diff --git a/docs/linux/README.md b/docs/linux/README.md
index 354ee895318..8ee91fbe81e 100644
--- a/docs/linux/README.md
+++ b/docs/linux/README.md
@@ -89,6 +89,21 @@ The `run-tests` script accepts different arguments which can be seen with
 
 ### Code Coverage Report
 
+#### Prerequisites
+
+Code coverage reports require some additional tools: lcov, gcovr,
+libdatetime-perl, and coverage.
+
+You can install these with:
+
+```bash
+sudo apt update
+sudo apt install -y lcov libdatetime-perl gcovr
+pip3 install coverage
+```
+
+#### Creating and displaying code coverage reports
+
 All three projects (ibus-keyman, keyman-config, and keyman-system-service)
 can produce code coverage reports.
 
diff --git a/linux/ibus-keyman/build.sh b/linux/ibus-keyman/build.sh
index c2c45deec15..5e13ef12e01 100755
--- a/linux/ibus-keyman/build.sh
+++ b/linux/ibus-keyman/build.sh
@@ -49,46 +49,31 @@ else
   MESON_COVERAGE=
 fi
 
-if builder_start_action clean; then
-  rm -rf "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/../build/"
-  builder_finish_action success clean
-fi
-
-if builder_start_action configure; then
-  cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH"
-  # shellcheck disable=SC2086
-  meson setup "$MESON_PATH" --werror --buildtype $MESON_TARGET ${MESON_COVERAGE} "${builder_extra_params[@]}"
-  builder_finish_action success configure
-fi
-
-if builder_start_action build; then
-  cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/$MESON_PATH"
-  ninja
-  builder_finish_action success build
-fi
+configure_action() {
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2154
+  meson setup ${MESON_COVERAGE} --werror --buildtype $MESON_TARGET "${builder_extra_params[@]}" "$MESON_PATH"
+}
 
-if builder_start_action test; then
-  cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/$MESON_PATH"
+test_action() {
   if builder_has_option --no-integration; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2154
     meson test --print-errorlogs $builder_verbose setup-src-test keymanutil-tests print-kmpdetails-test print-kmp-test bcp47-util-tests teardown-src-test
   else
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2086
     meson test --print-errorlogs $builder_verbose
   fi
   if builder_has_option --coverage; then
     # Note: requires lcov > 1.16 to properly work (see https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/6747)
     ninja coverage-html
   fi
-  builder_finish_action success test
-fi
+}
 
-if builder_start_action install; then
-  cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/$MESON_PATH"
-  ninja install
-  builder_finish_action success install
-fi
+builder_run_action clean       rm -rf "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/../build/"
+builder_run_action configure   configure_action
 
-if builder_start_action uninstall; then
-  cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/$MESON_PATH"
-  ninja uninstall
-  builder_finish_action success uninstall
-fi
+[ -d "$MESON_PATH" ] && cd "$MESON_PATH"
+
+builder_run_action build       ninja
+builder_run_action test        test_action
+builder_run_action install     ninja install
+builder_run_action uninstall   ninja uninstall
diff --git a/linux/keyman-system-service/build.sh b/linux/keyman-system-service/build.sh
index bfa4b62c3bf..d9cb9785ee8 100755
--- a/linux/keyman-system-service/build.sh
+++ b/linux/keyman-system-service/build.sh
@@ -35,6 +35,39 @@ else
 fi
 MESON_PATH="build/$(uname -m)/$MESON_TARGET"
 
+clean_action() {
+  rm -rf "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/build/"
+}
+
+check_missing_coverage_configuration() {
+  if builder_has_option --coverage && [ -d "$MESON_PATH" ]; then
+    # It's possible that we got configured because we're a dependency of ibus-keyman
+    # in which case the `--coverage` option wasn't passed along.
+    cd "$MESON_PATH"
+    if ! ninja -t targets | grep -q coverage-html ; then
+      cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH"
+      clean_action
+    fi
+    cd "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH"
+  fi
+}
+
+configure_action() {
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2154
+  meson setup ${MESON_COVERAGE} --werror --buildtype $MESON_TARGET "${builder_extra_params[@]}" "$MESON_PATH"
+}
+
+test_action() {
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2154
+  meson test --print-errorlogs $builder_verbose
+  if builder_has_option --coverage; then
+    # Note: requires lcov > 1.16 to properly work (see https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/6747)
+    ninja coverage-html
+  fi
+}
+
+check_missing_coverage_configuration
+
 builder_describe_outputs \
   configure "${MESON_PATH}/build.ninja" \
   build "${MESON_PATH}/src/keyman-system-service"
@@ -45,33 +78,12 @@ else
   MESON_COVERAGE=
 fi
 
-builder_run_action clean rm -rf "$THIS_SCRIPT_PATH/build/"
-
-# shellcheck disable=SC2086
-builder_run_action configure meson setup "$MESON_PATH" --werror --buildtype $MESON_TARGET ${MESON_COVERAGE} "${builder_extra_params[@]}"
-
-cd "$MESON_PATH" || true
-
-if builder_start_action build; then
-  ninja
-  builder_finish_action success build
-fi
-
-if builder_start_action test; then
-  meson test --print-errorlogs $builder_verbose
-  if builder_has_option --coverage; then
-    # Note: requires lcov > 1.16 to properly work (see https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/6747)
-    ninja coverage-html
-  fi
-  builder_finish_action success test
-fi
+builder_run_action clean       clean_action
+builder_run_action configure   configure_action
 
-if builder_start_action install; then
-  ninja install
-  builder_finish_action success install
-fi
+[ -d "$MESON_PATH" ] && cd "$MESON_PATH"
 
-if builder_start_action uninstall; then
-  ninja uninstall
-  builder_finish_action success uninstall
-fi
+builder_run_action build       ninja
+builder_run_action test        test_action
+builder_run_action install     ninja install
+builder_run_action uninstall   ninja uninstall