diff --git a/bin/build-checks.js b/bin/build-checks.js
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..0541da3f5a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/build-checks.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/* eslint-disable global-require, no-console */
+
+const chalk = require('chalk');
+
+require('babel-register');
+const config = require('config');
+
+const appName = config.get('appName');
+
+// Bail if appName isn't set unless explicitly enabled.
+if (!appName && process.env.ADDONS_FRONTEND_BUILD_ALL !== '1') {
+  console.log(
+    chalk.red('Please specify the appName with NODE_APP_INSTANCE'));
+  process.exit(1);
+}
diff --git a/bin/server.js b/bin/server.js
index 760b931b8bf..95c08a8a46a 100644
--- a/bin/server.js
+++ b/bin/server.js
@@ -1,9 +1,19 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
-/* eslint-disable global-require */
+/* eslint-disable global-require, no-console */
+
+const chalk = require('chalk');
 
 require('babel-register');
 const config = require('config');
 
+const appName = config.get('appName');
+
+if (!appName) {
+  console.log(
+    chalk.red('Please specify the appName with NODE_APP_INSTANCE'));
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
 if (config.util.getEnv('NODE_ENV') === 'development') {
   if (!require('piping')({
     hook: true,
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d9f9fd1708f..5521cf60788 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   "main": "index.js",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "better-npm-run build",
+    "build": "bin/build-checks.js && better-npm-run build",
     "extract-locales": "better-npm-run extract-locales",
     "build:disco": "better-npm-run build:disco",
     "build:search": "better-npm-run build:search",
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     "eslint": "eslint .",
     "stylelint": "stylelint --syntax scss **/*.scss",
     "lint": "npm run eslint && npm run stylelint",
-    "servertest": "npm run build && better-npm-run servertest",
+    "servertest": "ADDONS_FRONTEND_BUILD_ALL=1 npm run build && better-npm-run servertest",
     "start": "npm run version-check && NODE_PATH='./:./src' node bin/server.js",
     "start:disco": "NODE_APP_INSTANCE=disco npm start",
     "start:search": "NODE_APP_INSTANCE=search npm start",