diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 0cdc0b81bf..08dbcd9ee8 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1980,7 +1980,7 @@ if meson.can_run_host_binaries() and have_gobject_introspection
   else
     gimp_real_exe = gimpmain_exe
   endif
-  gimp_exe_depends = [gimp_real_exe]
+  gimp_exe_depends = [gimp_real_exe, libgimp_gir, libgimpui_gir] + plugin_custom_targets
   gimp_run_env.set('GIMP_SELF_IN_BUILD', gimp_real_exe.full_path())
 
   menu_paths=meson.global_build_root() / 'menus:' + meson.global_source_root() / 'menus'
diff --git a/plug-ins/common/meson.build b/plug-ins/common/meson.build
index d462b0a109..87ca40a94b 100644
--- a/plug-ins/common/meson.build
+++ b/plug-ins/common/meson.build
@@ -185,6 +185,7 @@ if get_option('webkit-unmaintained')
   }
 endif
 
+plugin_custom_targets = []
 foreach plugin : common_plugins_list
   plugin_name = plugin.get('name')
   plugin_sources = [ plugin.get('sources', plugin_name + '.c') ]
@@ -242,7 +243,7 @@ foreach plugin : common_plugins_list
 
   # Ugly trick to copy executables into subfolders so that we can run GIMP from
   # the build directory without installing it.
-  custom_target('test-' + plugin_name,
+  plugin_custom_targets += custom_target('test-' + plugin_name,
                 input: [ plugin_exe ],
                 output: [ plugin_name + '.dummy' ],
                 command: [ python, meson.project_source_root() / 'build/meson/cp-plug-in-subfolder.py',