diff --git a/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass b/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
index 2676f18e0a..5b27a1f0f9 100644
--- a/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-global/sstate.bbclass
@@ -937,6 +937,7 @@ def sstate_checkhashes(sq_data, d, siginfo=False, currentcount=0, summary=True,
         sstatefile = d.expand("${SSTATE_DIR}/" + getsstatefile(tid, siginfo, d))
 
         if os.path.exists(sstatefile):
+            oe.utils.touch(sstatefile)
             found.add(tid)
             bb.debug(2, "SState: Found valid sstate file %s" % sstatefile)
         else:
@@ -1183,16 +1184,7 @@ python sstate_eventhandler() {
         if not os.path.exists(siginfo):
             bb.siggen.dump_this_task(siginfo, d)
         else:
-            try:
-                os.utime(siginfo, None)
-            except PermissionError:
-                pass
-            except OSError as e:
-                # Handle read-only file systems gracefully
-                import errno
-                if e.errno != errno.EROFS:
-                    raise e
-
+            oe.utils.touch(siginfo)
 }
 
 SSTATE_PRUNE_OBSOLETEWORKDIR ?= "1"
diff --git a/meta/lib/oe/utils.py b/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
index a3b1bb1087..14a7d07ef0 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import subprocess
 import multiprocessing
 import traceback
+import errno
 
 def read_file(filename):
     try:
@@ -528,3 +529,14 @@ def directory_size(root, blocksize=4096):
         total += sum(roundup(getsize(os.path.join(root, name))) for name in files)
         total += roundup(getsize(root))
     return total
+
+# Update the mtime of a file, skip if permission/read-only issues
+def touch(filename):
+    try:
+        os.utime(filename, None)
+    except PermissionError:
+        pass
+    except OSError as e:
+        # Handle read-only file systems gracefully
+        if e.errno != errno.EROFS:
+            raise e