diff --git a/bitbake/bin/bitbake b/bitbake/bin/bitbake
index 5c0b2d4d2a..b173f16ce1 100755
--- a/bitbake/bin/bitbake
+++ b/bitbake/bin/bitbake
@@ -139,8 +139,8 @@ class BitBakeConfigParameters(cookerdata.ConfigParameters):
         parser.add_option("-n", "--dry-run", help = "Don't execute, just go through the motions.",
                    action = "store_true", dest = "dry_run", default = False)
 
-        parser.add_option("-S", "--dump-signatures", help = "Don't execute, just dump out the signature construction information.",
-                   action = "store_true", dest = "dump_signatures", default = False)
+        parser.add_option("-S", "--dump-signatures", help = "Dump out the signature construction information, with no task execution. Parameters are passed to the signature handling code, use 'none' if no specific handler is required.",
+                   action = "append", dest = "dump_signatures", default = [])
 
         parser.add_option("-p", "--parse-only", help = "Quit after parsing the BB recipes.",
                    action = "store_true", dest = "parse_only", default = False)
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/cookerdata.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
index 6200b0ebac..b9b9e16675 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/cookerdata.py
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ class CookerConfiguration(object):
         self.profile = False
         self.nosetscene = False
         self.invalidate_stamp = False
-        self.dump_signatures = False
+        self.dump_signatures = []
         self.dry_run = False
         self.tracking = False
         self.interface = []
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
index 90fe40b880..423b03c181 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
@@ -1036,10 +1036,13 @@ class RunQueue:
                     bb.event.fire(bb.event.DepTreeGenerated(depgraph), self.cooker.data)
 
         if self.state is runQueueSceneInit:
-            if self.cooker.configuration.dump_signatures:
-                invalidtasks = self.print_diffscenetasks()
+            dump = self.cooker.configuration.dump_signatures
+            if dump:
+                if 'printdiff' in dump:
+                    invalidtasks = self.print_diffscenetasks()
                 self.dump_signatures()
-                self.write_diffscenetasks(invalidtasks)
+                if 'printdiff' in dump:
+                    self.write_diffscenetasks(invalidtasks)
                 self.state = runQueueComplete
             else:
                 self.start_worker()