diff --git a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
index 56ecc6e68a9..f2d841cb335 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
@@ -163,14 +163,8 @@ fn from<S: Step>() -> StepDescription {
     }
 
     fn maybe_run(&self, builder: &Builder<'_>, pathset: &PathSet) {
-        if builder.config.exclude.iter().any(|e| pathset.has(e)) {
-            eprintln!("Skipping {:?} because it is excluded", pathset);
+        if self.is_excluded(builder, pathset) {
             return;
-        } else if !builder.config.exclude.is_empty() {
-            eprintln!(
-                "{:?} not skipped for {:?} -- not in {:?}",
-                pathset, self.name, builder.config.exclude
-            );
         }
 
         // Determine the targets participating in this rule.
@@ -182,6 +176,21 @@ fn maybe_run(&self, builder: &Builder<'_>, pathset: &PathSet) {
         }
     }
 
+    fn is_excluded(&self, builder: &Builder<'_>, pathset: &PathSet) -> bool {
+        if builder.config.exclude.iter().any(|e| pathset.has(e)) {
+            eprintln!("Skipping {:?} because it is excluded", pathset);
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if !builder.config.exclude.is_empty() {
+            eprintln!(
+                "{:?} not skipped for {:?} -- not in {:?}",
+                pathset, self.name, builder.config.exclude
+            );
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
     fn run(v: &[StepDescription], builder: &Builder<'_>, paths: &[PathBuf]) {
         let should_runs =
             v.iter().map(|desc| (desc.should_run)(ShouldRun::new(builder))).collect::<Vec<_>>();
@@ -1579,6 +1588,27 @@ pub fn ensure<S: Step>(&'a self, step: S) -> S::Output {
         self.cache.put(step, out.clone());
         out
     }
+
+    /// Ensure that a given step is built *only if it's supposed to be built by default*, returning
+    /// its output. This will cache the step, so it's safe (and good!) to call this as often as
+    /// needed to ensure that all dependencies are build.
+    pub(crate) fn ensure_if_default<T, S: Step<Output = Option<T>>>(
+        &'a self,
+        step: S,
+    ) -> S::Output {
+        let desc = StepDescription::from::<S>();
+        let should_run = (desc.should_run)(ShouldRun::new(self));
+
+        // Avoid running steps contained in --exclude
+        for pathset in &should_run.paths {
+            if desc.is_excluded(self, pathset) {
+                return None;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Only execute if it's supposed to run as default
+        if desc.default && should_run.is_really_default() { self.ensure(step) } else { None }
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/dist.rs b/src/bootstrap/dist.rs
index 5290e8453e7..730bc51acbe 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/dist.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/dist.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ pub struct Docs {
 }
 
 impl Step for Docs {
-    type Output = GeneratedTarball;
+    type Output = Option<GeneratedTarball>;
     const DEFAULT: bool = true;
 
     fn should_run(run: ShouldRun<'_>) -> ShouldRun<'_> {
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ fn make_run(run: RunConfig<'_>) {
     }
 
     /// Builds the `rust-docs` installer component.
-    fn run(self, builder: &Builder<'_>) -> GeneratedTarball {
+    fn run(self, builder: &Builder<'_>) -> Option<GeneratedTarball> {
         let host = self.host;
         builder.default_doc(&[]);
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ fn run(self, builder: &Builder<'_>) -> GeneratedTarball {
         tarball.set_product_name("Rust Documentation");
         tarball.add_bulk_dir(&builder.doc_out(host), dest);
         tarball.add_file(&builder.src.join("src/doc/robots.txt"), dest, 0o644);
-        tarball.generate()
+        Some(tarball.generate())
     }
 }
 
@@ -1359,13 +1359,11 @@ fn run(self, builder: &Builder<'_>) {
 
         let mut tarballs = Vec::new();
         let mut built_tools = HashSet::new();
-        macro_rules! add_tool {
+        macro_rules! add_component {
             ($name:expr => $step:expr) => {
-                if should_build_extended_tool(builder, $name) {
-                    if let Some(tarball) = builder.ensure($step) {
-                        tarballs.push(tarball);
-                        built_tools.insert($name);
-                    }
+                if let Some(tarball) = builder.ensure_if_default($step) {
+                    tarballs.push(tarball);
+                    built_tools.insert($name);
                 }
             };
         }
@@ -1377,31 +1375,20 @@ macro_rules! add_tool {
         tarballs.push(builder.ensure(Rustc { compiler: builder.compiler(stage, target) }));
         tarballs.push(builder.ensure(Std { compiler, target }).expect("missing std"));
 
-        if builder.config.docs {
-            tarballs.push(builder.ensure(Docs { host: target }));
-        }
-
         if target.contains("windows-gnu") {
             tarballs.push(builder.ensure(Mingw { host: target }).expect("missing mingw"));
         }
 
-        if builder.config.profiler_enabled(target)
-            || should_build_extended_tool(builder, "rust-demangler")
-        {
-            if let Some(tarball) = builder.ensure(RustDemangler { compiler, target }) {
-                tarballs.push(tarball);
-                built_tools.insert("rust-demangler");
-            }
-        }
-
-        add_tool!("cargo" => Cargo { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("rustfmt" => Rustfmt { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("rls" => Rls { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("rust-analyzer" => RustAnalyzer { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("llvm-tools" => LlvmTools { target });
-        add_tool!("clippy" => Clippy { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("miri" => Miri { compiler, target });
-        add_tool!("analysis" => Analysis { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("rust-docs" => Docs { host: target });
+        add_component!("rust-demangler"=> RustDemangler { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("cargo" => Cargo { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("rustfmt" => Rustfmt { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("rls" => Rls { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("rust-analyzer" => RustAnalyzer { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("llvm-components" => LlvmTools { target });
+        add_component!("clippy" => Clippy { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("miri" => Miri { compiler, target });
+        add_component!("analysis" => Analysis { compiler, target });
 
         let etc = builder.src.join("src/etc/installer");
 
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/install.rs b/src/bootstrap/install.rs
index 72a9ff2d5a7..06acf1a9a00 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/install.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/install.rs
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ fn run($sel, $builder: &Builder<'_>) {
 
 install!((self, builder, _config),
     Docs, "src/doc", _config.docs, only_hosts: false, {
-        let tarball = builder.ensure(dist::Docs { host: self.target });
+        let tarball = builder.ensure(dist::Docs { host: self.target }).expect("missing docs");
         install_sh(builder, "docs", self.compiler.stage, Some(self.target), &tarball);
     };
     Std, "library/std", true, only_hosts: false, {