diff --git a/docs/api/meson.build b/docs/api/meson.build
index 0560502d07..7b9166a328 100644
--- a/docs/api/meson.build
+++ b/docs/api/meson.build
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ settings_xml = custom_target(
   output,
   input: nm_settings_docs,
   output: output,
-  command: [xsltproc, '--output', '@OUTPUT@', join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), settings + '.xsl'), '@INPUT@']
+  command: [xsltproc, '--output', '@OUTPUT@', join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), settings + '.xsl'), '@INPUT@'],
+  # FIXME: there is no target depending on this, so it will not be built
+  build_by_default: true
 )
 
 configure_file(
diff --git a/libnm-core/meson.build b/libnm-core/meson.build
index 1afd45ab08..97040709f9 100644
--- a/libnm-core/meson.build
+++ b/libnm-core/meson.build
@@ -177,7 +177,10 @@ foreach docbook: docbooks
     input: docbook[1],
     output: output,
     capture: true,
-    command: [perl, enums_to_docbook, docbook[0], docbook[2], '@INPUT@']
+    command: [perl, enums_to_docbook, docbook[0], docbook[2], '@INPUT@'],
+    # FIXME: gtkdoc does not depend directly on this.
+    #        https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/pull/2806
+    build_by_default: true
   )
 
   content_files += xml.full_path()