--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/mach_commands.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/mach_commands.py
@@ -320,16 +320,18 @@ class Build(MachCommandBase):
                 return 1
 
             if directory is not None:
                 disable_extra_make_dependencies=True
                 directory = mozpath.normsep(directory)
                 if directory.startswith('/'):
                     directory = directory[1:]
 
+            status = None
+            monitor.start_resource_recording()
             if what:
                 top_make = os.path.join(self.topobjdir, 'Makefile')
                 if not os.path.exists(top_make):
                     print('Your tree has not been configured yet. Please run '
                         '|mach build| with no arguments.')
                     return 1
 
                 # Collect target pairs.
@@ -412,17 +414,16 @@ class Build(MachCommandBase):
                     # need to run configure.  The client.mk invocation below
                     # will configure, which will run config.status, which will
                     # invoke |mach artifact install| itself before continuing
                     # the build.  Therefore, we needn't install artifacts
                     # ourselves.
                     self.log(logging.DEBUG, 'artifact',
                              {}, "Not running |mach artifact install| -- it will be run by client.mk.")
 
-                monitor.start_resource_recording()
                 status = self._run_make(srcdir=True, filename='client.mk',
                     line_handler=output.on_line, log=False, print_directory=False,
                     allow_parallel=False, ensure_exit_code=False, num_jobs=jobs,
                     silent=not verbose)
 
                 make_extra = self.mozconfig['make_extra'] or []
                 make_extra = dict(m.split('=', 1) for m in make_extra)