diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/cooker.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/cooker.py
index 58137f6d62..46e5560e83 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/cooker.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/cooker.py
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ class BBCooker:
             if pkgs_to_build[0] in set(ignore.split()):
                 bb.fatal("%s is in ASSUME_PROVIDED" % pkgs_to_build[0])
 
-            taskdata, runlist, pkgs_to_build = self.buildTaskData(pkgs_to_build, None, self.configuration.abort)
+            taskdata, runlist, pkgs_to_build = self.buildTaskData(pkgs_to_build, None, self.configuration.abort, allowincomplete=True)
 
             targetid = taskdata.getbuild_id(pkgs_to_build[0])
             fnid = taskdata.build_targets[targetid][0]
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ class BBCooker:
                 logger.plain("\npython %s () {\n%s}\n", e, envdata.getVar(e, True))
 
 
-    def buildTaskData(self, pkgs_to_build, task, abort):
+    def buildTaskData(self, pkgs_to_build, task, abort, allowincomplete=False):
         """
         Prepare a runqueue and taskdata object for iteration over pkgs_to_build
         """
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ class BBCooker:
         localdata = data.createCopy(self.data)
         bb.data.update_data(localdata)
         bb.data.expandKeys(localdata)
-        taskdata = bb.taskdata.TaskData(abort, skiplist=self.skiplist)
+        taskdata = bb.taskdata.TaskData(abort, skiplist=self.skiplist, allowincomplete=allowincomplete)
 
         current = 0
         runlist = []
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ class BBCooker:
 
         # We set abort to False here to prevent unbuildable targets raising
         # an exception when we're just generating data
-        taskdata, runlist, pkgs_to_build = self.buildTaskData(pkgs_to_build, task, False)
+        taskdata, runlist, pkgs_to_build = self.buildTaskData(pkgs_to_build, task, False, allowincomplete=True)
 
         return runlist, taskdata
 
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/taskdata.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/taskdata.py
index af72a1fb09..ca58e17922 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/taskdata.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/taskdata.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class TaskData:
     """
     BitBake Task Data implementation
     """
-    def __init__(self, abort = True, tryaltconfigs = False, skiplist = None):
+    def __init__(self, abort = True, tryaltconfigs = False, skiplist = None, allowincomplete = False):
         self.build_names_index = []
         self.run_names_index = []
         self.fn_index = []
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ class TaskData:
 
         self.abort = abort
         self.tryaltconfigs = tryaltconfigs
+        self.allowincomplete = allowincomplete
 
         self.skiplist = skiplist
 
@@ -594,9 +595,10 @@ class TaskData:
                     added = added + 1
                 except bb.providers.NoProvider:
                     targetid = self.getbuild_id(target)
-                    if self.abort and targetid in self.external_targets:
+                    if self.abort and targetid in self.external_targets and not self.allowincomplete:
                         raise
-                    self.remove_buildtarget(targetid)
+                    if not self.allowincomplete:
+                        self.remove_buildtarget(targetid)
             for target in self.get_unresolved_run_targets(dataCache):
                 try:
                     self.add_rprovider(cfgData, dataCache, target)