@@ -18,15 +18,9 @@
 
 
 def _unlink_scm_metadata(distinfo_path: Path) -> None:
-    """Remove SCM metadata files from a ``.dist-info`` directory if present.
-
-    Mirrors setuptools ``egg2dist``'s ``adios`` for plain files: ``unlink``
-    when the path exists (including symlinks), never ``rmtree``.
-    """
+    """Remove SCM metadata files from a ``.dist-info`` directory if present."""
     for name in _SCM_DIST_INFO_FILES:
-        path = distinfo_path / name
-        if path.exists() or path.is_symlink():
-            path.unlink()
+        (distinfo_path / name).unlink(missing_ok=True)
 
 
 class ScmBdistWheelMixin(_bdist_wheel):
 
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@
 from vcs_versioning.overrides import GlobalOverrides
 from vcs_versioning.overrides import ensure_context
 
-from .bdist_wheel import ScmBdistWheelMixin
-from .bdist_wheel import bdist_wheel as scm_bdist_wheel
 from .build_py import ScmVersionFileMixin
 from .build_py import build_py as scm_build_py
 from .egg_info import ScmEggInfoMixin
@@ -101,7 +99,20 @@ def _register_bdist_wheel_command(dist: setuptools.Distribution) -> None:
 
     Sdists keep ``scm_version.json`` / ``scm_file_list.json`` for fallback
     discovery; wheels already have ``METADATA`` and ``RECORD``.
+
+    Import is lazy so sdist-only environments without the ``wheel`` package
+    still load ``infer_version`` / ``version_keyword``.
     """
+    try:
+        from .bdist_wheel import ScmBdistWheelMixin
+        from .bdist_wheel import bdist_wheel as scm_bdist_wheel
+    except ImportError:
+        log.debug(
+            "bdist_wheel unavailable; skipping SCM wheel metadata strip",
+            exc_info=True,
+        )
+        return
+
     if not dist.cmdclass:
         dist.cmdclass = {}