diff --git a/src/cookies/meson.build b/src/cookies/meson.build
index b6c864d5..1683e9b1 100644
--- a/src/cookies/meson.build
+++ b/src/cookies/meson.build
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 srcs += files('cookies.c', 'dialogs.c', 'path.c', 'parser.c')
 
-executable('cookies-t', 'cookies-t.c', 'path.c', include_directories:['..'])
+exe = executable('cookies-t', 'cookies-t.c', 'path.c', include_directories:['..'], build_by_default:false)
 test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB': meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
 t = find_program('test-cookies-t')
-test('cookies', t, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir())
+test('cookies', t, depends:[exe], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir())
diff --git a/src/dom/test/meson.build b/src/dom/test/meson.build
index 43b10e10..6f8a8642 100644
--- a/src/dom/test/meson.build
+++ b/src/dom/test/meson.build
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-executable('html-mangle', 'html-mangle.c',
+exe1 = executable('html-mangle', 'html-mangle.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/configuration.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/node.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/select.c',
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/stack.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/scanner.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/css/scanner.c',
 testdeps,
-c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.', '../..', '../../..'])
+c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.', '../..', '../../..'],
+build_by_default:false)
 
-executable('sgml-parser', 'sgml-parser.c',
+exe2 = executable('sgml-parser', 'sgml-parser.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/configuration.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/node.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/select.c',
@@ -25,7 +26,8 @@ meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/sgml/html/html.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/sgml/rss/rss.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/dom/sgml/xbel/xbel.c',
 testdeps,
-c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.', '../..', '../../..'])
+c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.', '../..', '../../..'],
+build_by_default:false)
 
 test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB': meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
 
@@ -38,11 +40,11 @@ t6 = find_program('test-sgml-parser-incremental')
 t7 = find_program('test-sgml-parser-lines')
 t8 = find_program('test-sgml-parser-random')
 
-test('dom-configuration-basic', t1, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-dump-basic', t2, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-parser-basic', t3, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-parser-error', t4, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-parser-incomplete', t5, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-parser-incremental', t6, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false, should_fail: true)
-test('sgml-parser-lines', t7, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
-test('sgml-parser-random', t8, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false, should_fail: true)
+test('dom-configuration-basic', t1, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-dump-basic', t2, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-parser-basic', t3, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-parser-error', t4, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-parser-incomplete', t5, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-parser-incremental', t6, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false, should_fail:true)
+test('sgml-parser-lines', t7, depends:[exe2], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
+test('sgml-parser-random', t8, depends:[exe1], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false, should_fail:true)
diff --git a/src/mime/backend/meson.build b/src/mime/backend/meson.build
index 054774bc..0aeb8bfa 100644
--- a/src/mime/backend/meson.build
+++ b/src/mime/backend/meson.build
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ endif
 
 srcs += files('common.c', 'default.c')
 
-executable('mailcap-cache', 'common.c', 'mailcap.c', meson.source_root()+'/src/osdep/osdep.c', testdeps, c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H', '-DTEST_MAILCAP'], include_directories:['.','..','../..','../../..'])
+exe = executable('mailcap-cache', 'common.c', 'mailcap.c', meson.source_root()+'/src/osdep/osdep.c', testdeps,
+c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H', '-DTEST_MAILCAP'], include_directories:['.','..','../..','../../..'],
+build_by_default:false)
 test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB': meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
 t = find_program('test-mailcap-cache')
-test('mailcap-cache', t, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir())
+test('mailcap-cache', t, depends:[exe], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir())
diff --git a/src/protocol/ftp/meson.build b/src/protocol/ftp/meson.build
index 4078ac66..2303b003 100644
--- a/src/protocol/ftp/meson.build
+++ b/src/protocol/ftp/meson.build
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 srcs += files('ftp.c', 'parse.c')
 
-executable('ftp-parser', 'ftp-parser.c', 'parse.c', meson.source_root()+'/src/protocol/date.c', testdeps,
-c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.','../..','../../..'])
+exe = executable('ftp-parser', 'ftp-parser.c', 'parse.c', meson.source_root()+'/src/protocol/date.c', testdeps,
+c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], include_directories:['.','../..','../../..'],
+build_by_default:false)
 
 test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB': meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
 t = find_program('test-ftp-parser')
-test('ftp-parser', t, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel: false)
+test('ftp-parser', t, depends:[exe], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), is_parallel:false)
diff --git a/src/protocol/test/meson.build b/src/protocol/test/meson.build
index 13613473..d1795f8d 100644
--- a/src/protocol/test/meson.build
+++ b/src/protocol/test/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 idna_dep = dependency('libidn')
-executable('uri-test', 'uri-test.c', 'stub.c', meson.current_source_dir()+'/../protocol.cpp', meson.current_source_dir()+'/../uri.c',
+exe = executable('uri-test', 'uri-test.c', 'stub.c', meson.current_source_dir()+'/../protocol.cpp', meson.current_source_dir()+'/../uri.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/intl/gettext/bindtextdom.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/intl/gettext/dcgettext.c',
 meson.source_root()+'/src/intl/gettext/dcigettext.c',
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ meson.source_root()+'/src/intl/gettext/textdomain.c',
 testdeps, dependencies: [idna_dep],
 c_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'], cpp_args:['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'],  include_directories:['.', '..', '../..', '../../..', '../../../..'])
 t = find_program('test-normalize-uri')
-test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB': meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
-test('normalize-uri', t, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir())
+test_lib = environment({'TEST_LIB':meson.source_root()+'/test/libtest.sh'})
+test('normalize-uri', t, depends:[exe], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir())
 
 t2 = find_program('test-get-translated-uri')
-test('get-translated-uri', t2, env: test_lib, workdir: meson.current_build_dir(), should_fail: false)
+test('get-translated-uri', t2, depends:[exe], env:test_lib, workdir:meson.current_build_dir(), should_fail:false)