diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 20578cba0b..9de33187f9 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -243,7 +243,9 @@ set_target_properties(openttd PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME "${BINARY_NAME}")
 
 set(host_tools_list strgen settingsgen)
 
-if(CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
+if(HOST_BINARY_DIR)
+    # Host tools already exist, nothing to do
+elseif(CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
     # Pawn off the creation of the host utilities into its own dedicated space
     file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/host_tools)
     file(TO_NATIVE_PATH ${CMAKE_COMMAND} native_cmake_command)
@@ -280,7 +282,7 @@ add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src)
 add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/media/baseset)
 add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/bin)
 
-if(NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
+if(NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING AND NOT HOST_BINARY_DIR)
     foreach(tgt IN ITEMS ${host_tools_list})
         add_executable(host${tgt} ALIAS ${tgt})
     endforeach()
diff --git a/src/lang/CMakeLists.txt b/src/lang/CMakeLists.txt
index 3041ef27d2..db63c003e2 100644
--- a/src/lang/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/lang/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ set(LANG_BINARY_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lang)
 
 if (HOST_BINARY_DIR)
     include(${HOST_BINARY_DIR}/strgen.cmake)
+    add_executable(hoststrgen ALIAS strgen)
 endif()
 
 # Walk over all the (finished) language files, and generate a command to compile them
diff --git a/src/table/CMakeLists.txt b/src/table/CMakeLists.txt
index d2e1e50fa7..fc87a97f77 100644
--- a/src/table/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/table/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ set(TABLE_INI_SOURCE_FILES
 
 if (HOST_BINARY_DIR)
     include(${HOST_BINARY_DIR}/settingsgen.cmake)
+    add_executable(hostsettingsgen ALIAS settingsgen)
 endif()
 
 # Generate a command and target to create the settings table