diff --git a/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r1.ebuild b/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r2.ebuild
similarity index 93%
rename from app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r1.ebuild
rename to app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r2.ebuild
index c2c0b9fd42ba5..f72fc1b1fd493 100644
--- a/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r1.ebuild
+++ b/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.6.1-r2.ebuild
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 
 EAPI=8
 
-CRATES=" "
 RUST_MIN_VER="1.86"
 
 inherit cargo greadme shell-completion systemd
@@ -19,14 +18,14 @@ LICENSE="MIT"
 LICENSE+=" Apache-2.0 BSD Boost-1.0 ISC MIT MPL-2.0 Unicode-DFS-2016 openssl"
 SLOT="0"
 KEYWORDS="amd64 ~arm64 ~riscv"
-IUSE="+client +daemon server test +sync"
+IUSE="+client +daemon server system-sqlite test +sync"
 RESTRICT="!test? ( test )"
 REQUIRED_USE="
 	|| ( client server )
 	sync? ( client )
 	test? ( client server sync )
 "
-DEPEND="dev-db/sqlite:3"
+DEPEND="system-sqlite? ( dev-db/sqlite:3 )"
 RDEPEND="${DEPEND}
 	server? ( acct-user/atuin )
 "
@@ -39,7 +38,9 @@ GREADME_DISABLE_AUTOFORMAT=1
 DOCS=( CONTRIBUTING.md CONTRIBUTORS README.md )
 
 src_configure() {
-	export LIBSQLITE3_SYS_USE_PKG_CONFIG=1
+	# Using system-sqlite has a negative performance impact
+	# see https://bugs.gentoo.org/959120
+	use system-sqlite && export LIBSQLITE3_SYS_USE_PKG_CONFIG=1
 	local myfeatures=(
 		$(usev client)
 		$(usev daemon)
diff --git a/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r1.ebuild b/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r2.ebuild
similarity index 93%
rename from app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r1.ebuild
rename to app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r2.ebuild
index ea768df967545..6a870c271e001 100644
--- a/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r1.ebuild
+++ b/app-shells/atuin/atuin-18.7.1-r2.ebuild
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 EAPI=8
 
-CRATES=" "
-
 RUST_MIN_VER="1.86"
 
 inherit cargo greadme shell-completion systemd
@@ -20,14 +18,14 @@ LICENSE="MIT"
 LICENSE+=" Apache-2.0 BSD Boost-1.0 ISC MIT MPL-2.0 Unicode-DFS-2016 openssl"
 SLOT="0"
 KEYWORDS="~amd64 ~arm64 ~riscv"
-IUSE="+client +daemon server test +sync"
+IUSE="+client +daemon server system-sqlite test +sync"
 RESTRICT="!test? ( test )"
 REQUIRED_USE="
 	|| ( client server )
 	sync? ( client )
 	test? ( client server sync )
 "
-DEPEND="dev-db/sqlite:3"
+DEPEND="system-sqlite? ( dev-db/sqlite:3 )"
 RDEPEND="${DEPEND}
 	server? ( acct-user/atuin )
 "
@@ -40,7 +38,9 @@ GREADME_DISABLE_AUTOFORMAT=1
 DOCS=( CONTRIBUTING.md CONTRIBUTORS README.md )
 
 src_configure() {
-	export LIBSQLITE3_SYS_USE_PKG_CONFIG=1
+	# Using system-sqlite has a negative performance impact
+	# see https://bugs.gentoo.org/959120
+	use system-sqlite && export LIBSQLITE3_SYS_USE_PKG_CONFIG=1
 	local myfeatures=(
 		$(usev client)
 		$(usev daemon)
diff --git a/app-shells/atuin/metadata.xml b/app-shells/atuin/metadata.xml
index 5271e50033b03..3c953dac4127c 100644
--- a/app-shells/atuin/metadata.xml
+++ b/app-shells/atuin/metadata.xml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 		<flag name="daemon">Enable the autin background daemon on the client</flag>
 		<flag name="server">Enable the autin server</flag>
 		<flag name="sync">Enable the server-sync feature in the autin client</flag>
+		<flag name="system-sqlite">Use the system SQLite instead of the bundled one. WARNING: enabling this has a negative performance impact (https://bugs.gentoo.org/959120)</flag>
 	</use>
 	<upstream>
 		<remote-id type="github">atuinsh/atuin</remote-id>