diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index da5c66cab..6808c805a 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -266,16 +266,18 @@
     </copy>
   </target>
 
-  <!-- builds the various tests -->
+  <!-- runs our tests -->
   <target name="tests">
-    <ant dir="tests" target="compile"/>
+    <ant dir="tests" target="tests"/>
   </target>
 
   <!-- a target for rebuilding everything -->
-  <target name="all" depends="clean,prepare,compile,aslib,ninstall,javadoc,tests,dist"/>
+  <target name="all" depends="clean,prepare,compile,aslib,ninstall,javadoc,dist"/>
 
   <!-- builds our distribution files (war and jar) -->
-  <target name="dist" depends="prepare,compile,procstream,aslib,ninstall,tests">
+  <target name="dist" depends="prepare,compile,procstream,aslib,ninstall">
+    <!-- build our tests since that isn't otherwise normally done -->
+    <ant dir="tests" target="compile"/>
     <!-- build our various jar files -->
     <jar destfile="${deploy.dir}/${lib.name}-base.jar">
       <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/NaryaLog**"/>
@@ -284,7 +286,8 @@
           excludes="**/*.c,**/Makefile,**/*.h"/>
     </jar>
     <jar destfile="${deploy.dir}/${lib.name}-distrib.jar">
-      <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/presents/**" excludes="**/*.html,**/*.png"/>
+      <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/presents/**"
+               excludes="**/*.html,**/*.png"/>
       <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/crowd/**"/>
       <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/admin/**"/>
       <fileset dir="${classes.dir}" includes="com/threerings/bureau/**"/>
diff --git a/tests/build.xml b/tests/build.xml
index 964c5b970..723ac1a29 100644
--- a/tests/build.xml
+++ b/tests/build.xml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
   </path>
 
   <!-- generates additional methods for distributed object classes -->
-  <target name="gendobj" depends="prepare"> 
+  <target name="gendobj" depends="prepare">
     <taskdef name="dobj"
              classname="com.threerings.presents.tools.GenDObjectTask"
              classpathref="classpath"/>
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 
   <!-- generates marshaller and dispatcher classes for all invocation -->
   <!-- service declarations -->
-  <target name="genservice"> 
+  <target name="genservice">
     <taskdef name="service" classpathref="classpath"
              classname="com.threerings.presents.tools.GenServiceTask"/>
     <!-- make sure the service class files are all compiled -->
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
 
   <!-- generates sender and decoder classes for all invocation -->
   <!-- receiver declarations -->
-  <target name="genreceiver"> 
+  <target name="genreceiver">
     <taskdef name="receiver" classpathref="classpath"
              classname="com.threerings.presents.tools.GenReceiverTask"/>
     <!-- make sure the receiver class files are all compiled -->
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
         </uptodate>
       </and>
     </or></condition>
-    <available property="extdep.suffix" value="-0.0-SNAPSHOT" 
+    <available property="extdep.suffix" value="-0.0-SNAPSHOT"
       filepath="../dist/lib" file="thane-0.0-SNAPSHOT.swc"/>
   </target>
 
@@ -162,9 +162,8 @@
     </java>
   </target>
 
-
   <!-- run the tests -->
-  <target name="test" depends="compile"
+  <target name="tests" depends="compile"
     description="Run the tests.">
     <junit printsummary="no" haltonfailure="yes" fork="${junit.fork}">
       <classpath refid="classpath"/>
@@ -190,11 +189,11 @@
   </target>
 
   <!-- builds the bureau thane test client -->
-  <target name="bureau-compile-thane-client" 
+  <target name="bureau-compile-thane-client"
     unless="no_build_thane_client" depends="aslib,bureau-check-thane-client"
     description="Compiles the thane client for testing the bureau library">
 
-    <dirname property="abs.flexsdk.dir" file="${flexsdk.dir}/somefile.txt"/> 
+    <dirname property="abs.flexsdk.dir" file="${flexsdk.dir}/somefile.txt"/>
     <copy file="etc/thane-config.xml.in" tofile="${deploy.dir}/thane-config.xml">
       <filterset>
         <filter token="flex_sdk_dir" value="${abs.flexsdk.dir}"/>