diff --git a/vlib/v/util/util.v b/vlib/v/util/util.v
index 94eafa94f2..13aa0602f3 100644
--- a/vlib/v/util/util.v
+++ b/vlib/v/util/util.v
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ const (
 const builtin_module_names = ['builtin', 'strconv', 'strings', 'dlmalloc']
 
 pub fn module_is_builtin(mod string) bool {
-	return mod in util.builtin_module_parts
+	// NOTE: using util.builtin_module_parts here breaks -usecache on macos
+	return mod in util.builtin_module_names
 }
 
 pub fn tabs(n int) string {