diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 09803fd458a299fb51c0277dc6631fa655d24951..8445adff5cc49c87da01b6781e18bdbf25046d25 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cmake_minimum_required( VERSION 3.30 FATAL_ERROR )
 
-message("Entering libcdi")
+message(VERBOSE "Entering libcdi")
 project(libcdi VERSION 2.5.1 LANGUAGES C )
 set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 11)
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ add_compile_definitions(HAVE_LIBIEG=1)
 find_package(eccodes)
 if (${eccodes_FOUND})
   add_compile_definitions(HAVE_LIBGRIB_API=${eccodes_FOUND})
-  message(STATUS "added compile definition HAVE_LIBGRIB_API=${eccodes_FOUND}")
+  message(VERBOSE "added compile definition HAVE_LIBGRIB_API=${eccodes_FOUND}")
 else()
   message(WARNING "netcdf not found, compiling without netcdf")
 endif ()
@@ -27,15 +27,15 @@ endif ()
 find_package(netCDF COMPONENTS C REQUIRED)
 check_include_file("netcdf.h" ${netcdf_flag} C)
 if (${netCDF_FOUND})
-    message("added compile definition HAVE_LIBNETCDF=${netCDF_FOUND}")
-    message("added compile definition HAVE_NETCDF4=${netCDF_FOUND}")
-    add_compile_definitions(HAVE_LIBNETCDF=${netCDF_FOUND})
-    add_compile_definitions(HAVE_NETCDF4=${netCDF_FOUND})
+  message(VERBOSE "added compile definition HAVE_LIBNETCDF=${netCDF_FOUND}")
+  message(VERBOSE "added compile definition HAVE_NETCDF4=${netCDF_FOUND}")
+  add_compile_definitions(HAVE_LIBNETCDF=${netCDF_FOUND})
+  add_compile_definitions(HAVE_NETCDF4=${netCDF_FOUND})
 else()
   message(WARNING "netcdf not found, compiling without netcdf")
 endif ()
 
-message("looking for config.h in: ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src")
+message(VERBOSE "looking for config.h in: ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src")
 include_directories( "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/config.h")