diff --git a/mlir/include/mlir/IR/Action.h b/mlir/include/mlir/IR/Action.h
--- a/mlir/include/mlir/IR/Action.h
+++ b/mlir/include/mlir/IR/Action.h
@@ -57,6 +57,14 @@
     os << "Action \"" << getTag() << "\"";
   }
 
+  /// Return whether this action can be skipped by the action manager without
+  /// breaking the compiler. We assume that the majority of actions are in
+  /// this category, for the others (like lowering passes), the derived classes
+  /// can override.
+  virtual bool canBeSkipped() const {
+    return true;
+  }
+
 protected:
   Action(TypeID actionID) : actionID(actionID) {}
 
@@ -203,6 +211,7 @@
 
 /// CRTP Implementation of an action. This class provides a base class for
 /// implementing specific actions.
+/// 
 ///  Derived classes are expected to provide the following:
 ///   * static constexpr StringLiteral tag = "...";
 ///     - This method returns a unique string identifier, similar to a command
@@ -210,6 +219,7 @@
 template <typename Derived, typename... ParameterTs>
 class ActionImpl : public Action {
 public:
+
   ActionImpl() : Action(TypeID::get<Derived>()) {}
 
   /// Provide classof to allow casting between action types.