diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2b9cee00dff..9f0d0d2a525 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -7,33 +7,45 @@ K := $(foreach exec,$(EXECUTABLES),\
 export GO111MODULE := on
 export PATH := .bin:${PATH}
 
-.PHONY: deps
-deps:
-ifneq ("$(shell base64 Makefile))","$(shell cat .bin/.lock)")
-		curl -sfL https://install.goreleaser.com/github.com/golangci/golangci-lint.sh | sh -s -- -b .bin/ v1.24.0
-		bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ory/hydra/master/install.sh) -b .bin/ v1.4.10
-		go build -o .bin/go-acc github.com/ory/go-acc
-		go build -o .bin/goreturns github.com/sqs/goreturns
-		go build -o .bin/listx github.com/ory/x/tools/listx
-		go build -o .bin/mockgen github.com/golang/mock/mockgen
-		go build -o .bin/swagger github.com/go-swagger/go-swagger/cmd/swagger
-		go build -o .bin/goimports golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports
-		go build -o .bin/packr2 github.com/gobuffalo/packr/v2/packr2
-		go build -o .bin/yq github.com/mikefarah/yq
-		go build -o .bin/pkger github.com/markbates/pkger/cmd/pkger
-		go build -o .bin/ory github.com/ory/cli
+GO_DEPENDENCIES = github.com/ory/go-acc \
+				  github.com/sqs/goreturns \
+				  github.com/ory/x/tools/listx \
+				  github.com/golang/mock/mockgen \
+				  github.com/go-swagger/go-swagger/cmd/swagger \
+				  golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports \
+				  github.com/ory/cli \
+				  github.com/mikefarah/yq \
+				  github.com/markbates/pkger/cmd/pkger \
+				  github.com/gobuffalo/packr/v2/packr2
+
+define make-go-dependency
+  # go install is responsible for not re-building when the code hasn't changed
+  .PHONY: .bin/$(notdir $1)
+  .bin/$(notdir $1):
+		GOBIN=$(PWD)/.bin/ go install $1
+endef
+$(foreach dep, $(GO_DEPENDENCIES), $(eval $(call make-go-dependency, $(dep))))
+$(call make-lint-dependency)
+
+node_modules: package.json
 		npm ci
-		echo "$$(base64 Makefile)" > .bin/.lock
-endif
+
+docs/node_modules: docs/package.json
+		cd docs; npm ci
+
+.bin/golangci-lint: Makefile
+		curl -sfL https://install.goreleaser.com/github.com/golangci/golangci-lint.sh | sh -s -- -b .bin v1.24.0
+
+.bin/hydra: Makefile
+		bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ory/hydra/master/install.sh) -b .bin v1.4.10
 
 .PHONY: docs
-docs:
-		cd docs; npm i; npm run build
+docs: docs/node_modules
+		cd docs; npm run build
 
 .PHONY: lint
-lint: deps
-		which golangci-lint
-		GO111MODULE=on golangci-lint run -v ./...
+lint: .bin/golangci-lint
+		golangci-lint run -v ./...
 
 .PHONY: cover
 cover:
@@ -41,11 +53,11 @@ cover:
 		go tool cover -func=cover.out
 
 .PHONE: mocks
-mocks: deps
+mocks: .bin/mockgen
 		mockgen -mock_names Manager=MockLoginExecutorDependencies -package internal -destination internal/hook_login_executor_dependencies.go github.com/ory/kratos/selfservice loginExecutorDependencies
 
 .PHONY: install
-install: deps
+install: .bin/packr2
 		packr2
 		GO111MODULE=on go install -tags sqlite .
 		packr2 clean
@@ -60,9 +72,9 @@ test:
 
 # Generates the SDK
 .PHONY: sdk
-sdk: deps
+sdk: .bin/swagger .bin/cli
 		swagger generate spec -m -o .schema/api.swagger.json -x internal/httpclient
-		ory dev swagger sanitize ./.schema/api.swagger.json
+		cli dev swagger sanitize ./.schema/api.swagger.json
 		swagger validate ./.schema/api.swagger.json
 		swagger flatten --with-flatten=remove-unused -o ./.schema/api.swagger.json ./.schema/api.swagger.json
 		swagger validate ./.schema/api.swagger.json
@@ -84,7 +96,7 @@ quickstart-dev:
 
 # Formats the code
 .PHONY: format
-format: deps
+format: .bin/goreturns
 		goreturns -w -local github.com/ory $$(listx .)
 		npm run format
 
@@ -94,7 +106,7 @@ docker:
 		docker build -f .docker/Dockerfile-build -t oryd/kratos:latest-sqlite .
 
 .PHONY: test-e2e
-test-e2e: test-resetdb
+test-e2e: node_modules test-resetdb
 		source script/test-envs.sh
 		test/e2e/run.sh sqlite
 		test/e2e/run.sh postgres
@@ -102,9 +114,9 @@ test-e2e: test-resetdb
 		test/e2e/run.sh mysql
 
 .PHONY: migrations-sync
-migrations-sync:
-		ory dev pop migration sync persistence/sql/migrations/templates persistence/sql/migratest/testdata
+migrations-sync: .bin/cli
+		cli dev pop migration sync persistence/sql/migrations/templates persistence/sql/migratest/testdata
 
 .PHONY: migrations-render
-migrations-render:
-		ory dev pop migration render persistence/sql/migrations/templates persistence/sql/migrations/sql
+migrations-render: .bin/cli
+		cli dev pop migration render persistence/sql/migrations/templates persistence/sql/migrations/sql