diff --git a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
index 2644777a6a5..ff8249a60cb 100644
--- a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@ pub enum CompileFilter<'a> {
         required_features_filterable: bool,
     },
     Only {
+        all_targets: bool,
         lib: bool,
         bins: FilterRule<'a>,
         examples: FilterRule<'a>,
@@ -389,6 +390,7 @@ impl<'a> CompileFilter<'a> {
 
         if all_targets {
             CompileFilter::Only {
+                all_targets: true,
                 lib: true, bins: FilterRule::All,
                 examples: FilterRule::All, benches: FilterRule::All,
                 tests: FilterRule::All,
@@ -396,6 +398,7 @@ impl<'a> CompileFilter<'a> {
         } else if lib_only || rule_bins.is_specific() || rule_tsts.is_specific()
                     || rule_exms.is_specific() || rule_bens.is_specific() {
             CompileFilter::Only {
+                all_targets: false,
                 lib: lib_only, bins: rule_bins,
                 examples: rule_exms, benches: rule_bens,
                 tests: rule_tsts,
@@ -410,7 +413,7 @@ impl<'a> CompileFilter<'a> {
     pub fn matches(&self, target: &Target) -> bool {
         match *self {
             CompileFilter::Default { .. } => true,
-            CompileFilter::Only { lib, bins, examples, tests, benches } => {
+            CompileFilter::Only { lib, bins, examples, tests, benches, .. } => {
                 let rule = match *target.kind() {
                     TargetKind::Bin => bins,
                     TargetKind::Test => tests,
@@ -637,7 +640,7 @@ fn generate_targets<'a>(pkg: &'a Package,
             };
             generate_auto_targets(mode, pkg.targets(), profile, deps, required_features_filterable)
         }
-        CompileFilter::Only { lib, bins, examples, tests, benches } => {
+        CompileFilter::Only { all_targets, lib, bins, examples, tests, benches } => {
             let mut targets = Vec::new();
 
             if lib {
@@ -647,7 +650,7 @@ fn generate_targets<'a>(pkg: &'a Package,
                         profile: profile,
                         required: true,
                     });
-                } else {
+                } else if !all_targets {
                     bail!("no library targets found")
                 }
             }
diff --git a/tests/build.rs b/tests/build.rs
index 4374a90b7be..523e42d9130 100644
--- a/tests/build.rs
+++ b/tests/build.rs
@@ -3943,3 +3943,31 @@ fn build_filter_infer_profile() {
             --emit=dep-info,link[..]")
         );
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn all_targets_no_lib() {
+    let p = project("foo")
+        .file("Cargo.toml", r#"
+            [package]
+            name = "foo"
+            version = "0.1.0"
+            authors = []
+        "#)
+        .file("src/main.rs", "fn main() {}")
+        .build();
+    assert_that(p.cargo("build").arg("-v").arg("--all-targets"),
+        execs().with_status(0)
+        // bin
+        .with_stderr_contains("\
+            [RUNNING] `rustc --crate-name foo src[/]main.rs --crate-type bin \
+            --emit=dep-info,link[..]")
+        // bench
+        .with_stderr_contains("\
+            [RUNNING] `rustc --crate-name foo src[/]main.rs --emit=dep-info,link \
+            -C opt-level=3 --test [..]")
+        // unit test
+        .with_stderr_contains("\
+            [RUNNING] `rustc --crate-name foo src[/]main.rs --emit=dep-info,link \
+            -C debuginfo=2 --test [..]")
+        );
+}