diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index dcb2012e4ac..8e2c926f0ed 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Changes
 
 ### Unreleased
 
+* 2023-09-22 - Improvement: Smartmenus.js is only be added to the page if smart menus are really used, solves #357
 * 2023-09-22 - Bugfix: Smart menu language restriction did not respect switching language with the language switcher, solves #358.
 * 2023-09-26 - Bugfix: The smart menu third level arrow was broken, solves #402.
 * 2023-09-22 - Make codechecker happier
diff --git a/classes/output/navigation/primary.php b/classes/output/navigation/primary.php
index 12e6d29cdda..71ab45d6cc0 100644
--- a/classes/output/navigation/primary.php
+++ b/classes/output/navigation/primary.php
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ public function export_for_template(?renderer_base $output = null): array {
         $usermenu = $this->get_user_menu($output);
         $this->build_usermenus($usermenu, $locationusermenus);
 
+        // Check if any of the smartmenus are going to be included on the page.
+        // This is used as flag to include the smart menu's JS file in mustache templates later
+        // as well as for controlling the smart menu SCSS.
+        $includesmartmenu = (!empty($mainmenu) || !empty($menubarmenus) || !empty($locationusermenus) || !empty($locationbottom));
+
         return [
             'mobileprimarynav' => $mobileprimarynav,
             'moremenu' => $moremenu->export_for_template($output),
@@ -143,6 +148,7 @@ public function export_for_template(?renderer_base $output = null): array {
             'lang' => !isloggedin() || isguestuser() ? $languagemenu->export_for_template($output) : [],
             'user' => $usermenu ?? [],
             'bottombar' => $bottombardata ?? false,
+            'includesmartmenu' => $includesmartmenu ? true : false
         ];
     }
 
diff --git a/layout/includes/smartmenus.php b/layout/includes/smartmenus.php
index e24c1808822..1a265be8938 100644
--- a/layout/includes/smartmenus.php
+++ b/layout/includes/smartmenus.php
@@ -27,3 +27,7 @@
 // Add smart menu elements to template context.
 $templatecontext['menubar'] = $primarymenu['menubar'] ?? [];
 $templatecontext['bottombar'] = $primarymenu['bottombar'] ?? [];
+
+// Add smart menu flag if the smart menu contains any menus to show.
+$includesmartmenu = (isset($primarymenu['includesmartmenu']) && !empty($primarymenu['includesmartmenu']));
+$templatecontext['includesmartmenu'] = $includesmartmenu ? true : false;
diff --git a/templates/theme_boost/columns2.mustache b/templates/theme_boost/columns2.mustache
index c56c8af744b..5759182dbf4 100644
--- a/templates/theme_boost/columns2.mustache
+++ b/templates/theme_boost/columns2.mustache
@@ -122,9 +122,9 @@
 </html>
 {{#js}}
 M.util.js_pending('theme_boost/loader');
-require(['theme_boost/loader', 'theme_boost/drawer', 'theme_boost_union/smartmenu'], function(Loader, Drawer, SmartMenu) {
+require(['theme_boost/loader', 'theme_boost/drawer'{{#includesmartmenu}}, 'theme_boost_union/smartmenu'{{/includesmartmenu}}], function(Loader, Drawer{{#includesmartmenu}}, SmartMenu{{/includesmartmenu}}) {
     Drawer.init();
     M.util.js_complete('theme_boost/loader');
-    SmartMenu.init();
+    {{#includesmartmenu}}SmartMenu.init();{{/includesmartmenu}}
 });
 {{/js}}
diff --git a/templates/theme_boost/drawers.mustache b/templates/theme_boost/drawers.mustache
index c6af6606f01..7c551938c4c 100644
--- a/templates/theme_boost/drawers.mustache
+++ b/templates/theme_boost/drawers.mustache
@@ -297,10 +297,10 @@
 </html>
 {{#js}}
 M.util.js_pending('theme_boost/loader');
-require(['theme_boost/loader', 'theme_boost/drawer'{{#regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}},'theme_boost_union/offcanvas'{{/regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}, 'theme_boost_union/smartmenu'], function(Loader, Drawer{{#regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}},OffCanvas{{/regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}, SmartMenu) {
+require(['theme_boost/loader', 'theme_boost/drawer'{{#regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}},'theme_boost_union/offcanvas'{{/regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}{{#includesmartmenu}}, 'theme_boost_union/smartmenu'{{/includesmartmenu}}], function(Loader, Drawer{{#regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}},OffCanvas{{/regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}{{#includesmartmenu}}, SmartMenu{{/includesmartmenu}}) {
     Drawer.init();
     M.util.js_complete('theme_boost/loader');
     {{#regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}OffCanvas.init();{{/regions.offcanvas.hasblocks}}
-    SmartMenu.init();
+    {{#includesmartmenu}}SmartMenu.init();{{/includesmartmenu}}
 });
 {{/js}}