diff --git a/src/cargo/core/compiler/build_context/target_info.rs b/src/cargo/core/compiler/build_context/target_info.rs
index 81a2d622c63..cff55cf6f2c 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/compiler/build_context/target_info.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/compiler/build_context/target_info.rs
@@ -53,14 +53,17 @@ pub struct FileType {
     /// The kind of file.
     pub flavor: FileFlavor,
     /// The suffix for the file (for example, `.rlib`).
+    /// This is an empty string for executables on Unix-like platforms.
     suffix: String,
     /// The prefix for the file (for example, `lib`).
+    /// This is an empty string for things like executables.
     prefix: String,
-    // Wasm bin target will generate two files in deps such as
-    // "web-stuff.js" and "web_stuff.wasm". Note the different usages of
-    // "-" and "_". should_replace_hyphens is a flag to indicate that
-    // we need to convert the stem "web-stuff" to "web_stuff", so we
-    // won't miss "web_stuff.wasm".
+    /// Flag to convert hyphen to underscore.
+    ///
+    /// wasm bin targets will generate two files in deps such as
+    /// "web-stuff.js" and "web_stuff.wasm". Note the different usages of "-"
+    /// and "_". This flag indicates that the stem "web-stuff" should be
+    /// converted to "web_stuff".
     should_replace_hyphens: bool,
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cargo/core/compiler/compilation.rs b/src/cargo/core/compiler/compilation.rs
index 8c24c2e281b..c3a92f33546 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/compiler/compilation.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/compiler/compilation.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ pub struct Doctest {
 /// A structure returning the result of a compilation.
 pub struct Compilation<'cfg> {
     /// An array of all tests created during this compilation.
+    /// `(package, target, path_to_test_exe)`
     pub tests: Vec<(Package, Target, PathBuf)>,
 
     /// An array of all binaries created.
diff --git a/src/cargo/core/compiler/context/compilation_files.rs b/src/cargo/core/compiler/context/compilation_files.rs
index caf7c5f8be0..f7e0ee7cfb8 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/compiler/context/compilation_files.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/compiler/context/compilation_files.rs
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ impl<'a, 'cfg: 'a> CompilationFiles<'a, 'cfg> {
     /// target.
     pub fn out_dir(&self, unit: &Unit<'a>) -> PathBuf {
         if unit.mode.is_doc() {
-            self.layout(unit.kind).root().parent().unwrap().join("doc")
+            self.layout(unit.kind).doc().to_path_buf()
         } else if unit.mode.is_doc_test() {
             panic!("doc tests do not have an out dir");
         } else if unit.target.is_custom_build() {
@@ -169,11 +169,6 @@ impl<'a, 'cfg: 'a> CompilationFiles<'a, 'cfg> {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Returns the root of the build output tree for the target
-    pub fn target_root(&self) -> &Path {
-        self.target.as_ref().unwrap_or(&self.host).dest()
-    }
-
     /// Returns the root of the build output tree for the host
     pub fn host_root(&self) -> &Path {
         self.host.dest()
@@ -261,8 +256,8 @@ impl<'a, 'cfg: 'a> CompilationFiles<'a, 'cfg> {
     /// (eg a dependent lib).
     fn link_stem(&self, unit: &Unit<'a>) -> Option<(PathBuf, String)> {
         let out_dir = self.out_dir(unit);
-        let bin_stem = self.bin_stem(unit);
-        let file_stem = self.file_stem(unit);
+        let bin_stem = self.bin_stem(unit); // Stem without metadata.
+        let file_stem = self.file_stem(unit); // Stem with metadata.
 
