diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 78df932ecb1..39ef2945d92 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
-.PHONY: build package run stop run-client run-server stop-client stop-server restart restart-server restart-client start-docker clean-dist clean nuke check-style check-client-style check-server-style check-unit-tests test dist prepare-enteprise run-client-tests setup-run-client-tests cleanup-run-client-tests test-client build-linux build-osx build-windows internal-test-web-client vet run-server-for-web-client-tests diff-config prepackaged-plugins
+.PHONY: build package run stop run-client run-server stop-client stop-server restart restart-server restart-client start-docker clean-dist clean nuke check-style check-client-style check-server-style check-unit-tests test dist prepare-enteprise run-client-tests setup-run-client-tests cleanup-run-client-tests test-client build-linux build-osx build-windows internal-test-web-client vet run-server-for-web-client-tests diff-config prepackaged-plugins prepackaged-binaries
 
 ROOT := $(dir $(abspath $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))
 
+ifeq ($(OS),Windows_NT)
+	PLATFORM := Windows
+else
+	PLATFORM := $(shell uname)
+endif
+
 IS_CI ?= false
 MM_NO_DOCKER ?= false
 # Build Flags
@@ -94,6 +100,7 @@ PLUGIN_PACKAGES += mattermost-plugin-jira-v2.3.2
 PLUGIN_PACKAGES += mattermost-plugin-gitlab-v1.0.1
 PLUGIN_PACKAGES += mattermost-plugin-jenkins-v1.0.0
 
+
 # Prepares the enterprise build if exists. The IGNORE stuff is a hack to get the Makefile to execute the commands outside a target
 ifeq ($(BUILD_ENTERPRISE_READY),true)
 	IGNORE:=$(shell echo Enterprise build selected, preparing)
@@ -113,9 +120,13 @@ else
 ALL_PACKAGES=$(TE_PACKAGES)
 endif
 
-
 all: run ## Alias for 'run'.
 
+# Decide what version of prebuilt binaries to download. This will use the release-* branch names or change to the latest.
+# The second sed will look for v<NUM>.<NUM>* and if its not found replace it with the word latest
+LATEST_RELEASE_MMCTL = $(shell scripts/get_latest_release.sh 'mattermost/mmctl')
+REL_TO_DOWNLOAD = $(shell git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | sed 's/release-/v/' | sed '/v\([0-9]\)\./! s/\(.*\)/$(LATEST_RELEASE_MMCTL)/')
+
 include build/*.mk
 
 start-docker: ## Starts the docker containers for local development.
@@ -161,6 +172,23 @@ prepackaged-plugins: ## Populate the prepackaged-plugins directory
 		curl -f -O -L https://plugins-store.test.mattermost.com/release/$$plugin_package.tar.gz.sig; \
 	done
 
+prepackaged-binaries: ## Populate the prepackaged-binaries to the bin directory
+# Externally built binaries
+ifeq ($(shell test -f bin/mmctl && echo -n yes),yes)
+	@echo mmctl installed
+else ifeq ($(PLATFORM),Darwin)
+	@echo Downloading prepackaged binary: https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)
+	@MMCTL_FILE="darwin_amd64.tar" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && tar -xvf $$MMCTL_FILE -C $(GOBIN) && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
+else ifeq ($(PLATFORM),Linux)
+	@echo Downloading prepackaged binary: https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)
+	@MMCTL_FILE="linux_amd64.tar" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && tar -xvf $$MMCTL_FILE -C $(GOBIN) && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
+else ifeq ($(PLATFORM),Windows)
+	@echo Downloading prepackaged binary: https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)
+	@MMCTL_FILE="windows_amd64.zip" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && unzip -o $$MMCTL_FILE -d $(DIST_PATH)/bin && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
+else
+	@echo "mmctl error: can't detect OS"
+endif
+
 golangci-lint: ## Run golangci-lint on codebase
 # https://stackoverflow.com/a/677212/1027058 (check if a command exists or not)
 	@if ! [ -x "$$(command -v golangci-lint)" ]; then \
@@ -311,7 +339,7 @@ validate-go-version: ## Validates the installed version of go against Mattermost
 		exit 1; \
 	fi
 
-run-server: validate-go-version start-docker ## Starts the server.
+run-server: prepackaged-binaries validate-go-version start-docker ## Starts the server.
 	@echo Running mattermost for development
 
 	mkdir -p $(BUILD_WEBAPP_DIR)/dist/files
diff --git a/build/release.mk b/build/release.mk
index 6f571943554..18d518014dc 100644
--- a/build/release.mk
+++ b/build/release.mk
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ endif
 		done; \
 	done
 
+
 	@# ----- PLATFORM SPECIFIC -----
 
 	@# Make osx package
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ else
 	cp $(GOBIN)/darwin_amd64/mattermost $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 	cp $(GOBIN)/darwin_amd64/platform $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 endif
+	MMCTL_FILE="darwin_amd64.tar" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && tar -xvf $$MMCTL_FILE -C $(DIST_PATH)/bin && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
 	@# Prepackage plugins
 	@for plugin_package in $(PLUGIN_PACKAGES) ; do \
 		ARCH="osx-amd64"; \
@@ -122,6 +124,7 @@ endif
 	@# Cleanup
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/mattermost
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/platform
+	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/mmctl
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/prepackaged_plugins/*
 
 	@# Make windows package
@@ -133,6 +136,7 @@ else
 	cp $(GOBIN)/windows_amd64/mattermost.exe $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 	cp $(GOBIN)/windows_amd64/platform.exe $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 endif
+	MMCTL_FILE="windows_amd64.zip" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && unzip -o $$MMCTL_FILE -d $(DIST_PATH)/bin && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
 	@# Prepackage plugins
 	@for plugin_package in $(PLUGIN_PACKAGES) ; do \
 		ARCH="windows-amd64"; \
@@ -154,6 +158,7 @@ endif
 	@# Cleanup
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/mattermost.exe
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/platform.exe
+	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/bin/mmctl.exe
 	rm -f $(DIST_PATH)/prepackaged_plugins/*
 
 	@# Make linux package
@@ -165,6 +170,7 @@ else
 	cp $(GOBIN)/linux_amd64/mattermost $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 	cp $(GOBIN)/linux_amd64/platform $(DIST_PATH)/bin # from cross-compiled bin dir
 endif
+	MMCTL_FILE="linux_amd64.tar" && curl -f -O -L https://github.com/mattermost/mmctl/releases/download/$(REL_TO_DOWNLOAD)/$$MMCTL_FILE && tar -xvf $$MMCTL_FILE -C $(DIST_PATH)/bin && rm $$MMCTL_FILE
 	@# Prepackage plugins
 	@for plugin_package in $(PLUGIN_PACKAGES) ; do \
 		ARCH="linux-amd64"; \
diff --git a/scripts/get_latest_release.sh b/scripts/get_latest_release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..1de3078cc98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/get_latest_release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Time: 2020-01-29 14:49:24
+# Author: https://gist.github.com/lukechilds/a83e1d7127b78fef38c2914c4ececc3c
+get_latest_release() {
+  curl --silent "https://api.github.com/repos/$1/releases/latest" | # Get latest release from GitHub api
+    grep '"tag_name":' |                                            # Get tag line
+    sed -E 's/.*"([^"]+)".*/\1/'                                    # Pluck JSON value
+}
+
+# Usage
+# $ get_latest_release "creationix/nvm"
+# v0.31.4
+# Assume we are in a git dir
+get_latest_release $1