diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 37c6ce0432..5f1cfc5409 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 ## [Unreleased]
 ### Added
 - Basic support for `dyn Trait` to allow cross-contract calls only with trait - [#1673](https://github.com/paritytech/ink/pull/1673)
+- E2E: auto detect contracts to be built - [#1691](https://github.com/paritytech/ink/pull/1691)
 
 ## Version 4.0.1
 
diff --git a/crates/e2e/macro/Cargo.toml b/crates/e2e/macro/Cargo.toml
index ab1dcd698d..14601e90c2 100644
--- a/crates/e2e/macro/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/e2e/macro/Cargo.toml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ proc-macro = true
 
 [dependencies]
 ink_ir = { version = "4.0.1", path = "../../ink/ir" }
+cargo_metadata = "0.15.3"
 contract-build = "2.0.2"
 derive_more = "0.99.17"
 env_logger = "0.10.0"
diff --git a/crates/e2e/macro/src/codegen.rs b/crates/e2e/macro/src/codegen.rs
index a20dcb25f4..046f35c8e1 100644
--- a/crates/e2e/macro/src/codegen.rs
+++ b/crates/e2e/macro/src/codegen.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 
 use crate::ir;
+use contract_build::ManifestPath;
 use core::cell::RefCell;
 use derive_more::From;
 use proc_macro2::TokenStream as TokenStream2;
@@ -78,11 +79,20 @@ impl InkE2ETest {
             .environment()
             .unwrap_or_else(|| syn::parse_quote! { ::ink::env::DefaultEnvironment });
 
-        let mut additional_contracts: Vec<String> =
-            self.test.config.additional_contracts();
-        let default_main_contract_manifest_path = String::from("Cargo.toml");
-        let mut contracts_to_build_and_import = vec![default_main_contract_manifest_path];
-        contracts_to_build_and_import.append(&mut additional_contracts);
+        let contract_manifests = ContractManifests::from_crate_metadata();
+
+        let contracts_to_build_and_import =
+            if self.test.config.additional_contracts().is_empty() {
+                contract_manifests.all_contracts_to_build()
+            } else {
+                // backwards compatibility if `additional_contracts` specified
+                let mut additional_contracts: Vec<String> =
+                    self.test.config.additional_contracts();
+                let mut contracts_to_build_and_import: Vec<String> =
+                    contract_manifests.root_package.iter().cloned().collect();
+                contracts_to_build_and_import.append(&mut additional_contracts);
+                contracts_to_build_and_import
+            };
 
