diff --git a/packages/cli-command/src/command.js b/packages/cli-command/src/command.js
index 644e2eb8f..edce80b7d 100644
--- a/packages/cli-command/src/command.js
+++ b/packages/cli-command/src/command.js
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ export default class PercyCommand extends Command {
 
     // set config: false to prevent core from reloading config
     return Object.assign(config, {
+      skipUploads: this.flags.debug,
       config: false
     });
   }
diff --git a/packages/cli-command/src/flags.js b/packages/cli-command/src/flags.js
index 32c68749d..0fe8767fd 100644
--- a/packages/cli-command/src/flags.js
+++ b/packages/cli-command/src/flags.js
@@ -18,22 +18,25 @@ const logging = {
   })
 };
 
-// Common asset discovery flags mapped to config options.
+// Common asset discovery flags.
 const discovery = {
   'allowed-hostname': flags.string({
     char: 'h',
-    description: 'allowed hostnames',
+    description: 'allowed hostnames to capture in asset discovery',
     multiple: true,
     percyrc: 'discovery.allowedHostnames'
   }),
   'network-idle-timeout': flags.integer({
     char: 't',
-    description: 'asset discovery idle timeout',
+    description: 'asset discovery network idle timeout',
     percyrc: 'discovery.networkIdleTimeout'
   }),
   'disable-cache': flags.boolean({
     description: 'disable asset discovery caches',
     percyrc: 'discovery.disableCache'
+  }),
+  debug: flags.boolean({
+    description: 'debug asset discovery and do not upload snapshots'
   })
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/cli-command/test/command.test.js b/packages/cli-command/test/command.test.js
index 0ad8efb34..3a0a95854 100644
--- a/packages/cli-command/test/command.test.js
+++ b/packages/cli-command/test/command.test.js
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ describe('PercyCommand', () => {
     expect(logger.loglevel()).toBe('warn');
     await TestPercyCommand.run(['--silent']);
     expect(logger.loglevel()).toBe('silent');
+    await TestPercyCommand.run(['--debug']);
+    expect(logger.loglevel()).toBe('debug');
   });
 
   it('logs errors to the logger and exits', async () => {
@@ -127,12 +129,14 @@ describe('PercyCommand', () => {
         '--allowed-hostname', '*.percy.io',
         '--network-idle-timeout', '150',
         '--disable-cache',
+        '--debug',
         'foo', 'bar'
       ])).toBeResolved();
 
       expect(results[0].percyrc()).toEqual({
         version: 2,
         config: false,
+        skipUploads: true,
         snapshot: {
           widths: [375, 1280],
           minHeight: 1024,
diff --git a/packages/cli-exec/README.md b/packages/cli-exec/README.md
index 0db23d626..ec663837e 100644
--- a/packages/cli-exec/README.md
+++ b/packages/cli-exec/README.md
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ USAGE
 OPTIONS
   -P, --port=port                                  [default: 5338] server port
   -c, --config=config                              configuration file path
-  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames
+  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames to capture in asset discovery
   -q, --quiet                                      log errors only
-  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery idle timeout
+  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery network idle timeout
   -v, --verbose                                    log everything
+  --debug                                          debug asset discovery and do not upload snapshots
   --disable-cache                                  disable asset discovery caches
   --parallel                                       marks the build as one of many parallel builds
   --partial                                        marks the build as a partial build
@@ -60,10 +61,11 @@ USAGE
 OPTIONS
   -P, --port=port                                  [default: 5338] server port
   -c, --config=config                              configuration file path
-  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames
+  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames to capture in asset discovery
   -q, --quiet                                      log errors only
-  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery idle timeout
+  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery network idle timeout
   -v, --verbose                                    log everything
+  --debug                                          debug asset discovery and do not upload snapshots
   --disable-cache                                  disable asset discovery caches
   --silent                                         log nothing
 
