diff --git a/java/bootclasspath_fragment.go b/java/bootclasspath_fragment.go
index 769e901a7..73dcd1951 100644
--- a/java/bootclasspath_fragment.go
+++ b/java/bootclasspath_fragment.go
@@ -576,9 +576,25 @@ func (b *BootclasspathFragmentModule) generateHiddenAPIBuildActions(ctx android.
 	// Create hidden API input structure.
 	input := b.createHiddenAPIFlagInput(ctx, contents, fragments)
 
-	// Delegate the production of the hidden API all-flags.csv file to a module type specific method.
-	common := ctx.Module().(commonBootclasspathFragment)
-	output := common.produceHiddenAPIOutput(ctx, contents, input)
+	var output *HiddenAPIOutput
+
+	// Hidden API processing is conditional as a temporary workaround as not all
+	// bootclasspath_fragments provide the appropriate information needed for hidden API processing
+	// which leads to breakages of the build.
+	// TODO(b/179354495): Stop hidden API processing being conditional once all bootclasspath_fragment
+	//  modules have been updated to support it.
+	if input.canPerformHiddenAPIProcessing(ctx, b.properties) {
+		// Delegate the production of the hidden API all-flags.csv file to a module type specific method.
+		common := ctx.Module().(commonBootclasspathFragment)
+		output = common.produceHiddenAPIOutput(ctx, contents, input)
+	} else {
+		// As hidden API processing cannot be performed fall back to trying to retrieve the legacy
+		// encoded boot dex files, i.e. those files encoded by the individual libraries and returned
+		// from the DexJarBuildPath() method.
+		output = &HiddenAPIOutput{
+			EncodedBootDexFilesByModule: retrieveLegacyEncodedBootDexFiles(ctx, contents),
+		}
+	}
 
 	// Initialize a HiddenAPIInfo structure.
 	hiddenAPIInfo := HiddenAPIInfo{
diff --git a/java/hiddenapi_modular.go b/java/hiddenapi_modular.go
index e15d9952d..0895951ab 100644
--- a/java/hiddenapi_modular.go
+++ b/java/hiddenapi_modular.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 
 	"android/soong/android"
 	"github.com/google/blueprint"
+	"github.com/google/blueprint/proptools"
 )
 
 // Contains support for processing hiddenAPI in a modular fashion.
@@ -696,6 +697,42 @@ func newHiddenAPIFlagInput() HiddenAPIFlagInput {
 	return input
 }
 
+// canPerformHiddenAPIProcessing determines whether hidden API processing should be performed.
+//
+// A temporary workaround to avoid existing bootclasspath_fragments that do not provide the
+// appropriate information needed for hidden API processing breaking the build.
+// TODO(b/179354495): Remove this workaround.
+func (i *HiddenAPIFlagInput) canPerformHiddenAPIProcessing(ctx android.ModuleContext, properties bootclasspathFragmentProperties) bool {
+	// Performing hidden API processing without stubs is not supported and it is unlikely to ever be
+	// required as the whole point of adding something to the bootclasspath fragment is to add it to
+	// the bootclasspath in order to be used by something else in the system. Without any stubs it
+	// cannot do that.
+	if len(i.StubDexJarsByScope) == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// Hidden API processing is always enabled in tests.
+	if ctx.Config().TestProductVariables != nil {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// A module that has fragments should have access to the information it needs in order to perform
+	// hidden API processing.
+	if len(properties.Fragments) != 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// The art bootclasspath fragment does not depend on any other fragments but already supports
+	// hidden API processing.
+	imageName := proptools.String(properties.Image_name)
+	if imageName == "art" {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// Disable it for everything else.
+	return false
+}
+
 // gatherStubLibInfo gathers information from the stub libs needed by hidden API processing from the
 // dependencies added in hiddenAPIAddStubLibDependencies.
 //
diff --git a/sdk/bootclasspath_fragment_sdk_test.go b/sdk/bootclasspath_fragment_sdk_test.go
index 9b7b86866..5e4b3fe0b 100644
--- a/sdk/bootclasspath_fragment_sdk_test.go
+++ b/sdk/bootclasspath_fragment_sdk_test.go
@@ -133,13 +133,6 @@ prebuilt_bootclasspath_fragment {
     apex_available: ["com.android.art"],
     image_name: "art",
     contents: ["mybootlib"],
-    hidden_api: {
-        stub_flags: "hiddenapi/stub-flags.csv",
-        annotation_flags: "hiddenapi/annotation-flags.csv",
-        metadata: "hiddenapi/metadata.csv",
-        index: "hiddenapi/index.csv",
-        all_flags: "hiddenapi/all-flags.csv",
-    },
 }
 
 java_import {
@@ -160,13 +153,6 @@ prebuilt_bootclasspath_fragment {
     apex_available: ["com.android.art"],
     image_name: "art",
     contents: ["mysdk_mybootlib@current"],
-    hidden_api: {
-        stub_flags: "hiddenapi/stub-flags.csv",
-        annotation_flags: "hiddenapi/annotation-flags.csv",
-        metadata: "hiddenapi/metadata.csv",
-        index: "hiddenapi/index.csv",
-        all_flags: "hiddenapi/all-flags.csv",
-    },
 }
 
 java_import {
@@ -185,13 +171,8 @@ sdk_snapshot {
 }
 `),
 		checkAllCopyRules(`
-.intermediates/mybootclasspathfragment/android_common/modular-hiddenapi/stub-flags.csv -> hiddenapi/stub-flags.csv
-.intermediates/mybootclasspathfragment/android_common/modular-hiddenapi/annotation-flags.csv -> hiddenapi/annotation-flags.csv
-.intermediates/mybootclasspathfragment/android_common/modular-hiddenapi/metadata.csv -> hiddenapi/metadata.csv
-.intermediates/mybootclasspathfragment/android_common/modular-hiddenapi/index.csv -> hiddenapi/index.csv
-.intermediates/mybootclasspathfragment/android_common/modular-hiddenapi/all-flags.csv -> hiddenapi/all-flags.csv
 .intermediates/mybootlib/android_common/javac/mybootlib.jar -> java/mybootlib.jar
-		`),
+`),
 		snapshotTestPreparer(checkSnapshotWithoutSource, preparerForSnapshot),
 
 		// Check the behavior of the snapshot without the source.