diff --git a/build/bin/sage-dist-helpers b/build/bin/sage-dist-helpers
index b159d696745..9330124498e 100644
--- a/build/bin/sage-dist-helpers
+++ b/build/bin/sage-dist-helpers
@@ -296,8 +296,6 @@ sdh_pip_install() {
 
 sdh_pip_editable_install() {
     echo "Installing $PKG_NAME (editable mode)"
-    # Until https://github.com/sagemath/sage/issues/34209 switches us to PEP 660 editable wheels
-    export SETUPTOOLS_ENABLE_FEATURES=legacy-editable
     python3 -m pip install --verbose --no-deps --no-index --no-build-isolation --isolated --editable "$@" || \
         sdh_die "Error installing $PKG_NAME"
 }
diff --git a/build/pkgs/sagelib/spkg-install b/build/pkgs/sagelib/spkg-install
index 730829b3101..b70eb21151a 100755
--- a/build/pkgs/sagelib/spkg-install
+++ b/build/pkgs/sagelib/spkg-install
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ if [ "$SAGE_EDITABLE" = yes ]; then
     # and renamed the distribution to "sagemath-standard").  There is no clean way to uninstall
     # them, so we just use rm.
     (cd "$SITEPACKAGESDIR" && rm -rf sage sage-[1-9]*.egg-info sage-[1-9]*.dist-info)
+    # Until https://github.com/sagemath/sage/issues/34209 switches us to PEP 660 editable wheels
+    export SETUPTOOLS_ENABLE_FEATURES=legacy-editable
     time sdh_pip_editable_install .
 
     if [ "$SAGE_WHEELS" = yes ]; then