diff --git a/src/librustc/session/config.rs b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
index 0ad53529dd11d..08266981829f0 100644
--- a/src/librustc/session/config.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
@@ -76,18 +76,7 @@ pub enum OutputType {
     Object,
     Exe,
     DepInfo,
-}
-
-#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
-pub enum ErrorOutputType {
-    HumanReadable(ColorConfig),
-    Json,
-}
-
-impl Default for ErrorOutputType {
-    fn default() -> ErrorOutputType {
-        ErrorOutputType::HumanReadable(ColorConfig::Auto)
-    }
+    Metadata
 }
 
 impl OutputType {
@@ -98,7 +87,8 @@ impl OutputType {
             OutputType::Bitcode |
             OutputType::Assembly |
             OutputType::LlvmAssembly |
-            OutputType::Object => false,
+            OutputType::Object |
+            OutputType::Metadata => false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -110,6 +100,7 @@ impl OutputType {
             OutputType::Object => "obj",
             OutputType::Exe => "link",
             OutputType::DepInfo => "dep-info",
+            OutputType::Metadata => "metadata",
         }
     }
 
@@ -121,10 +112,23 @@ impl OutputType {
             OutputType::Object => "o",
             OutputType::DepInfo => "d",
             OutputType::Exe => "",
+            OutputType::Metadata => "",
         }
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum ErrorOutputType {
+    HumanReadable(ColorConfig),
+    Json,
+}
+
+impl Default for ErrorOutputType {
+    fn default() -> ErrorOutputType {
+        ErrorOutputType::HumanReadable(ColorConfig::Auto)
+    }
+}
+
 // Use tree-based collections to cheaply get a deterministic Hash implementation.
 // DO NOT switch BTreeMap out for an unsorted container type! That would break
 // dependency tracking for commandline arguments.
@@ -1329,6 +1333,7 @@ pub fn build_session_options_and_crate_config(matches: &getopts::Matches)
                     "obj" => OutputType::Object,
                     "link" => OutputType::Exe,
                     "dep-info" => OutputType::DepInfo,
+                    "metadata" => OutputType::Metadata,
                     part => {
                         early_error(error_format, &format!("unknown emission type: `{}`",
                                                     part))
diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/back/link.rs b/src/librustc_trans/back/link.rs
index e46bdbb5ccf4a..808dbcce24e66 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/back/link.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/back/link.rs
@@ -190,7 +190,8 @@ pub fn link_binary(sess: &Session,
     let mut out_filenames = Vec::new();
     for &crate_type in sess.crate_types.borrow().iter() {
         // Ignore executable crates if we have -Z no-trans, as they will error.
-        if sess.opts.debugging_opts.no_trans &&
+        if (sess.opts.debugging_opts.no_trans ||
+            sess.opts.output_types.keys().all(|k| k == &OutputType::Metadata)) &&
            crate_type == config::CrateTypeExecutable {
             continue;
         }
diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/back/write.rs b/src/librustc_trans/back/write.rs
index 04b814e2b9772..9e09676aa2846 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/back/write.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/back/write.rs
@@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ pub fn run_passes(sess: &Session,
                 modules_config.emit_obj = true;
                 metadata_config.emit_obj = true;
             },
-            OutputType::DepInfo => {}
+            OutputType::DepInfo | OutputType::Metadata => {}
         }
     }
 
@@ -845,7 +845,8 @@ pub fn run_passes(sess: &Session,
                 copy_if_one_unit(OutputType::Object, true);
             }
             OutputType::Exe |
-            OutputType::DepInfo => {}
+            OutputType::DepInfo |
+            OutputType::Metadata => {}
         }
     }
     let user_wants_bitcode = user_wants_bitcode;
diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/base.rs b/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
index 02aa7c069f9b3..e129d234376fa 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ use rustc::dep_graph::{DepNode, WorkProduct};
 use rustc::hir::map as hir_map;
 use rustc::util::common::time;
 use rustc::mir::mir_map::MirMap;
-use session::config::{self, NoDebugInfo};
+use session::config::{self, NoDebugInfo, OutputType};
 use rustc_incremental::IncrementalHashesMap;
 use session::Session;
 use abi::{self, Abi, FnType};
@@ -1607,7 +1607,8 @@ pub fn trans_crate<'a, 'tcx>(tcx: TyCtxt<'a, 'tcx, 'tcx>,
     assert_module_sources::assert_module_sources(tcx, &modules);
 
     // Skip crate items and just output metadata in -Z no-trans mode.
-    if tcx.sess.opts.debugging_opts.no_trans {
+    if tcx.sess.opts.debugging_opts.no_trans ||
+       tcx.sess.opts.output_types.keys().all(|k| k == &OutputType::Metadata) {
         let linker_info = LinkerInfo::new(&shared_ccx, &[]);
         return CrateTranslation {
             modules: modules,
diff --git a/src/tools/compiletest/src/runtest.rs b/src/tools/compiletest/src/runtest.rs
index e10420bf291e7..b4571d8962f70 100644
--- a/src/tools/compiletest/src/runtest.rs
+++ b/src/tools/compiletest/src/runtest.rs
@@ -389,7 +389,8 @@ actual:\n\
 
         // FIXME (#9639): This needs to handle non-utf8 paths
         let mut args = vec!("-".to_owned(),
-                            "-Zno-trans".to_owned(),
+                            "--emit".to_owned(),
+                            "metadata".to_owned(),
                             "--out-dir".to_owned(),
                             out_dir.to_str().unwrap().to_owned(),
                             format!("--target={}", target),