diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI-unixish.yml b/.github/workflows/CI-unixish.yml
index 0116dc5ed1e..7bd5b325f22 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI-unixish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI-unixish.yml
@@ -151,6 +151,46 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cmake --build cmake.output --target install
 
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no CLI)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nocli -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_CLI=Off
+
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no CLI / with tests)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          # the test and CLI code are too intertwined so for now we need to reject that
+          if cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nocli_tests -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_TESTS=On -DBUILD_CLI=Off; then
+            exit 1
+          else
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no CLI / with GUI)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nocli_gui -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_CLI=Off -DBUILD_GUI=On
+
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no GUI)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nogui -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_GUI=Off
+
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no GUI / with triage)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          # cannot build triage without GUI
+          if cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nogui_triage -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_GUI=Off -DBUILD_TRIAGE=On; then
+            exit 1
+          else
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+      - name: Run CMake on ubuntu (no CLI / no GUI)
+        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04'
+        run: |
+          cmake -S . -B cmake.output_nocli_nogui -G "Unix Makefiles" -DBUILD_GUI=Off
+
   build_uchar:
 
     strategy:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml b/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
index 69aab78db07..fd9a5f77bde 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
@@ -154,6 +154,26 @@ jobs:
           UNUSEDFUNCTION_ONLY: 1
       # unusedFunction notest nocli - end
 
+      # unusedFunction notest nocli nogui - start
+      - name: CMake (no test / no cli / no gui)
+        run: |
+          cmake -S . -B cmake.output.notest_nocli_nogui -G "Unix Makefiles" -DHAVE_RULES=On -DBUILD_TESTS=Off -DBUILD_CLI=Off -DBUILD_GUI=Off -DENABLE_CHECK_INTERNAL=On
+
+      - name: Generate dependencies (no test / no cli / no gui)
+        run: |
+          # make sure the precompiled headers exist
+          make -C cmake.output.notest_nocli_nogui lib/CMakeFiles/cppcheck-core.dir/cmake_pch.hxx.cxx
+
+      # TODO: find a way to report unmatched suppressions without need to add information checks
+      - name: Self check (unusedFunction / no test / no cli / no gui)
+        if: false  # TODO: the findings are currently too intrusive
+        run: |
+          ./cppcheck -q --template=selfcheck --error-exitcode=1 --library=cppcheck-lib --library=qt -D__CPPCHECK__ -D__GNUC__ --enable=unusedFunction --exception-handling -rp=. --project=cmake.output.notest_nocli_nogui/compile_commands.json --suppressions-list=.selfcheck_unused_suppressions --inline-suppr
+        env:
+          DISABLE_VALUEFLOW: 1
+          UNUSEDFUNCTION_ONLY: 1
+      # unusedFunction notest nocli nogui - end
+
       - name: Fetch corpus
         run: |
           wget https://github.com/danmar/cppcheck/archive/refs/tags/2.8.tar.gz
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index e2cd3029058..cfe46dc26a3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -47,11 +47,13 @@ if(LIBXML2_XMLLINT_EXECUTABLE)
         add_dependencies(validatePlatforms validatePlatforms-${platformname})
     endforeach()
 
-    add_custom_target(errorlist-xml $<TARGET_FILE:cppcheck> --errorlist > ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/errorlist.xml
-            DEPENDS cppcheck)
+    if(TARGET cppcheck)
+        add_custom_target(errorlist-xml $<TARGET_FILE:cppcheck> --errorlist > ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/errorlist.xml
+                DEPENDS cppcheck)
 
-    add_custom_target(example-xml $<TARGET_FILE:cppcheck> --xml --enable=all --inconclusive --max-configs=1 ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/samples 2> ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/example.xml
-            DEPENDS cppcheck)
+        add_custom_target(example-xml $<TARGET_FILE:cppcheck> --xml --enable=all --inconclusive --max-configs=1 ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/samples 2> ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/example.xml
+                DEPENDS cppcheck)
+    endif()
 
     add_custom_target(createXMLExamples DEPENDS errorlist-xml example-xml)
 
diff --git a/cmake/options.cmake b/cmake/options.cmake
index f4efb2f329a..5765f9a9595 100644
--- a/cmake/options.cmake
+++ b/cmake/options.cmake
@@ -62,7 +62,10 @@ option(ENABLE_CHECK_INTERNAL "Enable internal checks"
 option(DISABLE_DMAKE        "Disable run-dmake dependencies"                                OFF)
 option(BUILD_MANPAGE        "Enable man target to build manpage"                            OFF)
 
-option(BUILD_CLI            "Build the cli application"                                     ON)
+option(BUILD_CLI            "Build the CLI application"                                     ON)
+if(NOT BUILD_CLI AND BUILD_TESTS)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Building the tests requires the CLI to be build as well")
+endif()
 
 option(BUILD_GUI            "Build the qt application"                                      OFF)
 option(WITH_QCHART          "Enable QtCharts usage in the GUI"                              OFF)