diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d19f7fdba..5c4dac4f2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ buck-out/
 /infer/models/cpp/out/
 /infer/models/objc/out/
 /infer/lib/specs/c_models
+/infer/lib/specs/clang_models
 /infer/lib/specs/cpp_models
 /infer/lib/specs/objc_models
 /infer/lib/specs/clean_models
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 81880abfc..95b68fa08 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -120,9 +120,6 @@ infer: src_build
 ifeq ($(BUILD_JAVA_ANALYZERS),yes)
 	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) -C $(ANNOTATIONS_DIR)
 endif
-#	Delete existing specs so that they are not used during the analysis of models. Infer may
-#	segfault in some cases otherwise.
-	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) -C $(MODELS_DIR) clean_specs
 	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) -C $(MODELS_DIR) all
 
 .PHONY: clang_setup
diff --git a/infer/models/Makefile b/infer/models/Makefile
index 514aedfc0..8d9e0d8be 100644
--- a/infer/models/Makefile
+++ b/infer/models/Makefile
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ CPP_MODELS_DIR = cpp
 JAVA_MODELS_DIR = java
 OBJC_MODELS_DIR = objc
 
+CLANG_MODELS_FILE = $(SPECS_LIB_DIR)/clang_models
+
 CLANG_SUBDIRS = $(C_MODELS_DIR) $(CPP_MODELS_DIR)
 ifneq (no, $(XCODE_SELECT))
 CLANG_SUBDIRS += $(OBJC_MODELS_DIR)
@@ -29,12 +31,29 @@ endif
 .PHONY: java clang clean clean_specs $(CLANG_SUBDIRS)
 
 clean_specs:
-	$(REMOVE) $(SPECS_LIB_DIR)/*.specs
+	$(REMOVE) $(SPECS_LIB_DIR)/*.specs $(C_MODELS_FILE) $(CPP_MODELS_FILE) $(OBJC_MODELS_FILE)
 
 $(CLANG_SUBDIRS):
 	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) -C $@ install
 
-clang: $(CLANG_SUBDIRS)
+# The clang deps have changed, so the models need to be rebuilt. If infer itself has changed, we
+# need to nuke the previous specs files in case the serialization has changed, otherwise we might
+# encounter a segfault reading them.
+$(CLANG_MODELS_FILE): $(CLANG_DEPS_NO_MODELS)
+	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) clean_specs
+#	Since [CLANG_DEPS_NO_MODELS] is newer than [CLANG_MODELS_FILE], it is also newer than the
+#	previously built clang models, so they will all be rebuilt by the subdirs' Makefiles.
+	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) $(CLANG_SUBDIRS)
+#	Maintain the invariant that [CLANG_MODELS_FILE] is newer than the clang models.
+	$(QUIET)touch $@
+
+clang: $(CLANG_MODELS_FILE)
+#	Run the sub-makes unconditionally since they know more about when they need to be
+#	rebuilt. For instance, they need to be rebuilt when their source files change, which is not
+#	taken into account by the dependencies of the $(CLANG_MODELS_FILE) target. If we rebuilt
+#	$(CLANG_MODELS_FILE) already, then the command below will be a no-op (so we don't rebuild
+#	the models twice).
+	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) $(CLANG_SUBDIRS)
 
 java:
 	$(QUIET)$(MAKE) -C $@ install