diff --git a/src/cargo/ops/resolve.rs b/src/cargo/ops/resolve.rs
index 470e36f48ba..89b87715000 100644
--- a/src/cargo/ops/resolve.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/ops/resolve.rs
@@ -455,12 +455,30 @@ fn register_previous_locks<'a>(
             }
 
             // If we match *anything* in the dependency graph then we consider
-            // ourselves A-OK and assume that we'll resolve to that. If,
-            // however, nothing matches, then we poison the source of this
-            // dependencies and the previous lock file.
+            // ourselves A-OK and assume that we'll resolve to that.
             if resolve.iter().any(|id| dep.matches_ignoring_source(id)) {
                 continue;
             }
+
+            // If this dependency didn't match anything special then we may want
+            // to poison the source as it may have been added. If this path
+            // dependencies is *not* a workspace member, however, and it's an
+            // optional/non-transitive dependency then it won't be necessarily
+            // be in our lock file. If this shows up then we avoid poisoning
+            // this source as otherwise we'd repeatedly update the registry.
+            //
+            // TODO: this breaks adding an optional dependency in a
+            //       non-workspace member and then simultaneously editing the
+            //       dependency on that crate to enable the feature. For now
+            //       this bug is better than the always updating registry
+            //       though...
+            if !ws.members().any(|pkg| pkg.package_id() == member.package_id()) &&
+                (dep.is_optional() || !dep.is_transitive()) {
+                continue
+            }
+
+            // Ok if nothing matches, then we poison the source of this
+            // dependencies and the previous lock file.
             for id in resolve.iter().filter(|id| id.source_id() == source) {
                 add_deps(resolve, id, &mut avoid_locking);
             }
diff --git a/tests/testsuite/freshness.rs b/tests/testsuite/freshness.rs
index 246533821ae..597e19c5cb8 100644
--- a/tests/testsuite/freshness.rs
+++ b/tests/testsuite/freshness.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use std::io::prelude::*;
 use cargotest::sleep_ms;
 use cargotest::support::{execs, project, path2url};
 use cargotest::support::paths::CargoPathExt;
+use cargotest::support::registry::Package;
 use hamcrest::{assert_that, existing_file};
 
 #[test]
@@ -1007,3 +1008,60 @@ fn no_rebuild_when_rename_dir() {
             .with_stderr("[FINISHED] dev [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in [..]"),
     );
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn unused_optional_dep() {
+    Package::new("registry1", "0.1.0").publish();
+    Package::new("registry2", "0.1.0").publish();
+    Package::new("registry3", "0.1.0").publish();
+
+    let p = project("p")
+        .file(
+            "Cargo.toml",
+            r#"
+                [package]
+                name = "p"
+                authors = []
+                version = "0.1.0"
+
+                [dependencies]
+                foo = { path = "foo" }
+                bar = { path = "bar" }
+                registry1 = "*"
+            "#,
+        )
+        .file("src/lib.rs", "")
+        .file(
+            "foo/Cargo.toml",
+            r#"
+                [package]
+                name = "foo"
+                version = "0.1.1"
+                authors = []
+
+                [dev-dependencies]
+                registry2 = "*"
+            "#,
+        )
+        .file("foo/src/lib.rs", "")
+        .file(
+            "bar/Cargo.toml",
+            r#"
+                [package]
+                name = "bar"
+                version = "0.1.1"
+                authors = []
+
+                [dependencies]
+                registry3 = { version = "*", optional = true }
+            "#,
+        )
+        .file("bar/src/lib.rs", "")
+        .build();
+
+    assert_that(p.cargo("build"), execs().with_status(0));
+    assert_that(
+        p.cargo("build"),
+        execs().with_status(0).with_stderr("[FINISHED] [..]"),
+    );
+}