diff --git a/testing/taskcluster/README.md b/testing/taskcluster/README.md
index d696edd4e5dc..d7b31375c618 100644
--- a/testing/taskcluster/README.md
+++ b/testing/taskcluster/README.md
@@ -130,3 +130,9 @@ Requires [taskcluster-cli](https://github.com/taskcluster/taskcluster-cli).
 ```sh
 mach trygraph --message 'try: -b do -p all' --revision=33c0181c4a25 --repository=http://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central --owner=jlal@mozilla.com | taskcluster run-graph
 ```
+
+Creating only a build task and submitting to taskcluster:
+
+```sh
+mach ci-build --revision=33c0181c4a25 --repository=http://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central --owner=user@domain.com tasks/builds/b2g_desktop.yml | taskcluster run-task --verbose
+```
diff --git a/testing/taskcluster/mach_commands.py b/testing/taskcluster/mach_commands.py
index aa1930731d21..d9e9318a50ce 100644
--- a/testing/taskcluster/mach_commands.py
+++ b/testing/taskcluster/mach_commands.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import os.path
 import json
 import copy
 import datetime
+import subprocess
+import sys
 
 import pystache
 import yaml
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ from mach.decorators import (
 
 from taskcluster_graph.commit_parser import parse_commit
 from taskcluster_graph.slugid import slugid
-from taskcluster_graph.from_now import json_time_from_now
+from taskcluster_graph.from_now import json_time_from_now, current_json_time
 
 import taskcluster_graph.build_task
 
@@ -34,6 +36,38 @@ LOCAL_WORKER_TYPES = ['b2gtest', 'b2gbuild']
 ARTIFACT_URL = 'https://queue.taskcluster.net/v1/task/{}/artifacts/{}'
 REGISTRY = open(os.path.join(DOCKER_ROOT, 'REGISTRY')).read().strip()
 
+def get_hg_url():
+    ''' Determine the url for the mercurial repository'''
+    try:
+        url = subprocess.check_output(
+            ['hg', 'path', 'default'],
+            stderr=subprocess.PIPE
+        )
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            "Error: Could not determine the current hg repository url. " \
+            "Ensure command is executed within a hg respository"
+        )
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    return url
+
+def get_latest_hg_revision(repository):
+    ''' Retrieves the revision number of the latest changed head'''
+    try:
+        revision = subprocess.check_output(
+            ['hg', 'id', '-r', 'tip', repository, '-i'],
+            stderr=subprocess.PIPE
+        ).strip('\n')
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            "Error: Could not determine the latest hg revision at {}" \
+            "Ensure command is executed within a cloned hg respository and " \
+            "remote default remote repository is accessible".format(repository)
+        )
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    return revision
 
 def import_yaml(path, variables=None):
     ''' Load a yml file relative to the root of this file'''
@@ -165,3 +199,45 @@ class TryGraph(object):
                     graph['tasks'].append(test_task)
 
         print(json.dumps(graph, indent=4))
+
+@CommandProvider
+class CIBuild(object):
+    @Command('ci-build', category='ci',
+        description="Create taskcluster try server build task")
+    @CommandArgument('--revision',
+        help='revision in gecko to use in sub tasks')
+    @CommandArgument('--repository',
+        help='full path to hg repository to use in sub tasks')
+    @CommandArgument('--owner',
+        help='email address of who owns this graph')
+    @CommandArgument('build_task',
+        help='path to build task definition')
+    def create_ci_build(self, build_task, revision="", repository="", owner=""):
+        # TODO handle git repos
+        if not repository:
+            repository = get_hg_url()
+
+        if not revision:
+            revision = get_latest_hg_revision(repository)
+
+        build_parameters = {
+            'docker_image': docker_image,
+            'repository': repository,
+            'revision': revision,
+            'owner': owner,
+            'from_now': json_time_from_now,
+            'now': current_json_time()
+        }
+
+        try:
+            build_task = import_yaml(build_task, build_parameters)
+        except IOError:
+            sys.stderr.write(
+                "Could not load build task file.  Ensure path is a relative " \
+                "path from testing/taskcluster"
+            )
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+        taskcluster_graph.build_task.validate(build_task)
+
+        print(json.dumps(build_task['task'], indent=4))
diff --git a/testing/taskcluster/taskcluster_graph/from_now.py b/testing/taskcluster/taskcluster_graph/from_now.py
index 355141cf02fa..8f5a7bee0811 100644
--- a/testing/taskcluster/taskcluster_graph/from_now.py
+++ b/testing/taskcluster/taskcluster_graph/from_now.py
@@ -77,3 +77,9 @@ def json_time_from_now(input_str, now=None):
     # ISO dates until 'Z' (for timezone) is added...
     return time.isoformat() + 'Z'
 
+def current_json_time():
+    '''
+    :returns: JSON string representation of the current time.
+    '''
+
+    return datetime.datetime.utcnow().isoformat() + 'Z'
diff --git a/testing/taskcluster/tasks/builds/b2g_desktop.yml b/testing/taskcluster/tasks/builds/b2g_desktop.yml
index c14813ebaff5..9ec9dd2cbd32 100644
--- a/testing/taskcluster/tasks/builds/b2g_desktop.yml
+++ b/testing/taskcluster/tasks/builds/b2g_desktop.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 taskId: {{build_slugid}}
 task:
+  created: '{{now}}'
+  deadline: '{{#from_now}}24 hours{{/from_now}}'
   metadata:
     source: http://todo.com/soon
     owner: {{owner}}