diff --git a/src/app/CMakeLists.txt b/src/app/CMakeLists.txt
index 5cc4272ab..0d2080978 100644
--- a/src/app/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/app/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ add_library(commissioner-app
 target_link_libraries(commissioner-app
     PUBLIC
         commissioner
-        commissioner-common
+        commissioner-common-headers
     PRIVATE
-        fmt::fmt
+        fmt::fmt-header-only
         mdns
         nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json
 )
diff --git a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
index f6222b4f5..134d679eb 100644
--- a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,19 @@
 #  POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 #
 
-add_library(commissioner-common
+add_library(commissioner-common-headers INTERFACE)
+
+target_link_libraries(commissioner-common-headers
+    INTERFACE fmt::fmt-header-only
+)
+
+target_include_directories(commissioner-common-headers
+    INTERFACE
+        ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include
+        ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src
+)
+
+add_library(commissioner-common-objects OBJECT
     address.cpp
     address.hpp
     error.cpp
@@ -37,23 +49,10 @@ add_library(commissioner-common
     utils.hpp
 )
 
-target_link_libraries(commissioner-common
-    PUBLIC fmt::fmt
+target_link_libraries(commissioner-common-objects
+    PUBLIC commissioner-common-headers
 )
 
-target_include_directories(commissioner-common
-    PRIVATE
-        ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include
-        ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src
-)
-
-if (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
-    install(TARGETS commissioner-common
-            LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
-            ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib
-    )
-endif()
-
 if (OT_COMM_TEST)
     add_library(commissioner-common-test OBJECT
         address.hpp
diff --git a/src/java/CMakeLists.txt b/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
index 57c9edf39..96341087a 100644
--- a/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/java/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ swig_add_library(commissioner-java
 
 swig_link_libraries(commissioner-java
     commissioner
-    commissioner-common
 )
 
 ## GCC is too strict on this in optimization mode, see http://www.swig.org/Doc3.0/Java.html#Java_compiling_dynamic
diff --git a/src/library/CMakeLists.txt b/src/library/CMakeLists.txt
index 9087a154c..6fbf44f08 100644
--- a/src/library/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/library/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -80,11 +80,11 @@ target_link_libraries(commissioner
         mbedtls
         mbedx509
         mbedcrypto
-        fmt::fmt
+        fmt::fmt-header-only
         event_core
         event_pthreads
         $<$<NOT:$<BOOL:${OT_COMM_ANDROID}>>:pthread>
-        commissioner-common
+        $<TARGET_OBJECTS:commissioner-common-objects>
 )
 
 target_compile_definitions(commissioner
@@ -121,7 +121,6 @@ if (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
             $<TARGET_FILE:mbedtls>
             $<TARGET_FILE:mbedx509>
             $<TARGET_FILE:mbedcrypto>
-            $<TARGET_FILE:fmt::fmt>
             $<TARGET_FILE:event_core_shared>
             $<TARGET_FILE:event_pthreads_shared>
             DESTINATION lib
@@ -165,12 +164,11 @@ if (OT_COMM_TEST)
             mbedtls
             mbedx509
             mbedcrypto
-            fmt::fmt
+            fmt::fmt-header-only
             event_core
             event_pthreads
             commissioner
             $<$<BOOL:${OT_COMM_APP}>:commissioner-app>
-            commissioner-common
     )
 
     target_compile_definitions(commissioner-test