diff --git a/.changeset/orange-cars-sip.md b/.changeset/orange-cars-sip.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53fa531a19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/orange-cars-sip.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"wrangler": patch
+---
+
+Custom builds for `dev` and `publish`
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests-typecheck.yml b/.github/workflows/tests-typecheck.yml
index b5b4605bb2..fd775057ae 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests-typecheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests-typecheck.yml
@@ -35,4 +35,3 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Test
         run: npm run test
-        working-directory: packages/wrangler
diff --git a/.prettierignore b/.prettierignore
index 3a8d0d84a3..c9359e9dc4 100644
--- a/.prettierignore
+++ b/.prettierignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 packages/wrangler/vendor/
 packages/wrangler/wrangler-dist/
+packages/example-worker-app/dist/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7ab81cb35e..d04308fa8a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@
   "scripts": {
     "lint": "eslint packages/**",
     "check": "prettier packages/** --check && tsc && npm run lint",
-    "prettify": "prettier packages/** --write"
+    "prettify": "prettier packages/** --write",
+    "test": "npm run test --workspace=wrangler"
   },
   "engines": {
     "node": ">=16.0.0"
diff --git a/packages/example-worker-app/.gitignore b/packages/example-worker-app/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1521c8b765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/example-worker-app/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+dist
diff --git a/packages/example-worker-app/dep.js b/packages/example-worker-app/src/dep.js
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/example-worker-app/dep.js
rename to packages/example-worker-app/src/dep.js
diff --git a/packages/example-worker-app/index.js b/packages/example-worker-app/src/index.js
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/example-worker-app/index.js
rename to packages/example-worker-app/src/index.js
diff --git a/packages/wrangler/src/dev.tsx b/packages/wrangler/src/dev.tsx
index b12866eeb5..16d4dfc916 100644
--- a/packages/wrangler/src/dev.tsx
+++ b/packages/wrangler/src/dev.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import esbuild from "esbuild";
 import { readFile } from "fs/promises";
+import { existsSync } from "fs";
 import type { DirectoryResult } from "tmp-promise";
 import tmp from "tmp-promise";
 import type { CfPreviewToken } from "./api/preview";
@@ -16,7 +17,6 @@ import onExit from "signal-exit";
 import { syncAssets } from "./sites";
 import clipboardy from "clipboardy";
 import http from "node:http";
-import serveStatic from "serve-static";
 import commandExists from "command-exists";
 import assert from "assert";
 import { getAPIToken } from "./user";
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ import fetch from "node-fetch";
 import makeModuleCollector from "./module-collection";
 import { withErrorBoundary, useErrorHandler } from "react-error-boundary";
 import { createHttpProxy } from "./proxy";
+import { execa } from "execa";
+import { watch } from "chokidar";
 
 type CfScriptFormat = void | "modules" | "service-worker";
 
@@ -42,6 +44,11 @@ type Props = {
   compatibilityDate: void | string;
   compatibilityFlags: void | string[];
   usageModel: void | "bundled" | "unbound";
+  buildCommand: {
+    command?: undefined | string;
+    cwd?: undefined | string;
+    watch_dir?: undefined | string;
+  };
 };
 
 function Dev(props: Props): JSX.Element {
@@ -54,8 +61,13 @@ function Dev(props: Props): JSX.Element {
   const apiToken = getAPIToken();
   const directory = useTmpDir();
 
+  // if there isn't a build command, we just return the entry immediately
+  // ideally there would be a conditional here, but the rules of hooks
+  // kinda forbid that, so we thread the entry through useCustomBuild
+  const entry = useCustomBuild(props.entry, props.buildCommand);
+
   const bundle = useEsbuild({
-    entry: props.entry,
+    entry,
     destination: directory,
     staticRoot: props.public,
     jsxFactory: props.jsxFactory,
@@ -361,6 +373,77 @@ function useTmpDir(): string | void {
   return directory?.path;
 }
 