         // We currently only lift files up from the `deps` directory. If
         // it was compiled into something like `example/` or `doc/` then
diff --git a/src/cargo/core/compiler/layout.rs b/src/cargo/core/compiler/layout.rs
index e4ae2bc5174..e5361b67905 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/compiler/layout.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/compiler/layout.rs
@@ -8,71 +8,123 @@
 //! # places all of its output here.
 //! target/
 //!
-//!     # This is the root directory for all output of *dependencies*
-//!     deps/
+//!     # Cache of `rustc -Vv` output for performance.
+//!     .rustc-info.json
 //!
-//!     # Root directory for all compiled examples
-//!     examples/
+//!     # All final artifacts are linked into this directory from `deps`.
+//!     debug/  # or release/
+//!
+//!         # File used to lock the directory to prevent multiple cargo processes
+//!         # from using it at the same time.
+//!         .cargo-lock
+//!
+//!         # Hidden directory that holds all of the fingerprint files for all
+//!         # packages
+//!         .fingerprint/
+//!             # Each package is in a separate directory.
+//!             $pkgname-$META/
+//!                 # Set of source filenames for this package.
+//!                 dep-lib-$pkgname-$META
+//!                 # Timestamp when this package was last built.
+//!                 invoked.timestamp
+//!                 # The fingerprint hash.
+//!                 lib-$pkgname-$META
+//!                 # Detailed information used for logging the reason why
+//!                 # something is being recompiled.
+//!                 lib-$pkgname-$META.json
+//!
+//!         # This is the root directory for all rustc artifacts except build
+//!         # scripts, examples, and test and bench executables. Almost every
+//!         # artifact should have a metadata hash added to its filename to
+//!         # prevent collisions. One notable exception is dynamic libraries.
+//!         deps/
+//!
+//!         # Root directory for all compiled examples.
+//!         examples/
+//!
+//!         # Directory used to store incremental data for the compiler (when
+//!         # incremental is enabled.
+//!         incremental/
 //!
 //!     # This is the location at which the output of all custom build
-//!     # commands are rooted
+//!     # commands are rooted.
 //!     build/
 //!
 //!         # Each package gets its own directory where its build script and
 //!         # script output are placed
-//!         $pkg1/
-//!         $pkg2/
-//!         $pkg3/
+//!         $pkgname-$META/    # For the build script itself.
+//!             # The build script executable (name may be changed by user).
+//!             build-script-build-$META
+//!             # Hard link to build-script-build-$META.
+//!             build-script-build
+//!             # Dependency information generated by rustc.
+//!             build-script-build-$META.d
+//!             # Debug information, depending on platform and profile
+//!             # settings.
+//!             <debug symbols>
 //!
-//!             # Each directory package has a `out` directory where output
-//!             # is placed.
+//!         # The package shows up twice with two different metadata hashes.
+//!         $pkgname-$META/  # For the output of the build script.
+//!             # Timestamp when the build script was last executed.
+//!             invoked.timestamp
+//!             # Directory where script can output files ($OUT_DIR).
 //!             out/
+//!             # Output from the build script.
+//!             output
+//!             # Path to `out`, used to help when the target directory is
+//!             # moved.
+//!             root-output
+//!             # Stderr output from the build script.
+//!             stderr
+//!
+//!     # Output from rustdoc
+//!     doc/
 //!
-//!     # This is the location at which the output of all old custom build
-//!     # commands are rooted
-//!     native/
-//!
-//!         # Each package gets its own directory for where its output is
-//!         # placed. We can't track exactly what's getting put in here, so
-//!         # we just assume that all relevant output is in these
-//!         # directories.
-//!         $pkg1/
-//!         $pkg2/
-//!         $pkg3/
-//!
-//!     # Directory used to store incremental data for the compiler (when
-//!     # incremental is enabled.
-//!     incremental/
-//!
-//!     # Hidden directory that holds all of the fingerprint files for all
-//!     # packages
-//!     .fingerprint/
+//!     # Used by `cargo package` and `cargo publish` to build a `.crate` file.
+//!     package/
+//!
+//!     # Experimental feature for generated build scripts.
+//!     .metabuild/
 //! ```
+//!
+//! When cross-compiling, the layout is the same, except it appears in
+//! `target/$TRIPLE`.
 
 use std::fs;
 use std::io;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use crate::core::Workspace;
-use crate::util::{CargoResult, Config, FileLock, Filesystem};
+use crate::util::{CargoResult, FileLock};
 
 /// Contains the paths of all target output locations.
 ///
 /// See module docs for more information.
 pub struct Layout {
+    /// The root directory: `/path/to/target`.
+    /// If cross compiling: `/path/to/target/$TRIPLE`.
     root: PathBuf,
+    /// The final artifact destination: `$root/debug` (or `release`).
+    dest: PathBuf,
+    /// The directory with rustc artifacts: `$dest/deps`
     deps: PathBuf,
-    native: PathBuf,
+    /// The directory for build scripts: `$dest/build`
     build: PathBuf,
+    /// The directory for incremental files: `$dest/incremental`
     incremental: PathBuf,
+    /// The directory for fingerprints: `$dest/.fingerprint`
     fingerprint: PathBuf,
+    /// The directory for examples: `$dest/examples`
     examples: PathBuf,
-    /// The lock file for a build, will be unlocked when this struct is `drop`ped.
+    /// The directory for rustdoc output: `$root/doc`
+    doc: PathBuf,
+    /// The lockfile for a build (`.cargo-lock`). Will be unlocked when this
+    /// struct is `drop`ped.
     _lock: FileLock,
 }
 
