diff --git a/docs/cmake-presets.md b/docs/cmake-presets.md
index 8099f64482..9e38f12343 100644
--- a/docs/cmake-presets.md
+++ b/docs/cmake-presets.md
@@ -148,6 +148,26 @@ You can specify the name of a compiler on your `PATH` instance or an environment
 
 When you build with the Visual C++ toolset, CMake Tools automatically sources the environment from the latest version of the Visual Studio Build Tools installed on your system. You can specify a compiler version with the `toolset` option in `CMakePresets.json`. For more information, see [Configure Presets and Toolset Selection](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake-toolchains.7.html).
 
+CMake Tools can detect the need for the VS Developer Environment from several signals in your preset. You do **not** need to explicitly set `CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER` to `cl` if any of the following are true:
+
+- Your preset uses a **Visual Studio generator** (e.g. `"generator": "Visual Studio 17 2022"`)
+- Your preset specifies `"toolset": { "strategy": "external" }` (which means the IDE should set up the environment)
+- Your preset specifies `"architecture": { "strategy": "external" }`
+
+For example, a Ninja preset that relies on MSVC can use `strategy: "external"` without setting compilers explicitly:
+
+```json
+"generator": "Ninja",
+"architecture": {
+   "value": "x64",
+   "strategy": "external"
+},
+"toolset": {
+   "value": "v143",
+   "strategy": "external"
+}
+```
+
 A preset that builds for 64-bit Windows with `cl.exe` and a Visual Studio Generator might set compilers like this:
 
 ```json
diff --git a/src/presets/preset.ts b/src/presets/preset.ts
index 1ddd5d8e89..ba00e84039 100644
--- a/src/presets/preset.ts
+++ b/src/presets/preset.ts
@@ -961,6 +961,25 @@ async function getVsDevEnv(opts: VsDevEnvOptions): Promise<EnvironmentWithNull |
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Checks whether a configure preset has structural signals indicating that the VS Developer Environment
+ * should be activated, even without an explicit CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER or CMAKE_C_COMPILER setting.
+ *
+ * This detects:
+ * 1. A Visual Studio generator (e.g. "Visual Studio 17 2022")
+ * 2. A toolset with strategy "external" (meaning the IDE should set up the environment)
+ * 3. An architecture with strategy "external"
+ *
+ * @param preset The configure preset to inspect.
+ * @returns true if the preset has MSVC-intent signals, false otherwise.
+ */
+export function hasVsDevEnvSignals(preset: ConfigurePreset): boolean {
+    const hasVsGenerator = /Visual Studio \d+/.test(preset.generator ?? '');
+    const toolsetStrategy = typeof preset.toolset === 'object' ? (preset.toolset as ValueStrategy).strategy : undefined;
+    const archStrategy = typeof preset.architecture === 'object' ? (preset.architecture as ValueStrategy).strategy : undefined;
+    return hasVsGenerator || toolsetStrategy === 'external' || archStrategy === 'external';
+}
+
 /**
  * This method tries to apply, based on the useVsDeveloperEnvironment setting value and, in "auto" mode, whether certain preset compilers/generators are used and not found, the VS Dev Env.
  * @param preset Preset to modify the parentEnvironment of. If the developer environment should be applied, the preset.environment is modified by reference.
@@ -979,12 +998,17 @@ export async function tryApplyVsDevEnv(preset: ConfigurePreset, workspaceFolder:
     // [Windows Only] We only support VS Dev Env on Windows.
     if (!preset.__parentEnvironment && process.platform === "win32") {
         if (useVsDeveloperEnvironmentMode === "auto") {
-            if (preset.cacheVariables) {
-                const cxxCompiler = getStringValueFromCacheVar(preset.cacheVariables['CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER'])?.toLowerCase();
-                const cCompiler = getStringValueFromCacheVar(preset.cacheVariables['CMAKE_C_COMPILER'])?.toLowerCase();
-                // The env variables for the supported compilers are the same.
-                const compilerName: string | undefined = util.isSupportedCompiler(cxxCompiler) || util.isSupportedCompiler(cCompiler);
+            const cxxCompiler = preset.cacheVariables ? getStringValueFromCacheVar(preset.cacheVariables['CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER'])?.toLowerCase() : undefined;
+            const cCompiler = preset.cacheVariables ? getStringValueFromCacheVar(preset.cacheVariables['CMAKE_C_COMPILER'])?.toLowerCase() : undefined;
+            // The env variables for the supported compilers are the same.
