diff --git a/core/android_soong_config_vars.mk b/core/android_soong_config_vars.mk
index ed99eec2a3..975194c5b9 100644
--- a/core/android_soong_config_vars.mk
+++ b/core/android_soong_config_vars.mk
@@ -102,9 +102,22 @@ endif
 # TODO(b/203088572): Remove when Java optimizations enabled by default for
 # SystemUI.
 $(call add_soong_config_var,ANDROID,SYSTEMUI_OPTIMIZE_JAVA)
-# Enable by default unless explicitly set or overridden.
-# See frameworks/base/services/Android.bp for additional notes on side effects.
-SYSTEM_OPTIMIZE_JAVA ?= true
+
+# Enable system_server optimizations by default unless explicitly set or if
+# there may be dependent runtime jars.
+# TODO(b/240588226): Remove the off-by-default exceptions after handling
+# system_server jars automatically w/ R8.
+ifeq (true,$(PRODUCT_BROKEN_SUBOPTIMAL_ORDER_OF_SYSTEM_SERVER_JARS))
+  # If system_server jar ordering is broken, don't assume services.jar can be
+  # safely optimized in isolation, as there may be dependent jars.
+  SYSTEM_OPTIMIZE_JAVA ?= false
+else ifneq (platform:services,$(lastword $(PRODUCT_SYSTEM_SERVER_JARS)))
+  # If services is not the final jar in the dependency ordering, don't assume
+  # it can be safely optimized in isolation, as there may be dependent jars.
+  SYSTEM_OPTIMIZE_JAVA ?= false
+else
+  SYSTEM_OPTIMIZE_JAVA ?= true
+endif
 $(call add_soong_config_var,ANDROID,SYSTEM_OPTIMIZE_JAVA)
 
 # Check for SupplementalApi module.