diff --git a/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass b/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
index b2fa93650a..2141b50881 100644
--- a/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
@@ -699,19 +699,11 @@ def sstate_package(ss, d):
     if not os.path.exists(siginfo):
         bb.siggen.dump_this_task(siginfo, d)
     else:
-        try:
-            os.utime(siginfo, None)
-        except PermissionError:
-            pass
-        except OSError as e:
-            # Handle read-only file systems gracefully
-            import errno
-            if e.errno != errno.EROFS:
-                raise e
+        sstate_touch(siginfo, d.getVar("SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER"))
 
     return
 
-sstate_package[vardepsexclude] += "SSTATE_SIG_KEY SSTATE_PKG"
+sstate_package[vardepsexclude] += "SSTATE_SIG_KEY SSTATE_PKG SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER"
 
 def pstaging_fetch(sstatefetch, d):
     import bb.fetch
@@ -799,10 +791,15 @@ python sstate_create_and_sign_package () {
     from pathlib import Path
     import errno
 
+    update_after = d.getVar("SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER")
+
     # Best effort touch
     def touch(file):
         try:
-            file.touch()
+            if file.exists():
+                sstate_touch(file, update_after)
+            else:
+                file.touch()
         except:
             pass
 
@@ -933,16 +930,44 @@ sstate_unpack_package () {
 
 	tar -I "$ZSTD" -xvpf ${SSTATE_PKG}
 
+	touch_opts=""
+	if [ -n "${SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER}" ]; then
+		# the files below are installed together, so decide once for all of them
+		cutoff=$(date -d "-${SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER} seconds" +%s 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+		atime=$(stat -c %X ${SSTATE_PKG} 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+		if [ "$cutoff" -gt 0 ] && [ "$atime" -gt "$cutoff" ]; then
+			return 0
+		fi
+		touch_opts="-a"
+	fi
+
 	# Update both any file and any symlink pointing to the file for sigs as well as the file
 	for file in ${SSTATE_PKG} ${SSTATE_PKG}.sig ${SSTATE_PKG}.siginfo
 	do
-		[ ! -e $file ] || touch $file 2>/dev/null || true
-		[ ! -e $file ] || touch --no-dereference $file 2>/dev/null || true
+		[ ! -e $file ] || touch $touch_opts $file 2>/dev/null || true
+		[ ! -e $file ] || touch $touch_opts --no-dereference $file 2>/dev/null || true
 	done
 }
 
 BB_HASHCHECK_FUNCTION = "sstate_checkhashes"
 
+def sstate_touch(path, minage):
+    # Without minage the modification time is reset along with the access time.
+    # With it, only the access time is refreshed, and only once the existing one
+    # is at least minage seconds old.
+    import time
+    if not minage:
+        oe.utils.touch(path)
+        return
+    try:
+        stat_info = os.stat(path)
+        now = time.time()
+        if now - stat_info.st_atime < float(minage):
+            return
+        os.utime(path, (now, stat_info.st_mtime))
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
 def sstate_checkhashes(sq_data, d, siginfo=False, currentcount=0, summary=True, **kwargs):
     import itertools
 
@@ -973,15 +998,17 @@ def sstate_checkhashes(sq_data, d, siginfo=False, currentcount=0, summary=True,
         spec, extrapath, tname = getpathcomponents(tid, d)
         return extrapath + generate_sstatefn(spec, gethash(tid), tname, siginfo, d)
 
+    update_after = d.getVar("SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER")
+
     for tid in sq_data['hash']:
 
         sstatefile = d.expand("${SSTATE_DIR}/" + getsstatefile(tid, siginfo, d))
 
         if os.path.exists(sstatefile):
-            oe.utils.touch(sstatefile)
+            sstate_touch(sstatefile, update_after)
             for ext in ['.sig', '.siginfo']:
                 if os.path.exists(sstatefile + ext):
-                    oe.utils.touch(sstatefile + ext)
+                    sstate_touch(sstatefile + ext, update_after)
             found.add(tid)
             bb.debug(2, "SState: Found valid sstate file %s" % sstatefile)
         else:
@@ -1223,7 +1250,7 @@ python sstate_eventhandler() {
         if not os.path.exists(siginfo):
             bb.siggen.dump_this_task(siginfo, d)
         else:
-            oe.utils.touch(siginfo)
+            sstate_touch(siginfo, d.getVar("SSTATE_ATIME_UPDATE_AFTER"))
 }
 
 SSTATE_PRUNE_OBSOLETEWORKDIR ?= "1"