         let mut already_built_contracts = already_built_contracts();
         if already_built_contracts.is_empty() {
@@ -100,7 +110,7 @@ impl InkE2ETest {
             // `additional_contracts` for this particular test contain ones
             // that haven't been build before
             for manifest_path in contracts_to_build_and_import {
-                if already_built_contracts.get("Cargo.toml").is_none() {
+                if already_built_contracts.get(&manifest_path).is_none() {
                     let dest_wasm = build_contract(&manifest_path);
                     let _ = already_built_contracts.insert(manifest_path, dest_wasm);
                 }
@@ -188,6 +198,63 @@ impl InkE2ETest {
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct ContractManifests {
+    /// The manifest path of the root package where the E2E test is defined.
+    /// `None` if the root package is not an `ink!` contract definition.
+    root_package: Option<String>,
+    /// The manifest paths of any dependencies which are `ink!` contracts.
+    contract_dependencies: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl ContractManifests {
+    /// Load any manifests for packages which are detected to be `ink!` contracts. Any package
+    /// with the `ink-as-dependency` feature enabled is assumed to be an `ink!` contract.
+    fn from_crate_metadata() -> Self {
+        // The default manifest path is the `Cargo.toml` in the current directory.
+        // So in this case the package within which the E2E test is defined.
+        let manifest_path = ManifestPath::default();
+        let crate_metadata = contract_build::CrateMetadata::collect(&manifest_path)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|err| {
+                panic!(
+                    "Error loading crate metadata for '{}': {}",
+                    manifest_path.as_ref().display(),
+                    err
+                )
+            });
+
+        fn maybe_contract_package(package: &cargo_metadata::Package) -> Option<String> {
+            package
+                .features
+                .iter()
+                .any(|(feat, _)| feat == "ink-as-dependency")
+                .then(|| package.manifest_path.to_string())
+        }
+
+        let root_package = maybe_contract_package(&crate_metadata.root_package);
+
+        let contract_dependencies = crate_metadata
+            .cargo_meta
+            .packages
+            .iter()
+            .filter_map(maybe_contract_package)
+            .collect();
+
+        Self {
+            root_package,
+            contract_dependencies,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Returns all the contract manifests which are to be built, including the root package
+    /// if it is determined to be an `ink!` contract.
+    fn all_contracts_to_build(&self) -> Vec<String> {
+        let mut all_manifests: Vec<String> = self.root_package.iter().cloned().collect();
+        all_manifests.append(&mut self.contract_dependencies.clone());
+        all_manifests
+    }
+}
+
 /// Builds the contract at `manifest_path`, returns the path to the contract
 /// Wasm build artifact.
 fn build_contract(path_to_cargo_toml: &str) -> String {
@@ -196,7 +263,6 @@ fn build_contract(path_to_cargo_toml: &str) -> String {
         BuildMode,
         ExecuteArgs,
         Features,
-        ManifestPath,
         Network,
         OptimizationPasses,
         OutputType,
diff --git a/crates/e2e/src/client.rs b/crates/e2e/src/client.rs
index 74735a9b6f..b92419311c 100644
--- a/crates/e2e/src/client.rs
+++ b/crates/e2e/src/client.rs
@@ -494,7 +494,14 @@ where
         let wasm_path = self
             .contracts
             .get(&contract.replace('-', "_"))
-            .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("Unknown contract {contract}"));
+            .unwrap_or_else(||
+                panic!(
+                    "Unknown contract {contract}. Available contracts: {:?}.\n\
+                     For a contract to be built, add it as a dependency to the `Cargo.toml`, or add \
+                     the manifest path to `#[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = ..)]`",
+                    self.contracts.keys()
+                )
+            );
         let code = std::fs::read(wasm_path).unwrap_or_else(|err| {
             panic!("Error loading '{}': {:?}", wasm_path.display(), err)
         });
diff --git a/integration-tests/delegator/lib.rs b/integration-tests/delegator/lib.rs
index 880c3dcbd8..97e0c7de0e 100644
--- a/integration-tests/delegator/lib.rs
+++ b/integration-tests/delegator/lib.rs
@@ -118,9 +118,7 @@ mod delegator {
 
         type E2EResult<T> = std::result::Result<T, Box<dyn std::error::Error>>;
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(
-            additional_contracts = "accumulator/Cargo.toml adder/Cargo.toml subber/Cargo.toml"
-        )]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_delegator(mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>) -> E2EResult<()> {
             // given
             let accumulator_hash = client
diff --git a/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/call-builder/lib.rs b/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/call-builder/lib.rs
index 092ad1d035..d2562bb1ff 100755
--- a/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/call-builder/lib.rs
+++ b/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/call-builder/lib.rs
@@ -166,9 +166,7 @@ mod call_builder {
 
         type E2EResult<T> = std::result::Result<T, Box<dyn std::error::Error>>;
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(
-            additional_contracts = "../integration-flipper/Cargo.toml ../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml"
-        )]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_invalid_message_selector_can_be_handled(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -221,7 +219,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../integration-flipper/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_invalid_message_selector_panics_on_invoke(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -258,7 +256,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_works_with_valid_selector(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -299,7 +297,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_fails_with_invalid_selector(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -340,7 +338,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_with_infallible_revert_constructor_encodes_ok(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -385,7 +383,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_can_handle_fallible_constructor_success(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -426,7 +424,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_can_handle_fallible_constructor_error(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -474,7 +472,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_with_fallible_revert_constructor_encodes_ok(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -519,7 +517,7 @@ mod call_builder {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../constructors-return-value/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_create_builder_with_fallible_revert_constructor_encodes_err(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
diff --git a/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/contract-ref/lib.rs b/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/contract-ref/lib.rs
index 963722d79d..f046ca821f 100755
--- a/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/contract-ref/lib.rs
+++ b/integration-tests/lang-err-integration-tests/contract-ref/lib.rs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ mod contract_ref {
 
         type E2EResult<T> = std::result::Result<T, Box<dyn std::error::Error>>;
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../integration-flipper/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_ref_can_flip_correctly(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ mod contract_ref {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../integration-flipper/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_fallible_ref_can_be_instantiated(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ mod contract_ref {
             Ok(())
         }
 
-        #[ink_e2e::test(additional_contracts = "../integration-flipper/Cargo.toml")]
+        #[ink_e2e::test]
         async fn e2e_fallible_ref_fails_to_be_instantiated(
             mut client: ink_e2e::Client<C, E>,
         ) -> E2EResult<()> {