diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 3985a5fca3..ca7501de0c 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -89,18 +89,18 @@ if (${TINT_BUILD_SPIRV_TOOLS_FUZZER})
   message(STATUS "TINT_BUILD_SPIRV_TOOLS_FUZZER is ON - setting
       TINT_BUILD_FUZZERS
       TINT_BUILD_SPV_READER
+      TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER
       TINT_BUILD_WGSL_READER
       TINT_BUILD_WGSL_WRITER
       TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER
-      TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER
-      TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER to ON")
-  set(TINT_BUILD_FUZZERS ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_READER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_READER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER ON)
+      TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER to ON")
+  set(TINT_BUILD_FUZZERS ON CACHE BOOL "Build tint fuzzers" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_READER ON CACHE BOOL "Build SPIR-V reader" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build SPIR-V writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_READER ON CACHE BOOL "Build WGSL reader" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build WGSL writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build HLSL writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build MSL writer" FORCE)
 endif()
 
 if (${TINT_BUILD_AST_FUZZER})
@@ -111,12 +111,12 @@ if (${TINT_BUILD_AST_FUZZER})
       TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER
       TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER
       TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER to ON")
-  set(TINT_BUILD_FUZZERS ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_READER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER ON)
-  set(TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER ON)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_FUZZERS ON CACHE BOOL "Build tint fuzzers" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_READER ON CACHE BOOL "Build WGSL reader" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_WGSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build WGSL writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build SPIR-V writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_MSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build MSL writer" FORCE)
+  set(TINT_BUILD_HLSL_WRITER ON CACHE BOOL "Build HLSL writer" FORCE)
 endif()
 
 set(TINT_ROOT_SOURCE_DIR ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR})
diff --git a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
index fcf025d9c2..b7e94aac68 100644
--- a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,28 +13,28 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 if (${TINT_BUILD_TESTS} AND NOT TARGET gmock)
-  set(gtest_force_shared_crt ON CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+  set(gtest_force_shared_crt ON CACHE BOOL "Controls whether a shared run-time library should be used even when Google Test is built as static library" FORCE)
   add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/googletest EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
 endif()
 
 if ((${TINT_BUILD_SPIRV_TOOLS_FUZZER} OR ${TINT_BUILD_AST_FUZZER}) AND
     (NOT TARGET protobuf::libprotobuf OR NOT TARGET protobuf::protoc))
-  if (${TINT_BUILD_SPIRV_TOOLS_FUZZER})
-    set(SPIRV_BUILD_FUZZER ON CACHE BOOL "Build spirv-fuzz")
-  endif()
-  set(protobuf_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE BOOL "Disable protobuf tests")
-  set(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME OFF CACHE BOOL "Do not build protobuf static runtime")
+  set(protobuf_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE BOOL "Controls whether protobuf tests are built" FORCE)
+  set(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME OFF CACHE BOOL "Controls whether a protobuf static runtime is built" FORCE)
   add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/protobuf/cmake)
 endif()
 
 if(${TINT_BUILD_SPV_READER} OR ${TINT_BUILD_SPV_WRITER})
   if (NOT IS_DIRECTORY "${SPIRV-Headers_SOURCE_DIR}")
-    set(SPIRV-Headers_SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/spirv-headers CACHE STRING "")
+    set(SPIRV-Headers_SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/spirv-headers CACHE STRING "Source directory for SPIR-V headers")
   endif()
 
   if (NOT TARGET SPIRV-Tools)
-    set(SPIRV_SKIP_TESTS ON CACHE BOOL ON)
-    set(SPIRV_WERROR OFF CACHE BOOL OFF)
+    set(SPIRV_SKIP_TESTS ON CACHE BOOL "Controls whether SPIR-V tests are run" FORCE)
+    set(SPIRV_WERROR OFF CACHE BOOL OFF FORCE)
+    if (${TINT_BUILD_SPIRV_TOOLS_FUZZER})
+      set(SPIRV_BUILD_FUZZER ON CACHE BOOL "Controls whether spirv-fuzz is built" FORCE)
+    endif()
     add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/spirv-tools EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
   endif()
 endif()