 pub fn is_bad_artifact_name(name: &str) -> bool {
-    ["deps", "examples", "build", "native", "incremental"]
+    ["deps", "examples", "build", "incremental"]
         .iter()
         .any(|&reserved| reserved == name)
 }
@@ -82,55 +134,50 @@ impl Layout {
     ///
     /// This function will block if the directory is already locked.
     ///
-    /// Differs from `at` in that this calculates the root path from the workspace target directory,
-    /// adding the target triple and the profile (debug, release, ...).
+    /// `dest` should be the final artifact directory name. Currently either
+    /// "debug" or "release".
     pub fn new(ws: &Workspace<'_>, triple: Option<&str>, dest: &str) -> CargoResult<Layout> {
-        let mut path = ws.target_dir();
+        let mut root = ws.target_dir();
         // Flexible target specifications often point at json files, so interpret
         // the target triple as a Path and then just use the file stem as the
         // component for the directory name in that case.
         if let Some(triple) = triple {
             let triple = Path::new(triple);
             if triple.extension().and_then(|s| s.to_str()) == Some("json") {
-                path.push(
+                root.push(
                     triple
                         .file_stem()
                         .ok_or_else(|| failure::format_err!("invalid target"))?,
                 );
             } else {
-                path.push(triple);
+                root.push(triple);
             }
         }
-        path.push(dest);
-        Layout::at(ws.config(), path)
-    }
-
-    /// Calculate the paths for build output, lock the build directory, and return as a Layout.
-    ///
-    /// This function will block if the directory is already locked.
-    pub fn at(config: &Config, root: Filesystem) -> CargoResult<Layout> {
+        let dest = root.join(dest);
         // If the root directory doesn't already exist go ahead and create it
         // here. Use this opportunity to exclude it from backups as well if the
         // system supports it since this is a freshly created folder.
-        if !root.as_path_unlocked().exists() {
-            root.create_dir()?;
-            exclude_from_backups(root.as_path_unlocked());
+        if !dest.as_path_unlocked().exists() {
+            dest.create_dir()?;
+            exclude_from_backups(dest.as_path_unlocked());
         }
 
         // For now we don't do any more finer-grained locking on the artifact
         // directory, so just lock the entire thing for the duration of this
         // compile.
-        let lock = root.open_rw(".cargo-lock", config, "build directory")?;
+        let lock = dest.open_rw(".cargo-lock", ws.config(), "build directory")?;
         let root = root.into_path_unlocked();
+        let dest = dest.into_path_unlocked();
 
         Ok(Layout {
-            deps: root.join("deps"),
-            native: root.join("native"),
-            build: root.join("build"),
-            incremental: root.join("incremental"),
-            fingerprint: root.join(".fingerprint"),
-            examples: root.join("examples"),
+            deps: dest.join("deps"),
+            build: dest.join("build"),
+            incremental: dest.join("incremental"),
+            fingerprint: dest.join(".fingerprint"),
+            examples: dest.join("examples"),
+            doc: root.join("doc"),
             root,
+            dest,
             _lock: lock,
         })
     }
@@ -138,7 +185,6 @@ impl Layout {
     /// Makes sure all directories stored in the Layout exist on the filesystem.
     pub fn prepare(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
         mkdir(&self.deps)?;
-        mkdir(&self.native)?;
         mkdir(&self.incremental)?;
         mkdir(&self.fingerprint)?;
         mkdir(&self.examples)?;
@@ -154,9 +200,9 @@ impl Layout {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Fetch the root path.
+    /// Fetch the destination path for final artifacts  (`/…/target/debug`).
     pub fn dest(&self) -> &Path {
-        &self.root
+        &self.dest
     }
     /// Fetch the deps path.
     pub fn deps(&self) -> &Path {
@@ -166,7 +212,11 @@ impl Layout {
     pub fn examples(&self) -> &Path {
         &self.examples
     }
-    /// Fetch the root path.
+    /// Fetch the doc path.
+    pub fn doc(&self) -> &Path {
+        &self.doc
+    }
+    /// Fetch the root path (`/…/target`).
     pub fn root(&self) -> &Path {
         &self.root
     }
@@ -178,7 +228,7 @@ impl Layout {
     pub fn fingerprint(&self) -> &Path {
         &self.fingerprint
     }
-    /// Fetch the build path.
+    /// Fetch the build script path.
     pub fn build(&self) -> &Path {
         &self.build
     }
diff --git a/src/cargo/core/compiler/mod.rs b/src/cargo/core/compiler/mod.rs
index 58763d9750e..14e2f60adad 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/compiler/mod.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/compiler/mod.rs
@@ -480,6 +480,7 @@ fn link_targets<'a, 'cfg>(
     }))
 }
 
+/// Hardlink (file) or symlink (dir) src to dst if possible, otherwise copy it.
 fn hardlink_or_copy(src: &Path, dst: &Path) -> CargoResult<()> {
     debug!("linking {} to {}", src.display(), dst.display());
     if is_same_file(src, dst).unwrap_or(false) {
diff --git a/src/doc/src/reference/manifest.md b/src/doc/src/reference/manifest.md
index ea60e8c5578..4839be1257d 100644
--- a/src/doc/src/reference/manifest.md
+++ b/src/doc/src/reference/manifest.md
@@ -628,7 +628,7 @@ dependencies residing in the workspace directory become members. You can add
 additional packages to the workspace by listing them in the `members` key. Note
 that members of the workspaces listed explicitly will also have their path
 dependencies included in the workspace. Sometimes a package may have a lot of
-workspace members and it can be onerous to keep up to date. The path dependency
+workspace members and it can be onerous to keep up to date. The `members` list
 can also use [globs][globs] to match multiple paths. Finally, the `exclude`
 key can be used to blacklist paths from being included in a workspace. This can
 be useful if some path dependencies aren't desired to be in the workspace at