diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 37ee1c81ebe..5f9f8adb9ba 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2548,7 +2548,7 @@ foreach dict : executables
         endforeach
 
         include_directories = dict['include_directories']
-        if not is_test
+        if not is_test and exe_sources.length() > 0
                 include_directories += fs.parent(exe_sources[0])
         endif
 
diff --git a/src/repart/meson.build b/src/repart/meson.build
index de0c8902d9f..e6e32f54c7a 100644
--- a/src/repart/meson.build
+++ b/src/repart/meson.build
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ executables += [
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-repart',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : files('repart.c'),
+                'extract' : files('repart.c'),
                 'link_with' : [
                         libshared,
                         libshared_fdisk,
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ executables += [
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-repart.standalone',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : files('repart.c'),
+                'objects' : ['systemd-repart'],
                 'link_with' : [
                         libc_wrapper_static,
                         libbasic_static,
diff --git a/src/shutdown/meson.build b/src/shutdown/meson.build
index f5ccdbd8dd6..709b0fa6925 100644
--- a/src/shutdown/meson.build
+++ b/src/shutdown/meson.build
@@ -4,13 +4,7 @@ if conf.get('HAVE_LIBMOUNT') != 1
         subdir_done()
 endif
 
-systemd_shutdown_sources = files(
-        'detach-dm.c',
-        'detach-loopback.c',
-        'detach-md.c',
-        'shutdown.c',
-)
-systemd_shutdown_extract_sources = files(
+shutdown_detach_sources = files(
         'detach-swap.c',
         'umount.c',
 )
@@ -18,13 +12,17 @@ systemd_shutdown_extract_sources = files(
 executables += [
         libexec_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-shutdown',
-                'sources' : systemd_shutdown_sources,
-                'extract' : systemd_shutdown_extract_sources,
+                'extract' : files(
+                        'detach-dm.c',
+                        'detach-loopback.c',
+                        'detach-md.c',
+                        'shutdown.c',
+                ) + shutdown_detach_sources,
                 'dependencies' : libmount_cflags,
         },
         libexec_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-shutdown.standalone',
-                'sources' : systemd_shutdown_sources + systemd_shutdown_extract_sources,
+                'objects' : ['systemd-shutdown'],
                 'link_with' : [
                         libc_wrapper_static,
                         libbasic_static,
@@ -34,8 +32,8 @@ executables += [
                 'dependencies' : libmount_cflags,
         },
         test_template + {
-                'sources' : files('test-umount.c'),
-                'objects' : ['systemd-shutdown'],
+                'sources' : files('test-umount.c') +
+                            shutdown_detach_sources,
                 'dependencies' : libmount_cflags,
         },
 ]
diff --git a/src/sysusers/meson.build b/src/sysusers/meson.build
index bbfd846e329..b74ac6aa1a8 100644
--- a/src/sysusers/meson.build
+++ b/src/sysusers/meson.build
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ executables += [
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-sysusers',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : files('sysusers.c'),
+                'extract' : files('sysusers.c'),
                 'dependencies' : libaudit_cflags,
         },
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-sysusers.standalone',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : files('sysusers.c'),
+                'objects' : ['systemd-sysusers'],
                 'link_with' : [
                         libc_wrapper_static,
                         libbasic_static,
diff --git a/src/tmpfiles/meson.build b/src/tmpfiles/meson.build
index 05a3171c2d0..2a7728c2955 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles/meson.build
+++ b/src/tmpfiles/meson.build
@@ -4,25 +4,20 @@ if conf.get('ENABLE_TMPFILES') != 1
         subdir_done()
 endif
 
-systemd_tmpfiles_sources = files(
-        'tmpfiles.c',
-)
-systemd_tmpfiles_extract_sources = files(
-        'offline-passwd.c',
-)
+offline_passwd_c = files('offline-passwd.c')
 
 executables += [
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-tmpfiles',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : systemd_tmpfiles_sources,
-                'extract' : systemd_tmpfiles_extract_sources,
+                'extract' : files('tmpfiles.c') +
+                            offline_passwd_c,
                 'dependencies' : libacl_cflags,
         },
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'systemd-tmpfiles.standalone',
                 'public' : true,
-                'sources' : systemd_tmpfiles_sources + systemd_tmpfiles_extract_sources,
+                'objects' : ['systemd-tmpfiles'],
                 'link_with' : [
                         libc_wrapper_static,
                         libbasic_static,
@@ -32,7 +27,7 @@ executables += [
                 'dependencies' : libacl_cflags,
         },
         test_template + {
-                'sources' : files('test-offline-passwd.c'),
-                'objects' : ['systemd-tmpfiles'],
+                'sources' : files('test-offline-passwd.c') +
+                            offline_passwd_c,
         },
 ]