diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index cc2b16af..9d84f9e6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ venv/
 **/knowhere/swigknowhere.py
 wheelhouse/*
 
+**/thirdparty/cardinal
+
 *.bin
 
 CMakeUserPresets.json
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
deleted file mode 100644
index c5b2e0fa..00000000
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-[submodule "thirdparty/cardinal"]
-	path = thirdparty/cardinal
-	url = https://github.com/zilliztech/cardinal.git
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d03b86d5..90bcda21 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -113,9 +113,10 @@ knowhere_file_glob(GLOB_RECURSE KNOWHERE_SRCS src/common/*.cc src/index/*.cc
 
 set(KNOWHERE_LINKER_LIBS "")
 
+
 if(WITH_CARDINAL)
   add_definitions(-DKNOWHERE_WITH_CARDINAL)
-  include(thirdparty/cardinal/know/libcardinal.cmake)
+  include(cmake/libs/libcardinal.cmake)
 endif()
 
 if(WITH_DISKANN)
diff --git a/cmake/libs/libcardinal.cmake b/cmake/libs/libcardinal.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5201785
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/libs/libcardinal.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+set(CARDINAL_VERSION master)
+set(CARDINAL_REPO_URL "https://github.com/zilliztech/cardinal.git")
+
+set(CARDINAL_REPO_DIR "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/thirdparty/cardinal")
+
+message(STATUS "Build Cardinal-${CARDINAL_VERSION}")
+
+if (NOT EXISTS "${CARDINAL_REPO_DIR}/.git")
+    execute_process(COMMAND git clone ${CARDINAL_REPO_URL} ${CARDINAL_REPO_DIR}
+            RESULT_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CLONE_RESULT
+            OUTPUT_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CLONE_OUTPUT
+            ERROR_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CLONE_ERROR
+            OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+            ERROR_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
+    if (NOT CARDINAL_CLONE_RESULT EQUAL "0")
+        message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to clone cardinal: ${CARDINAL_CLONE_ERROR}")
+    else()
+        execute_process(COMMAND git -C ${CARDINAL_REPO_DIR} checkout ${CARDINAL_VERSION}
+            RESULT_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CHECKOUT_RESULT
+            OUTPUT_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CHECKOUT_OUTPUT
+            ERROR_VARIABLE CARDINAL_CHECKOUT_ERROR
+            OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+            ERROR_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
+        if (NOT CARDINAL_CHECKOUT_RESULT EQUAL "0")
+            message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to checkout cardinal: ${CARDINAL_CHECKOUT_ERROR}")
+        endif()
+    endif()
+endif()
+
+include(${CARDINAL_REPO_DIR}/know/libcardinal.cmake)
diff --git a/thirdparty/cardinal b/thirdparty/cardinal
deleted file mode 160000
index a60b0007..00000000
--- a/thirdparty/cardinal
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit a60b000718973476c59e977e9650b8525b8df684