diff --git a/packages/cli-snapshot/README.md b/packages/cli-snapshot/README.md
index 5918cdfb9..ec1a9f96d 100644
--- a/packages/cli-snapshot/README.md
+++ b/packages/cli-snapshot/README.md
@@ -21,11 +21,12 @@ OPTIONS
   -b, --base-url=base-url                          the base url pages are hosted at when snapshotting
   -c, --config=config                              configuration file path
   -d, --dry-run                                    prints a list of pages to snapshot without snapshotting
-  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames
+  -h, --allowed-hostname=allowed-hostname          allowed hostnames to capture in asset discovery
   -q, --quiet                                      log errors only
-  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery idle timeout
+  -t, --network-idle-timeout=network-idle-timeout  asset discovery network idle timeout
   -v, --verbose                                    log everything
   --clean-urls                                     rewrite static index and filepath URLs to be clean
+  --debug                                          debug asset discovery and do not upload snapshots
   --disable-cache                                  disable asset discovery caches
 
   --files=files                                    [default: **/*.{html,htm}] one or more globs matching static file
diff --git a/packages/core/README.md b/packages/core/README.md
index 41256a695..a65daaa0d 100644
--- a/packages/core/README.md
+++ b/packages/core/README.md
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ const percy = await Percy.start(percyOptions)
 - `clientInfo` — Client info sent to Percy via a user-agent string
 - `environmentInfo` — Environment info also sent with the user-agent string
 - `deferUploads` — Defer creating a build and uploading snapshots until later
+- `skipUploads` — Skip creating a build and uploading snapshots altogether
 
 The following options can also be defined within a Percy config file
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/percy.js b/packages/core/src/percy.js
index eab7688dc..f727a065d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/percy.js
+++ b/packages/core/src/percy.js
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@ export default class Percy {
   constructor({
     // initial log level
     loglevel,
-    // upload snapshots eagerly by default
-    deferUploads = false,
+    // do not eagerly upload snapshots
+    deferUploads,
+    // run without uploading anything
+    skipUploads,
     // configuration filepath
     config,
     // provided to @percy/client
@@ -52,7 +54,8 @@ export default class Percy {
     ...options
   } = {}) {
     if (loglevel) this.loglevel(loglevel);
-    this.deferUploads = deferUploads;
+    this.deferUploads = skipUploads || deferUploads;
+    this.skipUploads = skipUploads;
 
     this.config = PercyConfig.load({
       overrides: options,
@@ -99,7 +102,7 @@ export default class Percy {
   // Waits for snapshot idle and flushes the upload queue
   async dispatch() {
     await this.#snapshots.idle();
-    await this.#uploads.flush();
+    if (!this.skipUploads) await this.#uploads.flush();
   }
 
   // Immediately stops all queues, preventing any more tasks from running
@@ -111,40 +114,36 @@ export default class Percy {
   // Starts a local API server, a browser process, and queues creating a new Percy build which will run
   // at a later time when uploads are deferred, or run immediately when not deferred.
   async start() {
-    // throws when the token is missing
-    this.client.getToken();
-
     // already starting or started
     if (this.readyState != null) return;
     this.readyState = 0;
 
-    try {
-      // create a percy build as the first immediately queued task
-      let buildTask = this.#uploads.push('build/create', () => {
-        // pause other queued tasks until after the build is created
-        this.#uploads.stop();
-
-        return this.client.createBuild()
-          .then(({ data: { id, attributes } }) => {
-            this.build = { id };
-            this.build.number = attributes['build-number'];
-            this.build.url = attributes['web-url'];
-            this.#uploads.run();
-          });
-      }, 0);
-
-      if (!this.deferUploads) {
-        // when not deferred, wait until the build is created
-        await buildTask;
-      } else {
-        // handle deferred build errors
-        buildTask.catch(err => {
-          this.log.error('Failed to create build');
-          this.log.error(err);
-          this.close();
+    // create a percy build as the first immediately queued task
+    let buildTask = this.#uploads.push('build/create', () => {
+      // pause other queued tasks until after the build is created
+      this.#uploads.stop();
+
+      return this.client.createBuild()
+        .then(({ data: { id, attributes } }) => {
+          this.build = { id };
+          this.build.number = attributes['build-number'];
+          this.build.url = attributes['web-url'];
+          this.#uploads.run();
         });
-      }
+    }, 0);
+
+    // handle deferred build errors
+    if (this.deferUploads) {
+      buildTask.catch(err => {
+        this.log.error('Failed to create build');
+        this.log.error(err);
+        this.close();
+      });
+    }
 
