diff --git a/doc/api/meson.build b/doc/api/meson.build
index 23a7dfc75..c72b880e1 100644
--- a/doc/api/meson.build
+++ b/doc/api/meson.build
@@ -3,52 +3,54 @@
 
 doxygen = find_program('doxygen', required: get_option('enable_docs'))
 
-if doxygen.found()
-	# due to the CSS customisation script, which needs to run on a file that
-	# is in a subdirectory that is created at build time and thus it cannot
-	# be an individual custom_target, we need to wrap the doxygen call in a
-	# script to run the CSS modification afterwards
-	generate_doxygen = find_program('generate_doxygen.sh')
-	generate_examples = find_program('generate_examples.sh')
-	generate_css = find_program('doxy-html-custom.sh')
-
-	inputdir = join_paths(meson.source_root(), 'examples')
-	htmldir = join_paths('share', 'doc', 'dpdk')
-
-	# due to the following bug: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/4107
-	# if install is set to true it will override build_by_default and it will
-	# cause the target to always be built. If install were to be always set to
-	# false it would be impossible to install the docs.
-	# So use a configure option for now.
-	example = custom_target('examples.dox',
-		input: inputdir,
-		output: 'examples.dox',
-		command: [generate_examples, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@'],
-		install: get_option('enable_docs'),
-		install_dir: htmldir,
-		build_by_default: get_option('enable_docs'))
-
-	cdata = configuration_data()
-	cdata.set('VERSION', meson.project_version())
-	cdata.set('API_EXAMPLES', join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'doc', 'api', 'examples.dox'))
-	cdata.set('OUTPUT', join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'doc', 'api'))
-	cdata.set('HTML_OUTPUT', 'api')
-	cdata.set('TOPDIR', meson.source_root())
-	cdata.set('STRIP_FROM_PATH', meson.source_root())
-
-	doxy_conf = configure_file(input: 'doxy-api.conf.in',
-		output: 'doxy-api.conf',
-		configuration: cdata)
-
-	doxy_build = custom_target('doxygen',
-		depends: example,
-		input: doxy_conf,
-		output: 'api',
-		command: [generate_doxygen, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@', generate_css],
-		install: get_option('enable_docs'),
-		install_dir: htmldir,
-		build_by_default: get_option('enable_docs'))
-
-	doc_targets += doxy_build
-	doc_target_names += 'Doxygen_API'
+if not doxygen.found()
+  subdir_done()
 endif
+
+# due to the CSS customisation script, which needs to run on a file that
+# is in a subdirectory that is created at build time and thus it cannot
+# be an individual custom_target, we need to wrap the doxygen call in a
+# script to run the CSS modification afterwards
+generate_doxygen = find_program('generate_doxygen.sh')
+generate_examples = find_program('generate_examples.sh')
+generate_css = find_program('doxy-html-custom.sh')
+
+inputdir = join_paths(meson.source_root(), 'examples')
+htmldir = join_paths('share', 'doc', 'dpdk')
+
+# due to the following bug: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/4107
+# if install is set to true it will override build_by_default and it will
+# cause the target to always be built. If install were to be always set to
+# false it would be impossible to install the docs.
+# So use a configure option for now.
+example = custom_target('examples.dox',
+	input: inputdir,
+	output: 'examples.dox',
+	command: [generate_examples, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@'],
+	install: get_option('enable_docs'),
+	install_dir: htmldir,
+	build_by_default: get_option('enable_docs'))
+
+cdata = configuration_data()
+cdata.set('VERSION', meson.project_version())
+cdata.set('API_EXAMPLES', join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'doc', 'api', 'examples.dox'))
+cdata.set('OUTPUT', join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'doc', 'api'))
+cdata.set('HTML_OUTPUT', 'api')
+cdata.set('TOPDIR', meson.source_root())
+cdata.set('STRIP_FROM_PATH', meson.source_root())
+
+doxy_conf = configure_file(input: 'doxy-api.conf.in',
+	output: 'doxy-api.conf',
+	configuration: cdata)
+
+doxy_build = custom_target('doxygen',
+	depends: example,
+	input: doxy_conf,
+	output: 'api',
+	command: [generate_doxygen, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@', generate_css],
+	install: get_option('enable_docs'),
+	install_dir: htmldir,
+	build_by_default: get_option('enable_docs'))
+
+doc_targets += doxy_build
+doc_target_names += 'Doxygen_API'
