diff --git a/build_docs.py b/build_docs.py
index 033ef0f..0e8e67e 100755
--- a/build_docs.py
+++ b/build_docs.py
@@ -640,6 +640,9 @@ def run(self, http: urllib3.PoolManager) -> bool:
         start_timestamp = dt.now(tz=timezone.utc).replace(microsecond=0)
         logging.info("Running.")
         try:
+            if self.language.html_only and not self.includes_html:
+                logging.info("Skipping non-HTML build (language is HTML-only).")
+                return True
             self.cpython_repo.switch(self.version.branch_or_tag)
             if self.language.tag != "en":
                 self.clone_translation()