diff --git a/bootstrap b/bootstrap
index c338624f..b58f1e52 100755
--- a/bootstrap
+++ b/bootstrap
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ main(_) ->
     %% cause weird failures when compilers get modified between releases.
     rm_rf("_build/prod"),
     %% The same pattern happens with default/ as well, particularly when
-    %% developing new things. 
-    %% Keep other deps in default/lib for build environments like Nix
+    %% developing new things.
+    %% Keep other deps in <profile>/lib for build environments like Nix
     %% where internet access is disabled that deps are not downloadable.
     rm_rf("_build/default/lib/rebar"),
+    rm_rf("_build/test/lib/rebar"),
 
     %% We fetch a few deps from hex for boostraping,
     %% so we must compile r3_safe_erl_term.xrl which
diff --git a/src/rebar_plugins.erl b/src/rebar_plugins.erl
index 3bbd4a88..7fe56b69 100644
--- a/src/rebar_plugins.erl
+++ b/src/rebar_plugins.erl
@@ -117,12 +117,11 @@ handle_plugin(Profile, Plugin, State, Upgrade) ->
         PreBuiltApps = [A || A <- Apps,
                              Ebin <- [rebar_app_info:ebin_dir(A)],
                              not lists:member(Ebin, ToBuildPaths)],
-        {PreUnsafe, PreSafe} = lists:partition(fun needs_rebuild/1, PreBuiltApps),
-        PreBuiltPaths = [rebar_app_info:ebin_dir(A) || A <- PreSafe],
+        PreBuiltPaths = [rebar_app_info:ebin_dir(A) || A <- PreBuiltApps],
         code:add_pathsa(PreBuiltPaths),
 
         %% Build plugin and its deps
-        [build_plugin(AppInfo, Apps, State2) || AppInfo <- PreUnsafe++ToBuild],
+        build_plugins(ToBuild -- PreBuiltApps, Apps, State2),
 
         %% Add newly built deps and plugin to code path
         State3 = rebar_state:update_all_plugin_deps(State2, Apps),
@@ -140,11 +139,14 @@ handle_plugin(Profile, Plugin, State, Upgrade) ->
             {[], State}
     end.
 
-build_plugin(AppInfo, Apps, State) ->
-    Providers = rebar_state:providers(State),
-    S = rebar_state:all_deps(State, Apps),
-    S1 = rebar_state:set(S, deps_dir, ?DEFAULT_PLUGINS_DIR),
-    rebar_prv_compile:compile(S1, Providers, AppInfo).
+build_plugins(MustBuildApps, AllApps, State) ->
+    State1 = rebar_state:deps_to_build(State, MustBuildApps),
+    State2 = rebar_state:all_deps(State1, AllApps),
+    State3 = rebar_state:set(State2, deps_dir, ?DEFAULT_PLUGINS_DIR),
+    {Args, Extra} = rebar_state:command_parsed_args(State),
+    State4 = rebar_state:command_parsed_args(State3, {[{deps_only, true}|Args], Extra}),
+    rebar_prv_compile:do(State4),
+    ok.
 
 plugin_providers({Plugin, _, _, _}) when is_atom(Plugin) ->
     validate_plugin(Plugin);
@@ -171,38 +173,3 @@ validate_plugin(Plugin) ->
             end
     end.
 
-%% @private do a quick validation of whether a plugin is expected to need
-%% to be rebuilt; usually this is handled by the compiler, but since this
-%% module does quick filtering by detection, we need to discriminate against
-%% cases like the compiler version having changed that would otherwise
-%% trigger a rebuild.
-needs_rebuild(AppInfo) ->
-    Ebin = rebar_app_info:ebin_dir(AppInfo),
-    application:load(compiler),
-    {ok, CurrentCompileVsn} = application:get_key(compiler, vsn),
-    case find_some_beam(Ebin) of
-        {ok, Beam} ->
-            case beam_lib:chunks(Beam, [compile_info]) of
-                {ok, {_mod, Chunks}} ->
-                    CompileInfo = proplists:get_value(compile_info, Chunks, []),
-                    CompileVsn = proplists:get_value(version, CompileInfo, "unknown"),
-                    CurrentCompileVsn =/= CompileVsn;
-                _ ->
-                    %% could be built without debug_info
-                    false
-            end;
-        _ ->
-            %% well we would expect a plugin to have a beam file
-            true
-    end.
-
-find_some_beam(Path) ->
-    case file:list_dir(Path) of
-        {error, Reason} ->
-            {error, Reason};
-        {ok, Files} ->
-            case lists:dropwhile(fun(P) -> filename:extension(P) =/= ".beam" end, Files) of
-                [Beam|_] -> {ok, filename:join(Path, Beam)};
-                _ -> {error, no_beam}
-            end
-    end.