diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 7a418560..46e2c18a 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Package: cpp11
 Title: A C++11 Interface for R's C Interface
-Version: 0.5.1.9000
+Version: 0.5.1.9001
 Authors@R:
     c(
       person("Davis", "Vaughan", email = "davis@posit.co", role = c("aut", "cre"), comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0003-4777-038X")),
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 876655dc..d9bcf668 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ export(cpp_eval)
 export(cpp_function)
 export(cpp_register)
 export(cpp_source)
+export(cpp_unvendor)
 export(cpp_vendor)
diff --git a/R/unvendor.R b/R/unvendor.R
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..186bf696
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/unvendor.R
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#' Unvendor the cpp11 dependency
+#'
+#' This function removes the vendored cpp11 headers from your package and
+#' restores the `LinkingTo: cpp11` field in the DESCRIPTION file if it was removed.
+#'
+#' @inheritParams cpp_register
+#' @return The file path to the unvendored code (invisibly).
+#' @export
+#' @examples
+#' # create a new directory
+#' dir <- tempfile()
+#' dir.create(dir)
+#'
+#' # vendor the cpp11 headers into the directory
+#' cpp_vendor(dir)
+#'
+#' # unvendor the cpp11 headers from the directory
+#' cpp_unvendor(dir)
+#'
+#' list.files(file.path(dir, "inst", "include", "cpp11"))
+#'
+#' # cleanup
+#' unlink(dir, recursive = TRUE)
+cpp_unvendor <- function(path = ".") {
+  new <- file.path(path, "inst", "include", "cpp11")
+
+  if (!dir.exists(new)) {
+    stop("'", new, "' does not exist", call. = FALSE)
+  }
+
+  unlink(new, recursive = TRUE)
+
+  cpp11_hpp <- file.path(dirname(new), "cpp11.hpp")
+  if (file.exists(cpp11_hpp)) {
+    unlink(cpp11_hpp)
+  }
+
+  invisible(new)
+}
diff --git a/R/vendor.R b/R/vendor.R
index 5fe10fe2..494e8726 100644
--- a/R/vendor.R
+++ b/R/vendor.R
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ cpp_vendor <- function(path = ".") {
   new <- file.path(path, "inst", "include", "cpp11")
 
   if (dir.exists(new)) {
-    stop("'", new, "' already exists\n * run unlink('", new, "', recursive = TRUE)", call. = FALSE)
+    message("'", new, "' already exists, removing it")
+    cpp_unvendor(path)
   }
 
   dir.create(new , recursive = TRUE, showWarnings = FALSE)
diff --git a/_pkgdown.yml b/_pkgdown.yml
index 06dec1ab..f38f387b 100644
--- a/_pkgdown.yml
+++ b/_pkgdown.yml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ reference:
   - title: Vendoring cpp11
     contents:
       - cpp_vendor
+      - cpp_unvendor
 
 navbar:
   type: default
diff --git a/man/cpp_unvendor.Rd b/man/cpp_unvendor.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc104402
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/cpp_unvendor.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/unvendor.R
+\name{cpp_unvendor}
+\alias{cpp_unvendor}
+\title{Unvendor the cpp11 dependency}
+\usage{
+cpp_unvendor(path = ".")
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{path}{The path to the package root directory}
+}
+\value{
+The file path to the unvendored code (invisibly).
+}
+\description{
+This function removes the vendored cpp11 headers from your package and
+restores the \code{LinkingTo: cpp11} field in the DESCRIPTION file if it was removed.
+}
+\examples{
+# create a new directory
+dir <- tempfile()
+dir.create(dir)
+
+# vendor the cpp11 headers into the directory
+cpp_vendor(dir)
+
+# unvendor the cpp11 headers from the directory
+cpp_unvendor(dir)
+
+list.files(file.path(dir, "inst", "include", "cpp11"))
+
+# cleanup
+unlink(dir, recursive = TRUE)
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-vendor.R b/tests/testthat/test-vendor.R
index 361c9ad9..c8ea2b05 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-vendor.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-vendor.R
@@ -8,16 +8,6 @@ describe("cpp_vendor", {
     )
   })
 
-  it("errors if cpp11 is already vendored", {
-    pkg <- local_package()
-    cpp_vendor(pkg_path(pkg))
-
-    expect_error(
-      cpp_vendor(pkg_path(pkg)),
-      "already exists"
-    )
-  })
-
   it("vendors cpp11", {
     pkg <- local_package()
     p <- pkg_path(pkg)
@@ -27,5 +17,7 @@ describe("cpp_vendor", {
     expect_true(dir.exists(file.path(p, "inst", "include", "cpp11")))
     expect_true(file.exists(file.path(p, "inst", "include", "cpp11.hpp")))
     expect_true(file.exists(file.path(p, "inst", "include", "cpp11", "declarations.hpp")))
+
+    expect_silent(cpp_unvendor(pkg_path(pkg)))
   })
 })