diff --git a/desktop/scripts/build-headless.ts b/desktop/scripts/build-headless.ts
index 26522438f..b818ac189 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/build-headless.ts
+++ b/desktop/scripts/build-headless.ts
@@ -89,7 +89,9 @@ async function createZip(buildDir: string, distDir: string, targets: string[]) {
   console.log('Created build directory', buildDir);
   await generatePluginEntryPoints();
   await compileHeadless(buildDir);
-  const versionNumber = getVersionNumber();
+  const buildNumber = process.argv.join(' ').match(/--version=(\d+)/);
+  const patch = buildNumber && buildNumber.length > 0 ? buildNumber[1] : '0';
+  const versionNumber = getVersionNumber(parseInt(patch, 10));
   const buildRevision = await genMercurialRevision();
   await preludeBundle(buildDir, versionNumber, buildRevision);
   await createBinary([
diff --git a/desktop/scripts/build-release.ts b/desktop/scripts/build-release.ts
index 07e434f65..805502f34 100755
--- a/desktop/scripts/build-release.ts
+++ b/desktop/scripts/build-release.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,59 @@ import {getIcons, buildLocalIconPath, getIconURL} from '../app/src/utils/icons';
 import isFB from './isFB';
 import copyPackageWithDependencies from './copy-package-with-dependencies';
 import {staticDir, distDir} from './paths';
+import yargs from 'yargs';
+
+const argv = yargs
+  .usage('yarn build [args]')
+  .version(false)
+  .options({
+    mac: {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    'mac-dmg': {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    win: {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    linux: {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    'linux-deb': {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    'linux-snap': {
+      type: 'boolean',
+      group: 'targets',
+    },
+    version: {
+      description:
+        'Unique build identifier to be used as the version patch part for the build',
+      type: 'number',
+      default: 0,
+    },
+  })
+  .help()
+  .strict()
+  .check((argv) => {
+    const targetSpecified =
+      argv.mac ||
+      argv['mac-dmg'] ||
+      argv.win ||
+      argv.linux ||
+      argv['linux-deb'] ||
+      argv['linux-snap'];
+    if (!targetSpecified) {
+      throw new Error('No targets specified. eg. --mac, --win, or --linux');
+    }
+    return true;
+  })
+  .parse(process.argv.slice(1));
 
 async function generateManifest(versionNumber: string) {
   await fs.writeFile(
@@ -65,10 +118,10 @@ async function buildDist(buildFolder: string) {
   const targetsRaw: Map<Platform, Map<Arch, string[]>>[] = [];
   const postBuildCallbacks: (() => void)[] = [];
 
-  if (process.argv.indexOf('--mac') > -1) {
+  if (argv.mac || argv['mac-dmg']) {
     targetsRaw.push(Platform.MAC.createTarget(['dir']));
     // You can build mac apps on Linux but can't build dmgs, so we separate those.
-    if (process.argv.indexOf('--mac-dmg') > -1) {
+    if (argv['mac-dmg']) {
       targetsRaw.push(Platform.MAC.createTarget(['dmg']));
     }
     postBuildCallbacks.push(() =>
@@ -78,22 +131,22 @@ async function buildDist(buildFolder: string) {
       }),
     );
   }
-  if (process.argv.indexOf('--linux') > -1) {
+  if (argv.linux || argv['linux-deb'] || argv['linux-snap']) {
     targetsRaw.push(Platform.LINUX.createTarget(['zip']));
 
-    const argv = process.argv.slice(2);
-    if (argv.indexOf('--linux-deb') > -1) {
+    if (argv['linux-deb']) {
       // linux targets can be:
       // AppImage, snap, deb, rpm, freebsd, pacman, p5p, apk, 7z, zip, tar.xz, tar.lz, tar.gz, tar.bz2, dir
       targetsRaw.push(Platform.LINUX.createTarget(['deb']));
     }
-    if (argv.indexOf('--linux-snap') > -1) {
+    if (argv['linux-snap']) {
       targetsRaw.push(Platform.LINUX.createTarget(['snap']));
     }
   }
-  if (process.argv.indexOf('--win') > -1) {
+  if (argv.win) {
     targetsRaw.push(Platform.WINDOWS.createTarget(['zip']));
   }
+
   if (!targetsRaw.length) {
     throw new Error('No targets specified. eg. --mac, --win, or --linux');
   }
@@ -203,7 +256,7 @@ function downloadIcons(buildFolder: string) {
   await copyStaticFolder(dir);
   await downloadIcons(dir);
   await compileRenderer(dir);
-  const versionNumber = getVersionNumber();
+  const versionNumber = getVersionNumber(argv.version);
   const hgRevision = await genMercurialRevision();
   await modifyPackageManifest(dir, versionNumber, hgRevision);
   await fs.ensureDir(distDir);
diff --git a/desktop/scripts/build-utils.ts b/desktop/scripts/build-utils.ts
index 226dd56ec..7b21a5c8a 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/build-utils.ts
+++ b/desktop/scripts/build-utils.ts
@@ -205,13 +205,10 @@ export function buildFolder(): Promise<string> {
     return '';
   });
 }
-export function getVersionNumber() {
+export function getVersionNumber(buildNumber: number) {
   let {version} = require('../package.json');
   // Unique build number is passed as --version parameter from Sandcastle
-  const buildNumber = process.argv.join(' ').match(/--version=(\d+)/);
-  if (buildNumber && buildNumber.length > 0) {
-    version = [...version.split('.').slice(0, 2), buildNumber[1]].join('.');
-  }
+  version = [...version.split('.').slice(0, 2), buildNumber].join('.');
   return version;
 }