+function runCommand() {}
+
+function useCustomBuild(
+  expectedEntry: string,
+  props: {
+    command?: undefined | string;
+    cwd?: undefined | string;
+    watch_dir?: undefined | string;
+  }
+): void | string {
+  const [entry, setEntry] = useState<string | void>(
+    // if there's no build command, just return the expected entry
+    props.command ? null : expectedEntry
+  );
+  const { command, cwd, watch_dir } = props;
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!command) return;
+    let cmd, interval;
+    console.log("running:", command);
+    const commandPieces = command.split(" ");
+    cmd = execa(commandPieces[0], commandPieces.slice(1), {
+      ...(cwd && { cwd }),
+      stderr: "inherit",
+      stdout: "inherit",
+    });
+    if (watch_dir) {
+      watch(watch_dir, { persistent: true, ignoreInitial: true }).on(
+        "all",
+        (_event, _path) => {
+          console.log(`The file ${path} changed, restarting build...`);
+          cmd.kill();
+          cmd = execa(commandPieces[0], commandPieces.slice(1), {
+            ...(cwd && { cwd }),
+            stderr: "inherit",
+            stdout: "inherit",
+          });
+        }
+      );
+    }
+
+    // check every so often whether `expectedEntry` exists
+    // if it does, we're done
+    const startedAt = Date.now();
+    interval = setInterval(() => {
+      if (existsSync(expectedEntry)) {
+        clearInterval(interval);
+        setEntry(expectedEntry);
+      } else {
+        const elapsed = Date.now() - startedAt;
+        // timeout after 30 seconds of waiting
+        if (elapsed > 1000 * 60 * 30) {
+          console.error("⎔ Build timed out.");
+          clearInterval(interval);
+          cmd.kill();
+        }
+      }
+    }, 200);
+    // TODO: we could probably timeout here after a while
+
+    return () => {
+      if (cmd) {
+        cmd.kill();
+        cmd = undefined;
+      }
+      clearInterval(interval);
+      interval = undefined;
+    };
+  }, [command, cwd, expectedEntry, watch_dir]);
+  return entry;
+}
+
 type EsbuildBundle = {
   id: number;
   path: string;
@@ -371,7 +454,7 @@ type EsbuildBundle = {
 };
 
 function useEsbuild(props: {
-  entry: string;
+  entry: void | string;
   destination: string | void;
   staticRoot: void | string;
   jsxFactory: string | void;
@@ -382,7 +465,7 @@ function useEsbuild(props: {
   useEffect(() => {
     let result: esbuild.BuildResult;
     async function build() {
-      if (!destination) return;
+      if (!destination || !entry) return;
       const moduleCollector = makeModuleCollector();
       result = await esbuild.build({
         entryPoints: [entry],
diff --git a/packages/wrangler/src/index.tsx b/packages/wrangler/src/index.tsx
index 8a4adda024..892eac2d5c 100644
--- a/packages/wrangler/src/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/wrangler/src/index.tsx
@@ -492,6 +492,7 @@ export async function main(argv: string[]): Promise<void> {
         <Dev
           name={args.name || config.name}
           entry={filename}
+          buildCommand={config.build || {}}
           format={format}
           initialMode={args.local ? "local" : "remote"}
           jsxFactory={args["jsx-factory"] || envRootObj?.jsx_factory}
diff --git a/packages/wrangler/src/publish.ts b/packages/wrangler/src/publish.ts
index f2f94b0fbd..de8b523597 100644
--- a/packages/wrangler/src/publish.ts
+++ b/packages/wrangler/src/publish.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import cfetch from "./cfetch";
 import assert from "node:assert";
 import { syncAssets } from "./sites";
 import makeModuleCollector from "./module-collection";
+import { execa } from "execa";
 
 type CfScriptFormat = void | "modules" | "service-worker";
 
@@ -76,6 +77,17 @@ export default async function publish(props: Props): Promise<void> {
 
   const destination = await tmp.dir({ unsafeCleanup: true });
 
+  if (props.config.build?.command) {
+    // TODO: add a deprecation message here?
+    console.log("running:", props.config.build.command);
+    const buildCommandPieces = props.config.build.command.split(" ");
+    await execa(buildCommandPieces[0], buildCommandPieces.slice(1), {
+      stdout: "inherit",
+      stderr: "inherit",
+      ...(props.config.build?.cwd && { cwd: props.config.build.cwd }),
+    });
+  }
+
   const moduleCollector = makeModuleCollector();
   const result = await esbuild.build({
     ...(props.public