8CP', windows_utf8cp ? 1 : 0)
 	rc_conf_data.set('RESOUCE_H', join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'resource.h'))
-	rc_conf_data.set('WINUTF8_XML', join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'winutf8.xml'))
+	rc_conf_data.set('WINUTF8_XML', winutf8_xml_path)
 	rc_conf_data.set('ICON_EXE_ICO', icon_exe_ico_path)
 	rc_conf_data.set('ICON_CPS_ICO', icon_cps_ico_path)
 	powder_files += windows_mod.compile_resources(
@@ -78,10 +90,7 @@ if host_platform == 'windows'
 			configuration: rc_conf_data,
 		),
 		depends: rc_conf_depends,
-		depend_files: [
-			'resource.h',
-			'winutf8.xml',
-		],
+		depend_files: rc_conf_depend_files,
 	)
 elif host_platform == 'darwin'
 	configure_file(
diff --git a/resources/powder-res.template.rc b/resources/powder-res.template.rc
index afee63ac0..c726b10d1 100644
--- a/resources/powder-res.template.rc
+++ b/resources/powder-res.template.rc
@@ -6,11 +6,14 @@
 #include <ntdef.h>
 
 #define HAVE_ICONS @HAVE_ICONS@
+#define HAVE_UTF8CP @HAVE_UTF8CP@
 #if HAVE_ICONS
 IDI_ICON ICON DISCARDABLE "@ICON_EXE_ICO@"
 IDI_DOC_ICON ICON DISCARDABLE "@ICON_CPS_ICO@"
 #endif
+#if HAVE_UTF8CP
 CREATEPROCESS_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID RT_MANIFEST "@WINUTF8_XML@"
+#endif
 
 VS_VERSION_INFO VERSIONINFO
 FILEVERSION @DISPLAY_VERSION_MAJOR@,@DISPLAY_VERSION_MINOR@,0,@BUILD_NUM@