diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2f27ff4d4c19f593c749bf904021dbd604e5cc70..4d30c713b60cd3f4794425bfcd5eef897f2c1e13 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 /daemon/libvirtd.8
 /daemon/libvirtd.8.in
 /daemon/libvirtd.pod
+/docs/apibuild.py.stamp
 /docs/devhelp/libvirt.devhelp
 /docs/hvsupport.html.in
 /docs/libvirt-api.xml
diff --git a/docs/Makefile.am b/docs/Makefile.am
index 53328f71dc91a13c4de5b850c829e2ff1b7e4750..9bcc866159b13c347ac100f0f73f79eeb02bdddc 100644
--- a/docs/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/Makefile.am
@@ -200,12 +200,19 @@ python_generated_files = \
 		$(srcdir)/libvirt-qemu-api.xml \
 		$(srcdir)/libvirt-qemu-refs.xml
 
-$(python_generated_files): $(srcdir)/apibuild.py \
+APIBUILD="$(srcdir)/apibuild.py"
+APIBUILD_STAMP="$(APIBUILD).stamp"
+
+$(python_generated_files): $(APIBUILD_STAMP)
+
+$(APIBUILD_STAMP): $(srcdir)/apibuild.py \
 		$(srcdir)/../include/libvirt/*.h \
 		$(srcdir)/../src/libvirt.c \
 		$(srcdir)/../src/libvirt-qemu.c \
 		$(srcdir)/../src/util/virterror.c
-	$(AM_V_GEN)srcdir=$(srcdir) $(PYTHON) $(srcdir)/apibuild.py
+	$(AM_V_GEN)srcdir=$(srcdir) $(PYTHON) $(APIBUILD)
+	touch $@
+
 
 check-local: all
 
@@ -215,6 +222,7 @@ clean-local:
 maintainer-clean-local: clean-local
 	rm -rf $(srcdir)/libvirt-api.xml $(srcdir)/libvirt-refs.xml todo.html.in hvsupport.html.in
 	rm -rf $(srcdir)/libvirt-qemu-api.xml $(srcdir)/libvirt-qemu-refs.xml
+	rm -rf $(APIBUILD_STAMP)
 
 rebuild: api qemu_api all