diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ea156d1c95c4..85cf69cf9fb8 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -139,6 +139,13 @@ set_property(CACHE GOOGLE_CLOUD_CPP_DEPENDENCY_PROVIDER
 set(PROJECT_THIRD_PARTY_DIR "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third_party")
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 
+# There are a number of targets that are pure dependencies, i.e., do not contain
+# our own code. These targets can be skipped when using static analysis tools.
+# Can be built earlier in the CI environment (for example to warm up the cache).
+# And in general can receive special treatment. This custom target collects all
+# these special targets with a single name.
+add_custom_target(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+
 # Add gRPC and protobuf targets as submodules or packages, depending on the
 # configuration.  This should happen before enable_testing(), because we are not
 # interested in compiling and running the gRPC tests.
@@ -151,12 +158,5 @@ include(CTest)
 # Each subproject adds dependencies to this target to have their docs generated.
 add_custom_target(doxygen-docs)
 
-# There are a number of targets we cannot, or do not care to compile with the
-# static analyzer enabled. Either because the build times are too long, or
-# because the code is an external dependency, or generated code, or all of
-# above. These targets are added as dependencies of `skip-scanbuild-targets` and
-# compiled with, obviously, scan-build disabled.
-add_custom_target(skip-scanbuild-targets)
-
 # Add subprojects here.
 add_subdirectory(google/cloud)
diff --git a/ci/coverity-scan.sh b/ci/coverity-scan.sh
index bc82b23adf42..abeb9d513b20 100755
--- a/ci/coverity-scan.sh
+++ b/ci/coverity-scan.sh
@@ -34,16 +34,9 @@ cmake -H. -B.coverity \
     -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug \
     -DGOOGLE_CLOUD_CPP_ENABLE_CCACHE=OFF
 
-# The project dependencies should be built without coverity-scan, any errors in
-# them are not actionable.
-cmake --build .coverity --target grpc_project -- -j $(nproc)
-cmake --build .coverity --target curl_project -- -j $(nproc)
-cmake --build .coverity --target crc32c_project -- -j $(nproc)
-cmake --build .coverity --target googletest_project -- -j $(nproc)
-
-# The proto-generated files contain too many errors, and they are not
-# actionable, so they are built without coverity-scan too.
-cmake --build .coverity --target skip-scanbuild-targets -- -j $(nproc)
+# The project dependencies, including the generated protos, should be built
+# without coverity-scan, any errors in them are not actionable.
+cmake --build .coverity --target google-cloud-cpp-dependencies -- -j $(nproc)
 
 # Run coverity scan over our code.
 cov-build --dir cov-int cmake --build .coverity -- -j $(nproc)
diff --git a/ci/travis/build-docker.sh b/ci/travis/build-docker.sh
index 1513bae0675d..f4544cf9ba3d 100755
--- a/ci/travis/build-docker.sh
+++ b/ci/travis/build-docker.sh
@@ -32,8 +32,7 @@ source "${PROJECT_ROOT}/ci/colors.sh"
 (cd "${PROJECT_ROOT}" ; ./ci/check-style.sh)
 
 # TODO (#1797): this is a workaround for the shared library error.
-readonly LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${PWD}/${BUILD_OUTPUT}/external/lib:${PWD}/${BUILD_OUTPUT}/external/lib64"
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${PWD}/${BUILD_OUTPUT}/external/lib:${PWD}/${BUILD_OUTPUT}/external/lib64"
 
 CMAKE_COMMAND="cmake"
 if [ "${SCAN_BUILD}" = "yes" ]; then
@@ -42,6 +41,25 @@ fi
 
 ccache_command="$(which ccache)"
 
+if [[ -z "${ccache_command}" ]]; then
+  echo "The Travis builds cannot complete without ccache(1), exiting."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+bootstrap_ccache="no"
+if ${ccache_command} --show-stats | grep '^cache size' | grep -q '0.0 kB'; then
+  echo "${COLOR_RED}"
+  echo "The ccache is empty. The builds cannot finish in the time allocated by"
+  echo "Travis without a warm cache. As a workaround, until #1800 is fixed,"
+  echo "the cache is bootstrapped in two steps. First, only a subset of the"
+  echo "system will be built, and the build will terminate with a failure."
+  echo "The second build on the same branch will have at least the previously"
+  echo "mentioned subset of the system in the build cache, and should be able"
+  echo "to finish in the time allocated by Travis."
+  echo "${COLOR_RESET}"
+  bootstrap_ccache="yes"
+fi
+
 echo "${COLOR_YELLOW}Started CMake config at: $(date)${COLOR_RESET}"
 echo "travis_fold:start:configure-cmake"
 # Tweak configuration for TEST_INSTALL=yes and SCAN_BUILD=yes builds.
@@ -84,11 +102,21 @@ fi
 echo "${COLOR_YELLOW}Started dependency build at: $(date)${COLOR_RESET}"
 echo "travis_fold:start:build-dependencies"
 echo
-cmake --build "${BUILD_OUTPUT}" --target skip-scanbuild-targets -- -j ${NCPU}
+cmake --build "${BUILD_OUTPUT}" \
+    --target google-cloud-cpp-dependencies -- -j ${NCPU}
 echo
 echo "travis_fold:end:build-dependencies"
 echo "${COLOR_YELLOW}Finished dependency build at: $(date)${COLOR_RESET}"
 
