diff --git a/core/build.sh b/core/build.sh
index d8007118cd..711db5741d 100755
--- a/core/build.sh
+++ b/core/build.sh
@@ -289,9 +289,16 @@ fi
 # TODO: in the future this should be part of the meson build, but
 # it's too complicated at present due to old meson versions in
 # debian packaging environments
-if [[ ! -f "$KEYMAN_ROOT/developer/src/kmldmlc/build/kmldmlc.js" ]]; then
-  "$KEYMAN_ROOT/common/web/keyman-version/build.sh" configure build
-  "$KEYMAN_ROOT/developer/src/kmldmlc/build.sh" build
+if $CONFIGURE; then
+  if type node >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Note: Found node, checking and building kmldmlc dependency if needed"
+    if [[ ! -f "$KEYMAN_ROOT/developer/src/kmldmlc/build/kmldmlc.js" ]]; then
+      "$KEYMAN_ROOT/common/web/keyman-version/build.sh" configure build
+      "$KEYMAN_ROOT/developer/src/kmldmlc/build.sh" build
+    fi
+  else
+    echo "Note: could not find node, skipping kmldmlc dependency build, ldml tests will not be run"
+  fi
 fi
 
 if [[ $PLATFORM == native ]]; then
diff --git a/core/tests/unit/ldml/keyboards/meson.build b/core/tests/unit/ldml/keyboards/meson.build
index f10a73904e..0f4ff7c533 100644
--- a/core/tests/unit/ldml/keyboards/meson.build
+++ b/core/tests/unit/ldml/keyboards/meson.build
@@ -4,15 +4,6 @@
 # Authors:      Marc Durdin
 #
 
-if compiler.get_id() == 'gcc' or compiler.get_id() == 'clang' or compiler.get_id() == 'emscripten'
-  warns = [
-     '-Wno-missing-field-initializers',
-     '-Wno-unused-parameter'
-  ]
-else
-  warns = []
-endif
-
 tests = [
 # disabling 000 and 002 until we have updates to core or to the keyboards so that they pass
 #  'k_000_null_keyboard',
diff --git a/core/tests/unit/ldml/meson.build b/core/tests/unit/ldml/meson.build
index 8bd0f675bc..c2afea771e 100644
--- a/core/tests/unit/ldml/meson.build
+++ b/core/tests/unit/ldml/meson.build
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@ endif
 # Build all keyboards in output folder; these are defined here and used in the
 # keyboards subdir
 
-subdir('keyboards')
+node = find_program('node', required: false)
+if node.found()
+  subdir('keyboards')
+else
+  tests = []
+endif
 
 # Build ldml test executable