diff --git a/packages/cli-build/src/wait.js b/packages/cli-build/src/wait.js
index 8b26d11b2..9385a9bcf 100644
--- a/packages/cli-build/src/wait.js
+++ b/packages/cli-build/src/wait.js
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ export const wait = command('wait', {
   }, {
     name: 'project',
     description: 'Build project slug, requires \'--commit\'',
-    requires: ['commit'],
     type: 'slug',
     short: 'p'
   }, {
@@ -78,9 +77,11 @@ function logProgress({
     'total-comparisons': total,
     'total-comparisons-diff': diffs,
     'total-comparisons-finished': finished
-  }
-}, log) {
+  } = {}
+} = {}, log) {
   switch (state) {
+    case undefined:
+      return log.progress('Waiting for build...');
     case 'pending':
       return log.progress('Recieving snapshots...');
     case 'processing':
@@ -123,10 +124,10 @@ function failureMessage(type, {
 
 // Return true or false if a build is considered failing or not
 function isFailing({
-  attributes: { state, 'total-comparisons-diff': diffs }
-}, { failOnChanges }) {
+  attributes: { state, 'total-comparisons-diff': diffs } = {}
+} = {}, { failOnChanges }) {
   // not pending and not processing
-  return state !== 'pending' && state !== 'processing' &&
+  return state != null && state !== 'pending' && state !== 'processing' &&
     // not finished or finished with diffs
     (state !== 'finished' || (failOnChanges && !!diffs));
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli-build/test/wait.test.js b/packages/cli-build/test/wait.test.js
index 57c9ab0ab..41a5e3d45 100644
--- a/packages/cli-build/test/wait.test.js
+++ b/packages/cli-build/test/wait.test.js
@@ -41,10 +41,25 @@ describe('percy build:wait', () => {
 
     expect(logger.stdout).toEqual([]);
     expect(logger.stderr).toEqual([
-      '[percy] Error: Missing build ID or commit SHA'
+      '[percy] Error: Missing project path or build ID'
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('logs while waiting for a matching build', async () => {
+    api
+      .reply('/projects/foo/bar/builds?filter[sha]=sha123', () => [200, { data: [] }])
+      .reply('/projects/foo/bar/builds?filter[sha]=sha123', () => [200, {
+        data: [build({ 'total-comparisons-finished': 72, state: 'finished' }).data]
+      }]);
+
+    await wait(['--project=foo/bar', '--commit=sha123', '--timeout=500', '--interval=50']);
+
+    expect(logger.stderr).toEqual([]);
+    expect(logger.stdout).toEqual(jasmine.arrayContaining([
+      '[percy] Waiting for build...'
+    ]));
+  });
+
   it('logs while recieving snapshots', async () => {
     api
       .reply('/builds/123', () => [200, build({
diff --git a/packages/client/src/client.js b/packages/client/src/client.js
index def0ffbdf..2b5eeb468 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/client.js
+++ b/packages/client/src/client.js
@@ -195,19 +195,21 @@ export class PercyClient {
     timeout = 10 * 60 * 1000,
     interval = 1000
   }, onProgress) {
-    if (commit && !project) {
+    if (!project && commit) {
       throw new Error('Missing project path for commit');
-    } else if (!commit && !build) {
-      throw new Error('Missing build ID or commit SHA');
+    } else if (!project && !build) {
+      throw new Error('Missing project path or build ID');
     } else if (project) {
       validateProjectPath(project);
     }
 
+    commit ||= this.env.git.sha;
+    if (!build && !commit) throw new Error('Missing build commit');
     let sha = commit && (git(`rev-parse ${commit}`) || commit);
 
     let fetchData = async () => build
       ? (await this.getBuild(build)).data
-      : (await this.getBuilds(project, { sha })).data[0];
+      : (await this.getBuilds(project, { sha })).data?.[0];
 
     this.log.debug(`Waiting for build ${build || `${project} (${commit})`}...`);
 
@@ -225,7 +227,7 @@ export class PercyClient {
 
         // no new data within the timeout
         } else if (Date.now() - t >= timeout) {
-          throw new Error('Timeout exceeded without an update');
+          throw new Error(state == null ? 'Build not found' : 'Timeout exceeded with no updates');
         }
 
         // call progress every update after the first update
diff --git a/packages/client/test/client.test.js b/packages/client/test/client.test.js
index 3ef61f1ad..adf833a2f 100644
--- a/packages/client/test/client.test.js
+++ b/packages/client/test/client.test.js
@@ -277,16 +277,23 @@ describe('PercyClient', () => {
   });
 
   describe('#waitForBuild()', () => {
-    it('throws when missing a build or commit sha', () => {
-      expect(() => client.waitForBuild({}))
-        .toThrowError('Missing build ID or commit SHA');
+    it('throws when missing a project or build', () => {
+      expect(() => client.waitForBuild({ commit: null }))
+        .toThrowError('Missing project path or build ID');
     });
 
-    it('throws when missing a project with a commit sha', () => {
+    it('throws when missing a project with a commit', () => {
       expect(() => client.waitForBuild({ commit: '...' }))
         .toThrowError('Missing project path for commit');
     });
 
+    it('throws when missing a commit for a project', () => {
+      Object.defineProperty(client.env, 'git', { value: { sha: null } });
+
+      expect(() => client.waitForBuild({ project: 'foo/bar' }))
+        .toThrowError('Missing build commit');
+    });
+
     it('throws when using an invalid project path', () => {
       expect(() => client.waitForBuild({ commit: '...', project: 'test' }))
         .toThrowError('Invalid project path. Expected "org/project" but received "test"');
@@ -320,7 +327,18 @@ describe('PercyClient', () => {
       }]);
 
       await expectAsync(client.waitForBuild({ build: '123', timeout: 1500, interval: 50 }))
-        .toBeRejectedWithError('Timeout exceeded without an update');
+        .toBeRejectedWithError('Timeout exceeded with no updates');
+    });
+
+    it('throws when no build is found within the timeout', async () => {
+      api.reply('/projects/foo/bar/builds?filter[sha]=sha123', () => [200, { data: [] }]);
+
+      await expectAsync(client.waitForBuild({
+        project: 'foo/bar',
+        commit: 'sha123',
+        timeout: 500,
+        interval: 50
+      })).toBeRejectedWithError('Build not found');
     });
 
     it('resolves when the build completes', async () => {
@@ -347,7 +365,7 @@ describe('PercyClient', () => {
           data: [{ attributes: { state: 'finished' } }]
         }]);
 
-      await expectAsync(client.waitForBuild({ project: 'foo/bar', commit: 'HEAD', interval: 50 }))
+      await expectAsync(client.waitForBuild({ project: 'foo/bar', interval: 50 }))
         .toBeResolvedTo({ data: { attributes: { state: 'finished' } } });
     });