+if [[ "${bootstrap_ccache}" == "yes" ]]; then
+  echo
+  echo
+  echo "${COLOR_RED}Aborting the build early to warm up the cache.${COLOR_RESET}"
+  echo
+  echo
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # If scan-build is enabled we build the smallest subset of things that is
 # needed; otherwise, we pick errors from things we do not care about. With
 # scan-build disabled we compile everything, to test the build as most
diff --git a/cmake/external/c-ares.cmake b/cmake/external/c-ares.cmake
index 0181c51efd67..96e8938dca54 100644
--- a/cmake/external/c-ares.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/c-ares.cmake
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET c_ares_project)
                         LOG_BUILD ON
                         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies c_ares_project)
+    endif ()
+
     add_library(c-ares::cares INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_library_properties_for_external_project(c-ares::cares cares
                                                 ALWAYS_SHARED)
diff --git a/cmake/external/crc32c.cmake b/cmake/external/crc32c.cmake
index 6bba9d6587b6..c42b168d2145 100644
--- a/cmake/external/crc32c.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/crc32c.cmake
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET crc32c_project)
                         LOG_BUILD ON
                         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies crc32c_project)
+    endif ()
+
     include(ExternalProjectHelper)
     add_library(Crc32c::crc32c INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     add_dependencies(Crc32c::crc32c crc32c_project)
diff --git a/cmake/external/curl.cmake b/cmake/external/curl.cmake
index d565adc4ba79..0cf7cdb7d719 100644
--- a/cmake/external/curl.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/curl.cmake
@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET curl_project)
         LOG_BUILD ON
         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies curl_project)
+    endif ()
+
     include(ExternalProjectHelper)
     add_library(CURL::CURL INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     add_dependencies(CURL::CURL curl_project)
diff --git a/cmake/external/googletest.cmake b/cmake/external/googletest.cmake
index fae875f72c9e..e4b52c159021 100644
--- a/cmake/external/googletest.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/googletest.cmake
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET googletest_project)
                         LOG_BUILD ON
                         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies googletest_project)
+    endif ()
+
     # On Windows GTest uses library postfixes for debug versions, that is
     # gtest.lib becomes gtestd.lib when compiled with for debugging.  This ugly
     # expression computes that value. Note that it must be a generator
diff --git a/cmake/external/grpc.cmake b/cmake/external/grpc.cmake
index 5a93041cb5bb..494b5c1ed412 100644
--- a/cmake/external/grpc.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/grpc.cmake
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET gprc_project)
         LOG_BUILD ON
         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies grpc_project)
+    endif ()
+
     add_library(gRPC::address_sorting INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     set_library_properties_for_external_project(gRPC::address_sorting
                                                 address_sorting)
diff --git a/cmake/external/protobuf.cmake b/cmake/external/protobuf.cmake
index 7e765dbc0e24..aaeec0389564 100644
--- a/cmake/external/protobuf.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/protobuf.cmake
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET protobuf_project)
         LOG_BUILD ON
         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies protobuf_project)
+    endif ()
+
     add_library(protobuf::libprotobuf INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     add_dependencies(protobuf::libprotobuf protobuf_project)
     set_library_properties_for_external_project(protobuf::libprotobuf protobuf)
diff --git a/cmake/external/zlib.cmake b/cmake/external/zlib.cmake
index 82a5d1e613c4..93ac6b390c4c 100644
--- a/cmake/external/zlib.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/zlib.cmake
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ if (NOT TARGET zlib_project)
                         LOG_BUILD ON
                         LOG_INSTALL ON)
 
+    if (TARGET google-cloud-cpp-dependencies)
+        add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies zlib_project)
+    endif ()
+
     include(ExternalProjectHelper)
     add_library(ZLIB::ZLIB INTERFACE IMPORTED)
     add_dependencies(ZLIB::ZLIB zlib_project)
diff --git a/google/cloud/bigtable/CMakeLists.txt b/google/cloud/bigtable/CMakeLists.txt
index b69c0f7bd77c..85d8e12a15d6 100644
--- a/google/cloud/bigtable/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/google/cloud/bigtable/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ add_library(bigtable::protos ALIAS bigtable_protos)
 # Enable unit tests
 include(CTest)
 
-add_dependencies(skip-scanbuild-targets bigtable_protos)
+add_dependencies(google-cloud-cpp-dependencies bigtable_protos)
 
 # Generate the version information from the CMake values.
 configure_file(version_info.h.in version_info.h)