+            const compilerName: string | undefined = util.isSupportedCompiler(cxxCompiler) || util.isSupportedCompiler(cCompiler);
 
+            // Also check for structural MSVC signals in the preset (VS generator, external strategy)
+            const infersMsvc = !compilerName && hasVsDevEnvSignals(preset);
+            // If MSVC is inferred from preset signals, treat 'cl' as the effective compiler name for env setup
+            const effectiveCompilerName = compilerName ?? (infersMsvc ? 'cl' : undefined);
+
+            if (effectiveCompilerName) {
                 // find where.exe using process.env since we're on windows.
                 let whereExecutable;
                 // assume in this call that it exists
@@ -1004,7 +1028,7 @@ export async function tryApplyVsDevEnv(preset: ConfigurePreset, workspaceFolder:
                     }
                 }
 
-                if (compilerName && whereExecutable) {
+                if (whereExecutable) {
                     // We need to construct and temporarily expand the environment in order to accurately determine if this preset has the compiler / ninja on PATH.
                     // This puts the preset.environment on top of process.env, then expands with process.env as the penv and preset.environment as the envOverride
                     const env = EnvironmentUtils.mergePreserveNull([process.env, preset.environment]);
@@ -1019,7 +1043,7 @@ export async function tryApplyVsDevEnv(preset: ConfigurePreset, workspaceFolder:
                         }
                     }
 
-                    const compilerLocation = await execute(whereExecutable, [compilerName], null, {
+                    const compilerLocation = await execute(whereExecutable, [effectiveCompilerName], null, {
                         environment: EnvironmentUtils.create(presetEnv),
                         silent: true,
                         encoding: 'utf8',
@@ -1041,10 +1065,16 @@ export async function tryApplyVsDevEnv(preset: ConfigurePreset, workspaceFolder:
                         developerEnvironment = await getVsDevEnv({
                             preset,
                             shouldInterrogateForNinja,
-                            compilerName
+                            compilerName: effectiveCompilerName
                         });
                     }
                 }
+            } else {
+                log.info(localize(
+                    'vs.dev.env.skipped.hint',
+                    'Configure preset "{0}": VS Developer Environment was not set up automatically. To enable it, set CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER to "cl" in cacheVariables, use a Visual Studio generator, set toolset or architecture strategy to "external", or set cmake.useVsDeveloperEnvironment to "always".',
+                    preset.name
+                ));
             }
         } else if (useVsDeveloperEnvironmentMode === "always") {
             developerEnvironment = await getVsDevEnv({
diff --git a/test/unit-tests/presets/presets.test.ts b/test/unit-tests/presets/presets.test.ts
index a44bb1d74f..719f31cd44 100644
--- a/test/unit-tests/presets/presets.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit-tests/presets/presets.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { buildArgs, Condition, configureArgs, evaluateCondition, getArchitecture, getToolset } from '@cmt/presets/preset';
+import { buildArgs, Condition, configureArgs, evaluateCondition, getArchitecture, getToolset, hasVsDevEnvSignals } from '@cmt/presets/preset';
 import { expect } from '@test/util';
 import * as os from "os";
 
@@ -274,4 +274,45 @@ suite('Preset tests', () => {
         expect(args).to.include('-j');
         expect(args).to.not.include('--parallel');
     });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals detects Visual Studio generator', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Visual Studio 17 2022' })).to.eq(true);
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Visual Studio 16 2019' })).to.eq(true);
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Visual Studio 15 2017' })).to.eq(true);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals detects external toolset strategy', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', toolset: { value: 'v143', strategy: 'external' } })).to.eq(true);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals detects external architecture strategy', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', architecture: { value: 'x64', strategy: 'external' } })).to.eq(true);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals returns false for Ninja with no MSVC signals', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja' })).to.eq(false);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals returns false for no generator and no strategy', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test' })).to.eq(false);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals returns false for set strategy (non-external)', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', toolset: { value: 'v143', strategy: 'set' } })).to.eq(false);
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', architecture: { value: 'x64', strategy: 'set' } })).to.eq(false);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals returns false for string toolset and architecture', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', toolset: 'v143' })).to.eq(false);
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({ name: 'test', generator: 'Ninja', architecture: 'x64' })).to.eq(false);
+    });
+
+    test('hasVsDevEnvSignals detects combined external toolset and architecture', () => {
+        expect(hasVsDevEnvSignals({
+            name: 'test',
+            generator: 'Ninja',
+            toolset: { value: 'v143', strategy: 'external' },
+            architecture: { value: 'x64', strategy: 'external' }
+        })).to.eq(true);
+    });
 });