+    try {
+      // when not deferred, wait until the build is created first
+      if (!this.deferUploads) await buildTask;
       // launch the discovery browser
       await this.browser.launch(this.config.discovery.launchOptions);
       // if there is a server, start listening
@@ -194,7 +193,7 @@ export default class Percy {
     }
 
     // run, close, and wait for the upload queue to empty
-    if (this.#uploads.run().close().length) {
+    if (!this.skipUploads && this.#uploads.run().close().length) {
       await this.#uploads.empty(len => {
         this.log.progress(`Uploading ${len}` + (
           ` snapshot${len !== 1 ? 's' : ''}...`), !!len);
diff --git a/packages/core/test/percy.test.js b/packages/core/test/percy.test.js
index 17303c4c9..9b6f48483 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/percy.test.js
+++ b/packages/core/test/percy.test.js
@@ -207,6 +207,26 @@ describe('Percy', () => {
       expect(mockAPI.requests['/builds']).toBeDefined();
     });
 
+    it('does not create a build when uploads are skipped', async () => {
+      percy = new Percy({ token: 'PERCY_TOKEN', skipUploads: true });
+      await expectAsync(percy.start()).toBeResolved();
+      expect(mockAPI.requests['/builds']).toBeUndefined();
+
+      // attempt to dispatch differed uploads
+      await percy.dispatch();
+
+      expect(mockAPI.requests['/builds']).toBeUndefined();
+
+      // stopping should also skip uploads
+      await percy.stop();
+
+      expect(mockAPI.requests['/builds']).toBeUndefined();
+
+      expect(logger.stderr).toEqual([
+        '[percy] Build not created'
+      ]);
+    });
+
     it('stops accepting snapshots when a queued build fails to be created', async () => {
       server = await createTestServer({
         default: () => [200, 'text/html', '<p>Snapshot</p>']
diff --git a/packages/logger/src/index.js b/packages/logger/src/index.js
index 14141bfa7..d9fce63e1 100644
--- a/packages/logger/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/logger/src/index.js
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ Object.assign(logger, {
   connect: (...args) => new Logger().connect(...args),
   remote: (...args) => new Logger().remote(...args),
   loglevel(level, flags = {}) {
-    if (flags.verbose) level = 'debug';
+    if (flags.debug) level = 'debug';
+    else if (flags.verbose) level = 'debug';
     else if (flags.quiet) level = 'warn';
     else if (flags.silent) level = 'silent';
     return new Logger().loglevel(level);
diff --git a/packages/logger/test/logger.test.js b/packages/logger/test/logger.test.js
index 74b0483fb..6c1a4ac96 100644
--- a/packages/logger/test/logger.test.js
+++ b/packages/logger/test/logger.test.js
@@ -171,6 +171,8 @@ describe('logger', () => {
     });
 
     it('can be controlled by a secondary flags argument', () => {
+      logger.loglevel('info', { debug: true });
+      expect(logger.loglevel()).toEqual('debug');
       logger.loglevel('info', { verbose: true });
       expect(logger.loglevel()).toEqual('debug');
       logger.loglevel('info', { quiet: true });
@@ -267,7 +269,7 @@ describe('logger', () => {
       expect(helpers.stderr).toEqual([
         jasmine.stringMatching('Warn log \\(\\dms\\)'),
         jasmine.stringMatching('Error log \\(\\dms\\)'),
-        jasmine.stringMatching('Debug log \\((9[0-9]|1[01][0-9])ms\\)'),
+        jasmine.stringMatching('Debug log \\(\\d{2,3}ms\\)'),
         jasmine.stringMatching('Final log \\(\\dms\\)')
       ]);
     });