diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest-template.yml b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest-template.yml
index 118371e377..fea4e8da2f 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest-template.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest-template.yml
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@
       fi
     - section_end buildenv
     - section_start test "Running tests"
-    - $MAKE NINJA=":" $MAKE_CHECK_ARGS
+    # doctests need all the compilation artifacts
+    - $MAKE NINJA=":" MTESTARGS="--no-suite doc" $MAKE_CHECK_ARGS
     - section_end test
 
 .native_test_job_template:
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
index ca1a9c6f70..d888a60063 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ build-system-ubuntu:
     IMAGE: ubuntu2204
     CONFIGURE_ARGS: --enable-docs --enable-rust
     TARGETS: alpha-softmmu microblazeel-softmmu mips64el-softmmu
-    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build
+    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build check-doc
 
 check-system-ubuntu:
   extends: .native_test_job_template
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ build-system-fedora:
     CONFIGURE_ARGS: --disable-gcrypt --enable-nettle --enable-docs --enable-crypto-afalg --enable-rust
     TARGETS: microblaze-softmmu mips-softmmu
       xtensa-softmmu m68k-softmmu riscv32-softmmu ppc-softmmu sparc64-softmmu
-    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build
+    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build check-doc
 
 build-system-fedora-rust-nightly:
   extends:
@@ -127,12 +127,7 @@ build-system-fedora-rust-nightly:
     IMAGE: fedora-rust-nightly
     CONFIGURE_ARGS: --disable-docs --enable-rust --enable-strict-rust-lints
     TARGETS: aarch64-softmmu
-    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build
-  after_script:
-    - source scripts/ci/gitlab-ci-section
-    - section_start test "Running Rust doctests"
-    - cd build
-    - pyvenv/bin/meson devenv -w ../rust ${CARGO-cargo} test --doc -p qemu_api
+    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build check-doc
 
   allow_failure: true
 
diff --git a/docs/devel/rust.rst b/docs/devel/rust.rst
index 11328c05b4..f66f2bef60 100644
--- a/docs/devel/rust.rst
+++ b/docs/devel/rust.rst
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ be run via ``meson test`` or ``make``::
 
    make check-rust
 
+Note that doctests require all ``.o`` files from the build to be available.
+
 Supported tools
 '''''''''''''''
 
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/meson.build b/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
index 62068352b0..b532281e8c 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/meson.build
@@ -45,6 +45,15 @@ rust.test('rust-qemu-api-tests', _qemu_api_rs,
 qemu_api = declare_dependency(link_with: [_qemu_api_rs],
   dependencies: [qemu_api_macros, qom, hwcore, chardev, migration])
 
+# Doctests are essentially integration tests, so they need the same dependencies.
+# Note that running them requires the object files for C code, so place them
+# in a separate suite that is run by the "build" CI jobs rather than "check".
+rust.doctest('rust-qemu-api-doctests',
+     _qemu_api_rs,
+     protocol: 'rust',
+     dependencies: qemu_api,
+     suite: ['doc', 'rust'])
+
 test('rust-qemu-api-integration',
     executable(
         'rust-qemu-api-integration',