diff --git a/gitlab/build.sh b/gitlab/build.sh
index a654fd30cee7a1175e04b311d41fa716207d5eb7..4347b56cd04163364a3dc692c3cb91671c12866f 100755
--- a/gitlab/build.sh
+++ b/gitlab/build.sh
@@ -9,17 +9,25 @@ export_env PATH
 
 run_cmd mkdir -p ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}
 
-if [ -z "${CI_COMMIT_TAG}" ]; then
-  run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/python _ci/channel_support.py ${CONDA_BETA_CHANNEL} ${CI_PROJECT_NAME} ${BOB_PACKAGE_VERSION} ${PYTHON_VERSION} -u --log ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt
-else
-  run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/python _ci/channel_support.py ${CONDA_CHANNEL} ${CI_PROJECT_NAME} ${BOB_PACKAGE_VERSION} ${PYTHON_VERSION} -u --log ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt
-
+if [ -z "${BOB_BUILD_NUMBER}" ]; then
+  if [ -z "${CI_COMMIT_TAG}" ]; then
+    run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/python _ci/channel_support.py ${CONDA_BETA_CHANNEL} ${CI_PROJECT_NAME} ${BOB_PACKAGE_VERSION} ${PYTHON_VERSION} -u --log ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt
+  else
+    run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/python _ci/channel_support.py ${CONDA_CHANNEL} ${CI_PROJECT_NAME} ${BOB_PACKAGE_VERSION} ${PYTHON_VERSION} -u --log ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt
+  fi
+
+  BOB_BUILD_NUMBER=`head -n 1 ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt | tr -d '\n'`
+  export_env BOB_BUILD_NUMBER
 fi
 
-BOB_BUILD_NUMBER=`head -n 1 ./_ci/${OS_SLUG}/${PYTHON_VERSION}/build_number.txt | tr -d '\n'`
-export_env BOB_BUILD_NUMBER
-
 # copy the recipe_append.yaml over before build
 run_cmd cp ./_ci/recipe_append.yaml conda/recipe_append.yaml
 
-run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/conda build --no-anaconda-upload --variant-config-files _ci/conda_build_config.yaml --python=${PYTHON_VERSION} conda
+BLDOPT="--no-anaconda-upload"
+BLDOPT="${BLDOPT} --variant-config-files _ci/conda_build_config.yaml"
+BLDOPT="${BLDOPT} --python=${PYTHON_VERSION}"
+if [ -n "${BOB_TEST_ONLY}" ]; then
+  BLDOPT="${BLDOPT} --test"
+fi
+
+run_cmd ${CONDA_ROOT}/bin/conda build ${BLDOPT} conda