diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/build.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/build.ts
index 35ede64f7b..83d9d32c73 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/build.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/build.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,10 @@
  */
 
 import { HelmModule } from "./config"
-import { containsSource, getChartPath, getGardenValuesPath, getBaseModule } from "./common"
+import { containsBuildSource, getChartPath, getGardenValuesPath, getBaseModule } from "./common"
 import { helm } from "./helm-cli"
+import { ConfigurationError } from "../../../exceptions"
+import { deline } from "../../../util/string"
 import { dumpYaml } from "../../../util/util"
 import { LogEntry } from "../../../logger/log-entry"
 import { getNamespace } from "../namespace"
@@ -26,7 +28,14 @@ export async function buildHelmModule({ ctx, module, log }: BuildModuleParams<He
   })
   const baseModule = getBaseModule(module)
 
-  if (!baseModule && !(await containsSource(module))) {
+  if (!baseModule && !(await containsBuildSource(module))) {
+    if (!module.spec.chart) {
+      throw new ConfigurationError(
+        deline`Module '${module.name}' neither specifies a chart name, base module,
+        nor contains chart sources at \`chartPath\`.`,
+        { module }
+      )
+    }
     log.debug("Fetching chart...")
     try {
       await fetchChart(k8sCtx, namespace, log, module)
diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/common.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/common.ts
index 13bb8af1b7..d5f5e44eb1 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/common.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/common.ts
@@ -31,12 +31,24 @@ import { MAX_RUN_RESULT_OUTPUT_LENGTH } from "../constants"
 
 const gardenValuesFilename = "garden-values.yml"
 
+async function containsChart(basePath: string, config: HelmModuleConfig) {
+  const yamlPath = join(basePath, config.spec.chartPath, "Chart.yaml")
+  return pathExists(yamlPath)
+}
+
 /**
  * Returns true if the specified Helm module contains a template (as opposed to just referencing a remote template).
  */
 export async function containsSource(config: HelmModuleConfig) {
-  const yamlPath = join(config.path, config.spec.chartPath, "Chart.yaml")
-  return pathExists(yamlPath)
+  return containsChart(config.path, config)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns true if the specified Helm module contains a template in its build path (as opposed to just referencing
+ * a remote template).
+ */
+export async function containsBuildSource(module: HelmModule) {
+  return containsChart(module.buildPath, module)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -118,7 +130,7 @@ export async function getChartPath(module: HelmModule) {
 
   if (baseModule) {
     return join(module.buildPath, baseModule.spec.chartPath)
-  } else if (await containsSource(module)) {
+  } else if (await containsBuildSource(module)) {
     return join(module.buildPath, module.spec.chartPath)
   } else {
     // This value is validated to exist in the validate module action
diff --git a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/config.ts b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/config.ts
index 4999a6abe0..a73fd6df35 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/config.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/plugins/kubernetes/helm/config.ts
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ export const helmModuleSpecSchema = joi.object().keys({
 export async function configureHelmModule({
   moduleConfig,
 }: ConfigureModuleParams<HelmModule>): Promise<ConfigureModuleResult<HelmModule>> {
-  const { base, chart, dependencies, serviceResource, skipDeploy, tasks, tests } = moduleConfig.spec
+  const { base, dependencies, serviceResource, skipDeploy, tasks, tests } = moduleConfig.spec
 
   const sourceModuleName = serviceResource ? serviceResource.containerModule : undefined
 
@@ -292,14 +292,6 @@ export async function configureHelmModule({
 
   const containsSources = await containsSource(moduleConfig)
 
-  if (!chart && !base && !containsSources) {
-    throw new ConfigurationError(
-      deline`Module '${moduleConfig.name}' neither specifies a chart name, base module,
-      nor contains chart sources at \`chartPath\`.`,
-      { moduleConfig }
-    )
-  }
-
   // Make sure referenced modules are included as build dependencies
   // (This happens automatically for the service source module).
   function addBuildDependency(name: string, copy?: FileCopySpec[]) {
diff --git a/garden-service/src/tasks/build.ts b/garden-service/src/tasks/build.ts
index 36c82612ae..33d2a6e3ee 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/tasks/build.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/tasks/build.ts
@@ -154,6 +154,9 @@ export class BuildTask extends BaseTask {
       log.setState(`Building version ${module.version.versionString}...`)
     }
 
+    const graph = await this.garden.getConfigGraph(log)
+    await this.garden.buildDir.syncDependencyProducts(this.module, graph, log)
+
     let result: BuildResult
     try {
       result = await actions.build({
diff --git a/garden-service/src/tasks/stage-build.ts b/garden-service/src/tasks/stage-build.ts
index baaac2f975..6aa861b323 100644
--- a/garden-service/src/tasks/stage-build.ts
+++ b/garden-service/src/tasks/stage-build.ts
@@ -65,9 +65,7 @@ export class StageBuildTask extends BaseTask {
       })
     }
 
-    const graph = await this.garden.getConfigGraph(log || this.log)
     await this.garden.buildDir.syncFromSrc(this.module, log || this.log)
-    await this.garden.buildDir.syncDependencyProducts(this.module, graph, log || this.log)
 
     if (log) {
       log.setSuccess({