diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 9c5ba9095a..c68a925324 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -515,14 +515,6 @@ if(PKG_ATC OR PKG_AWPMD OR PKG_ML-QUIP OR PKG_ML-POD OR PKG_ELECTRODE OR BUILD_T
   endif()
 endif()
 
-find_package(CURL QUIET COMPONENTS HTTP HTTPS)
-option(WITH_CURL "Enable libcurl support" ${CURL_FOUND})
-if(WITH_CURL)
-  find_package(CURL REQUIRED COMPONENTS HTTP HTTPS)
-  target_compile_definitions(lammps PRIVATE -DLAMMPS_CURL)
-  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE CURL::libcurl)
-endif()
-
 # tweak jpeg library names to avoid linker errors with MinGW cross-compilation
 set(JPEG_NAMES libjpeg libjpeg-62)
 find_package(JPEG QUIET)
@@ -580,7 +572,7 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 foreach(PKG_WITH_INCL KSPACE PYTHON ML-IAP VORONOI COLVARS ML-HDNNP MDI MOLFILE NETCDF
-        PLUMED QMMM ML-QUIP SCAFACOS MACHDYN VTK KIM COMPRESS ML-PACE LEPTON RHEO)
+        PLUMED QMMM ML-QUIP SCAFACOS MACHDYN VTK KIM COMPRESS ML-PACE LEPTON RHEO EXTRA-COMMAND)
   if(PKG_${PKG_WITH_INCL})
     include(Packages/${PKG_WITH_INCL})
   endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/EXTRA-COMMAND.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/EXTRA-COMMAND.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13c98bafd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/EXTRA-COMMAND.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# the geturl command needs libcurl
+
+find_package(CURL QUIET COMPONENTS HTTP HTTPS)
+option(WITH_CURL "Enable libcurl support" ${CURL_FOUND})
+if(WITH_CURL)
+  find_package(CURL REQUIRED COMPONENTS HTTP HTTPS)
+  target_compile_definitions(lammps PRIVATE -DLAMMPS_CURL)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE CURL::libcurl)
+endif()
+