diff --git a/hwdb/meson.build b/hwdb/meson.build
index b9fc5ab594..d6e858311a 100644
--- a/hwdb/meson.build
+++ b/hwdb/meson.build
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ endif
 
 ############################################################
 
-custom_target(
+run_target(
         'update',
-        output : 'update',
         command : [hwdb_update_sh, meson.current_source_dir()])
diff --git a/man/meson.build b/man/meson.build
index 1c1dbd86b7..79d7710d11 100644
--- a/man/meson.build
+++ b/man/meson.build
@@ -130,24 +130,25 @@ foreach tuple : [['systemd.directives', '7', systemd_directives_xml],
         html_pages += [p2]
 endforeach
 
-man = custom_target('man',
-                    depends : man_pages,
-                    output : 'man',
-                    command : ['echo'])
+man = run_target(
+        'man',
+        depends : man_pages,
+        command : ['echo'])
 
-html = custom_target('html',
-                     depends : html_pages,
-                     output : 'html',
-                     command : ['echo'])
+html = run_target(
+        'html',
+        depends : html_pages,
+        output : 'html',
+        command : ['echo'])
 
-custom_target('doc-sync',
-              depends : [man, html],
-              output : ['doc-sync'],
-              command : ['rsync', '-rlv',
-                         '--delete-excluded',
-                         '--include=man',
-                         '--include=*.html',
-                         '--exclude=*',
-                         '--omit-dir-times',
-                         meson.current_build_dir(),
-                         get_option('www-target')])
+run_target(
+        'doc-sync',
+        depends : man_pages + html_pages,
+        command : ['rsync', '-rlv',
+                   '--delete-excluded',
+                   '--include=man',
+                   '--include=*.html',
+                   '--exclude=*',
+                   '--omit-dir-times',
+                   meson.current_build_dir(),
+                   get_option('www-target')])
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index b1deb32144..4690619e54 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2278,8 +2278,7 @@ endif
 
 if git.found()
         meson_git_contrib_sh = find_program('tools/meson-git-contrib.sh')
-        custom_target(
+        run_target(
                 'git-contrib',
-                output : 'git-contrib',
                 command : [meson_git_contrib_sh])
 endif