diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/api/manifest/VersionsManifestsAPI.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/api/manifest/VersionsManifestsAPI.java
index e4fbc063..040ed9fb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/api/manifest/VersionsManifestsAPI.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/api/manifest/VersionsManifestsAPI.java
@@ -30,17 +30,21 @@ import org.jetbrains.annotations.ApiStatus;
 public interface VersionsManifestsAPI {
 	/**
 	 * Adds a URL to a versions manifest json with the default priority of {@code 0}.
+	 * @param name a string that uniquely identifies this versions manifest,
+	 *        to be used in cache file paths
 	 * @param url the String-representation of the URL to the manifest json
 	 */
-	default void add(String url) {
-		add(url, 0);
+	default void add(String name, String url) {
+		add(name, url, 0);
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Adds a URL to a versions manifest json with the given priority.
+	 * @param name a string that uniquely identifies this versions manifest,
+	 *             to be used in cache file paths
 	 * @param url the String-representation of the URL to the manifest json
 	 * @param priority the priority with which this URL gets sorted against other entries
 	 *        entries are sorted by priority, from lowest to highest
 	 */
-	void add(String url, int priority);
+	void add(String name, String url, int priority);
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/ManifestLocations.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/ManifestLocations.java
index f127e7d3..1119fc5f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/ManifestLocations.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/ManifestLocations.java
@@ -25,29 +25,26 @@
 package net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft;
 
 import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.PriorityQueue;
 import java.util.Queue;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 import net.fabricmc.loom.api.manifest.VersionsManifestsAPI;
 import net.fabricmc.loom.configuration.providers.minecraft.ManifestLocations.ManifestLocation;
 
 public class ManifestLocations implements VersionsManifestsAPI, Iterable<ManifestLocation> {
-	private static final String FILE_EXTENSION = ".json";
 	private final Queue<ManifestLocation> locations = new PriorityQueue<>();
-	private final String baseFileName;
-
-	public ManifestLocations(String baseFileName) {
-		this.baseFileName = baseFileName;
-	}
-
-	public void addBuiltIn(int priority, String url, String fileName) {
-		locations.add(new ManifestLocation(priority, url, fileName));
-	}
+	private final Set<String> manifestNames = new HashSet<>();
 
 	@Override
-	public void add(String url, int priority) {
-		locations.add(new ManifestLocation(priority, url));
+	public void add(String name, String url, int priority) {
+		if (manifestNames.add(name)) {
+			locations.add(new ManifestLocation(name, url, priority));
+		} else {
+			throw new IllegalStateException("cannot add multiple versions manifests with the same name!");
+		}
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -56,22 +53,18 @@ public class ManifestLocations implements VersionsManifestsAPI, Iterable<Manifes
 	}
 
 	public class ManifestLocation implements Comparable<ManifestLocation> {
-		private final int priority;
+		private final String name;
 		private final String url;
-		private final String builtInFileName;
+		private final int priority;
 
-		private ManifestLocation(int priority, String url) {
-			this(priority, url, null);
-		}
-
-		private ManifestLocation(int priority, String url, String builtInFileName) {
-			this.priority = priority;
+		private ManifestLocation(String name, String url, int priority) {
+			this.name = name;
 			this.url = url;
-			this.builtInFileName = builtInFileName;
+			this.priority = priority;
 		}
 
-		public boolean isBuiltIn() {
-			return builtInFileName != null;
+		public String name() {
+			return name;
 		}
 
 		public String url() {
@@ -79,10 +72,7 @@ public class ManifestLocations implements VersionsManifestsAPI, Iterable<Manifes
 		}
 
 		public Path cacheFile(Path dir) {
-			String fileName = (builtInFileName != null)
-					? builtInFileName + FILE_EXTENSION
-					: baseFileName + "-" + Integer.toHexString(url.hashCode()) + FILE_EXTENSION;
-			return dir.resolve(fileName);
+			return dir.resolve(name + "_versions_manifest.json");
 		}
 
 		@Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/MinecraftMetadataProvider.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/MinecraftMetadataProvider.java
index afcf3d27..dbdc0a48 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/MinecraftMetadataProvider.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/configuration/providers/minecraft/MinecraftMetadataProvider.java
@@ -161,19 +161,13 @@ public final class MinecraftMetadataProvider {
 	}
 
 	private String getVersionMetaFileName() {
-		String base = "minecraft-info";
-
 		// custom version metadata
 		if (versionEntry.manifest == null) {
-			return base + Integer.toHexString(versionEntry.entry.url.hashCode()) + ".json";
+			return "minecraft_info_" + Integer.toHexString(versionEntry.entry.url.hashCode()) + ".json";
 		}
 
-		// custom versions manifest
-		if (!versionEntry.manifest.isBuiltIn()) {
-			return base + Integer.toHexString(versionEntry.manifest.url().hashCode()) + ".json";
-		}
-
-		return base + ".json";
+		// metadata url taken from versions manifest
+		return versionEntry.manifest.name() + "_minecraft_info.json";
 	}
 
 	public record Options(String minecraftVersion,
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
index f9d16ffd..170188e6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/fabricmc/loom/extension/LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl.java
@@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ public abstract class LoomGradleExtensionApiImpl implements LoomGradleExtensionA
 				.empty();
 		this.log4jConfigs = project.files(directories.getDefaultLog4jConfigFile());
 		this.accessWidener = project.getObjects().fileProperty();
-		this.versionsManifests = new ManifestLocations("versions_manifest");
-		this.versionsManifests.addBuiltIn(-2, MirrorUtil.getVersionManifests(project), "versions_manifest");
-		this.versionsManifests.addBuiltIn(-1, MirrorUtil.getExperimentalVersions(project), "experimental_versions_manifest");
+		this.versionsManifests = new ManifestLocations();
+		this.versionsManifests.add("mojang", MirrorUtil.getVersionManifests(project), -2);
+		this.versionsManifests.add("fabric_experimental", MirrorUtil.getExperimentalVersions(project), -1);
 		this.customMetadata = project.getObjects().property(String.class);
 		this.knownIndyBsms = project.getObjects().setProperty(String.class).convention(Set.of(
 				"java/lang/invoke/StringConcatFactory",
diff --git a/src/test/groovy/net/fabricmc/loom/test/unit/providers/MinecraftMetadataProviderTest.groovy b/src/test/groovy/net/fabricmc/loom/test/unit/providers/MinecraftMetadataProviderTest.groovy
index 4566a881..62beb703 100644
--- a/src/test/groovy/net/fabricmc/loom/test/unit/providers/MinecraftMetadataProviderTest.groovy
+++ b/src/test/groovy/net/fabricmc/loom/test/unit/providers/MinecraftMetadataProviderTest.groovy
@@ -153,9 +153,9 @@ class MinecraftMetadataProviderTest extends DownloadTest {
 	}
 
 	private MinecraftMetadataProvider.Options options(String version, String customUrl) {
-		ManifestLocations manifests = new ManifestLocations("versions_manifest")
-		manifests.addBuiltIn(0, "$PATH/versionManifest", "versions_manifest")
-		manifests.addBuiltIn(1, "$PATH/experimentalVersionManifest", "experimental_versions_manifest")
+		ManifestLocations manifests = new ManifestLocations()
+		manifests.add("test", "$PATH/versionManifest", 0)
+		manifests.add("test_experimental", "$PATH/experimentalVersionManifest", 1)
 
 		return new MinecraftMetadataProvider.Options(
 				version,