diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index ec84b2ebc0..72ce0561f4 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ $(TCG_TESTS_TARGETS:%=build-tcg-tests-%): build-tcg-tests-%: $(BUILD_DIR)/tests/
         "BUILD","$* guest-tests")
 
 .PHONY: $(TCG_TESTS_TARGETS:%=run-tcg-tests-%)
-$(TCG_TESTS_TARGETS:%=run-tcg-tests-%): run-tcg-tests-%: build-tcg-tests-% $(if $(CONFIG_PLUGIN),test-plugins)
+$(TCG_TESTS_TARGETS:%=run-tcg-tests-%): run-tcg-tests-%: build-tcg-tests-%
 	$(call quiet-command, \
            $(MAKE) -C tests/tcg/$* -f ../Makefile.target $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) \
                         TARGET="$*" SRC_PATH="$(SRC_PATH)" SPEED=$(SPEED) run, \
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ $(TCG_TESTS_TARGETS:%=clean-tcg-tests-%): clean-tcg-tests-%:
 build-tcg: $(BUILD_TCG_TARGET_RULES)
 
 .PHONY: check-tcg
+.ninja-goals.check-tcg = all $(if $(CONFIG_PLUGIN),test-plugins)
 check-tcg: $(RUN_TCG_TARGET_RULES)
 
 .PHONY: clean-tcg