diff --git a/buildPackages.sh b/buildPackages.sh
index cddbe29fa..dc01f4a82 100755
--- a/buildPackages.sh
+++ b/buildPackages.sh
@@ -13,12 +13,53 @@ ARCHIVENAME=$VERNAME".orig.tar.gz"
 
 # ARCHIVENAME > FULLVERNAME > VERNAME = PACKAGENAME+UPVER
 
+# Get some args
+OPT_SUDO=true
+OPT_APT=true
+OPT_KEEP=false
+while [ $# -ge 1 ] ; do
+    if [ ${1} = "-s" -o ${1} = "--no-sudo" ] ; then
+        OPT_SUDO=false
+        shift
+    elif [ ${1} = "-a" -o ${1} = "--no-apt" ] ; then
+        OPT_APT=false
+        shift
+    elif [ ${1} = "-k" -o ${1} = "--keep" ]; then
+        OPT_KEEP=true
+        shift
+    else
+        if [ ${1} != "-h" -a ${1} != "--help" ] ; then
+            echo "[ERROR] Unknown parameter \"${1}\""
+            echo ""
+        fi
+    
+		# print help
+        echo "Use this script to build qTox packages for Debian and Red Hat families"
+        echo ""
+        echo "usage:"
+        echo "    ${0} [-h|--help|-k|--keep|-s|--no-sudo|-a|--no-apt]"
+        echo ""
+        echo "parameters:"
+        echo "    -h|--help   : displays this help"
+        echo "    -s|--no-sudo: disables using sudo for apt and alien"
+        echo "    -a|--no-apt : disables apt-get (used for build deps) entirely"
+        echo "    -k|--keep   : does not delete the build files afterwards"
+        echo ""
+        echo "example usages:"
+        echo "    ${0}       -- build packages, cleaning up trash and running sudo alien and apt-get"
+        echo "    ${0} -s -k -- build packages, keeping build files and non-sudo alien and apt-get"
+        exit 1
+	fi
+done
+
 # Get the requried tools if needed
-echo "Installing missing tools (if any)..."
-if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
-  sudo apt-get install wget debhelper cdbs devscripts alien tar gzip build-essential
-else
-  apt-get install wget debhelper cdbs devscripts alien tar gzip build-essential
+if [[ $OPT_APT = "true" ]]; then
+    echo "Installing missing tools (if any)..."
+    if [[ $EUID -ne 0 && $OPT_SUDO = "true" ]]; then
+        sudo apt-get install wget debhelper cdbs devscripts alien tar gzip build-essential
+    else
+             apt-get install wget debhelper cdbs devscripts alien tar gzip build-essential
+    fi
 fi
 
 mkdir -p .packages
@@ -30,7 +71,7 @@ rm $ARCHIVENAME 2> /dev/null
 
 # Fectch sources and layout directories
 wget -O $ARCHIVENAME $UPSTREAM_URL
-tar xvf $ARCHIVENAME # Extracts to qTox-master
+tar xvf $ARCHIVENAME 2> /dev/null # Extracts to qTox-master
 mv qTox-master $VERNAME
 #tar cz $VERNAME > $ARCHIVENAME
 
@@ -40,15 +81,18 @@ debuild -us -uc
 cd ..
 
 # alien warns that it should probably be run as root...
-if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
-  sudo alien  ./$FULLVERNAME*.deb -r
+if [[ $EUID -ne 0 && $OPT_SUDO = "true" ]]; then
+    sudo alien  ./$FULLVERNAME*.deb -r
 else
-  alien  ./$FULLVERNAME*.deb -r
+         alien  ./$FULLVERNAME*.deb -r
 fi
 
 mv *.deb ..
-mv *.rpm ..
+mv -f *.rpm ..
+
+if [[ $OPT_KEEP = "false" ]]; then
+    rm -r *
+fi
 
-rm -r *
 cd ..
-rmdir .packages
+rmdir .packages 2> /dev/null # fails if non empty