diff --git a/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js b/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
index 668e24307..bb9c3a1f0 100644
--- a/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
+++ b/src/cmd/cmd_controller.js
@@ -213,10 +213,10 @@ class EmbarkController {
         engine.startService("processManager");
         engine.startService("libraryManager");
         engine.startService("codeRunner");
+        engine.startService("pipeline");
         if (!options.onlyCompile) {
           engine.startService("web3");
           engine.startService("deployment", {onlyCompile: options.onlyCompile});
-          engine.startService("pipeline");
           engine.startService("storage");
           engine.startService("codeGenerator");
         } else {
@@ -226,12 +226,14 @@ class EmbarkController {
         callback();
       },
       function buildOrBuildAndDeploy(callback) {
-        if (options.onlyCompile) {
-          engine.events.request('contracts:build', {}, err => callback(err));
-        } else {
-          // deploy:contracts will trigger a build as well
-          engine.events.request('deploy:contracts', err => callback(err));
-        }
+        if (options.onlyCompile)
+          return engine.events.request('contracts:build', {}, err => {
+            if(err !== undefined) return callback(err);
+            engine.events.request('pipeline:build:contracts', err => callback(err));
+          });
+
+        // deploy:contracts will trigger a build as well
+        engine.events.request('deploy:contracts', err => callback(err));
       },
       function waitForWriteFinish(callback) {
         if (options.onlyCompile) {
diff --git a/src/lib/modules/pipeline/index.js b/src/lib/modules/pipeline/index.js
index 76f523709..336f6e1cc 100644
--- a/src/lib/modules/pipeline/index.js
+++ b/src/lib/modules/pipeline/index.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class Pipeline {
     this.isFirstBuild = true;
 
     this.events.setCommandHandler('pipeline:build', (options, callback) => this.build(options, callback));
+    this.events.setCommandHandler('pipeline:build:contracts', callback => this.buildContracts(callback));
     fs.removeSync(this.buildDir);
 
     let plugin = this.plugins.createPlugin('deployment', {});
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class Pipeline {
         } catch (error) {
           return res.send({error: error.message});
         }
-        
+
         const name = path.basename(req.query.path);
         const content = fs.readFileSync(req.query.path, 'utf8');
         res.send({name, content, path: req.query.path});
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ class Pipeline {
         } catch (error) {
           return res.send({error: error.message});
         }
-        
+
         fs.mkdirpSync(req.body.path);
         const name = path.basename(req.body.path);
         res.send({name, path: req.body.path});
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ class Pipeline {
         const walk = (dir, filelist = []) => fs.readdirSync(dir).map(name => {
           let isRoot = rootPath === dir;
           if (fs.statSync(path.join(dir, name)).isDirectory()) {
-            return { 
+            return {
               isRoot,
               name,
               dirname: dir,