diff --git a/drivers/vulkan/vulkan_context.cpp b/drivers/vulkan/vulkan_context.cpp
index 98adc0f16ec0..3441afdb82f7 100644
--- a/drivers/vulkan/vulkan_context.cpp
+++ b/drivers/vulkan/vulkan_context.cpp
@@ -85,19 +85,6 @@ VKAPI_ATTR VkBool32 VKAPI_CALL VulkanContext::_debug_messenger_callback(
 		return VK_FALSE;
 	}
 
-	// Workaround for Vulkan-Loader usability bug: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Loader/issues/262.
-	if (strstr(pCallbackData->pMessage, "wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32") != nullptr) {
-		return VK_FALSE;
-	}
-
-#ifdef WINDOWS_ENABLED
-	// Some software installs Vulkan overlays in Windows registry and never cleans them up on uninstall.
-	// So we get spammy error level messages from the loader about those - make them verbose instead.
-	if (strstr(pCallbackData->pMessage, "loader_get_json: Failed to open JSON file") != nullptr) {
-		messageSeverity = VK_DEBUG_UTILS_MESSAGE_SEVERITY_VERBOSE_BIT_EXT;
-	}
-#endif
-
 	if (pCallbackData->pMessageIdName && strstr(pCallbackData->pMessageIdName, "UNASSIGNED-CoreValidation-DrawState-ClearCmdBeforeDraw") != nullptr) {
 		return VK_FALSE;
 	}
@@ -320,6 +307,16 @@ Error VulkanContext::_initialize_extensions() {
 	VkBool32 platformSurfaceExtFound = 0;
 	memset(extension_names, 0, sizeof(extension_names));
 
+	// Only enable debug utils in verbose mode or DEV_ENABLED.
+	// End users would get spammed with messages of varying verbosity due to the
+	// mess that thirdparty layers/extensions and drivers seem to leave in their
+	// wake, making the Windows registry a bottomless pit of broken layer JSON.
+#ifdef DEV_ENABLED
+	bool want_debug_utils = true;
+#else
+	bool want_debug_utils = OS::get_singleton()->is_stdout_verbose();
+#endif
+
 	VkResult err = vkEnumerateInstanceExtensionProperties(nullptr, &instance_extension_count, nullptr);
 	ERR_FAIL_COND_V(err != VK_SUCCESS && err != VK_INCOMPLETE, ERR_CANT_CREATE);
 
@@ -347,8 +344,10 @@ Error VulkanContext::_initialize_extensions() {
 				}
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(VK_EXT_DEBUG_UTILS_EXTENSION_NAME, instance_extensions[i].extensionName)) {
-				extension_names[enabled_extension_count++] = VK_EXT_DEBUG_UTILS_EXTENSION_NAME;
-				enabled_debug_utils = true;
+				if (want_debug_utils) {
+					extension_names[enabled_extension_count++] = VK_EXT_DEBUG_UTILS_EXTENSION_NAME;
+					enabled_debug_utils = true;
+				}
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(VK_KHR_GET_PHYSICAL_DEVICE_PROPERTIES_2_EXTENSION_NAME, instance_extensions[i].extensionName)) {
 				extension_names[enabled_extension_count++] = VK_KHR_GET_PHYSICAL_DEVICE_PROPERTIES_2_EXTENSION_NAME;