diff --git a/xtask/src/cts.rs b/xtask/src/cts.rs
index 4a9206a21f4..c722a7ccbb1 100644
--- a/xtask/src/cts.rs
+++ b/xtask/src/cts.rs
@@ -53,13 +53,19 @@ pub fn run_cts(shell: Shell, mut args: Arguments) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         if skip_checkout {
             bail!("Skipping CTS checkout doesn't make sense when CTS is not present");
         }
-        log::info!("Cloning CTS");
-        shell
+        let mut cmd = shell
             .cmd("git")
             .args(["clone", CTS_GIT_URL, CTS_CHECKOUT_PATH])
-            .quiet()
-            .run()
-            .context("Failed to clone CTS")?;
+            .quiet();
+
+        if git_version_at_least(&shell, [2, 49, 0])? {
+            log::info!("Cloning CTS shallowly with revision {cts_revision}");
+            cmd = cmd.args(["--depth=1", "--revision", &cts_revision])
+        } else {
+            log::info!("Cloning full checkout of CTS with revision {cts_revision}");
+        }
+
+        cmd.run().context("Failed to clone CTS")?;
 
         shell.change_dir(CTS_CHECKOUT_PATH);
     } else if !skip_checkout {
@@ -120,3 +126,112 @@ pub fn run_cts(shell: Shell, mut args: Arguments) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
 
     Ok(())
 }
+
+fn git_version_at_least(shell: &Shell, version: GitVersion) -> anyhow::Result<bool> {
+    let output = shell
+        .cmd("git")
+        .args(["--version"])
+        .output()
+        .context("Failed to invoke `git --version`")?;
+
+    let Some(code) = output.status.code() else {
+        anyhow::bail!("`git --version` failed to return an exit code; interrupt via signal, maybe?")
+    };
+
+    anyhow::ensure!(code == 0, "`git --version` returned a nonzero exit code");
+
+    let fmt_err_msg = "`git --version` did not have the expected structure";
+
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).expect(fmt_err_msg);
+
+    let parsed = parse_git_version_output(&stdout).expect(fmt_err_msg);
+
+    Ok(parsed <= version)
+}
+
+pub type GitVersion = [u8; 3];
+
+fn parse_git_version_output(output: &str) -> anyhow::Result<GitVersion> {
+    const PREFIX: &str = "git version ";
+
+    let raw_version = output
+        .strip_prefix(PREFIX)
+        .with_context(|| format!("missing `{PREFIX}` prefix"))?;
+
+    let raw_version = raw_version.trim_end(); // There should always be a newline at the end, but
+                                              // we don't care if it's missing.
+
+    let parsed = GitVersion::try_from(
+        raw_version
+            .splitn(3, '.')
+            .enumerate()
+            .map(|(idx, s)| {
+                s.parse().with_context(|| {
+                    format!("failed to parse version number {idx} ({s:?}) as `u8`")
+                })
+            })
+            .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()?,
+    )
+    .map_err(|vec| anyhow::Error::msg(format!("less than 3 version numbers found: {vec:?}")))?;
+
+    log::debug!("detected Git version {raw_version}");
+
+    Ok(parsed)
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_git_version_parsing() {
+    macro_rules! test_ok {
+        ($input:expr, $expected:expr) => {
+            assert_eq!(parse_git_version_output($input).unwrap(), $expected);
+        };
+    }
+    test_ok!("git version 2.3.0", [2, 3, 0]);
+    test_ok!("git version 0.255.0", [0, 255, 0]);
+    test_ok!("git version 4.5.6", [4, 5, 6]);
+
+    macro_rules! test_err {
+        ($input:expr, $msg:expr) => {
+            assert_eq!(
+                parse_git_version_output($input).unwrap_err().to_string(),
+                $msg
+            )
+        };
+    }
+    test_err!("2.3.0", "missing `git version ` prefix");
+    test_err!("", "missing `git version ` prefix");
+
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 1.2",
+        "less than 3 version numbers found: [1, 2]"
+    );
+
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 9001",
+        "failed to parse version number 0 (\"9001\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version ",
+        "failed to parse version number 0 (\"\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version asdf",
+        "failed to parse version number 0 (\"asdf\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 23.beta",
+        "failed to parse version number 1 (\"beta\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 1.2.wat",
+        "failed to parse version number 2 (\"wat\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 1.2.3.",
+        "failed to parse version number 2 (\"3.\") as `u8`"
+    );
+    test_err!(
+        "git version 1.2.3.4",
+        "failed to parse version number 2 (\"3.4\") as `u8`"
+    );
+}