diff --git a/prysm.sh b/prysm.sh
index 215c419aa..6a10130cc 100755
--- a/prysm.sh
+++ b/prysm.sh
@@ -3,29 +3,31 @@
 set -eu
 
 # Use this script to download the latest Prysm release binary.
-# Usage: ./prysm.sh PROCESS FLAGS
+# Usage: ./prysm.sh PROCESS [--download-only] FLAGS
 #   PROCESS can be one of beacon-chain or validator.
 #   FLAGS are the flags or arguments passed to the PROCESS.
-# Downloaded binaries are saved to ./dist. 
-# Use USE_PRYSM_VERSION to specify a specific release version. 
+#   If --download-only flag is passed, binaries are checked for updates,
+#   downloaded if necessary, no process is started.
+# Downloaded binaries are saved to ./dist.
+# Use USE_PRYSM_VERSION to specify a specific release version.
 #   Example: USE_PRYSM_VERSION=v0.3.3 ./prysm.sh beacon-chain
 
-readonly PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY=0AE0051D647BA3C1A917AF4072E33E4DF1A5036E 
+readonly PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY=0AE0051D647BA3C1A917AF4072E33E4DF1A5036E
 
 function color() {
-      # Usage: color "31;5" "string"
-      # Some valid values for color:
-      # - 5 blink, 1 strong, 4 underlined
-      # - fg: 31 red,  32 green, 33 yellow, 34 blue, 35 purple, 36 cyan, 37 white
-      # - bg: 40 black, 41 red, 44 blue, 45 purple
-      printf '\033[%sm%s\033[0m\n' "$@"
+    # Usage: color "31;5" "string"
+    # Some valid values for color:
+    # - 5 blink, 1 strong, 4 underlined
+    # - fg: 31 red,  32 green, 33 yellow, 34 blue, 35 purple, 36 cyan, 37 white
+    # - bg: 40 black, 41 red, 44 blue, 45 purple
+    printf '\033[%sm%s\033[0m\n' "$@"
 }
 
 # `readlink -f` that works on OSX too.
 function get_realpath() {
     if [ "$(uname -s)" == "Darwin" ]; then
         local queue="$1"
-        if [[ "${queue}" != /* ]] ; then
+        if [[ "${queue}" != /* ]]; then
             # Make sure we start with an absolute path.
             queue="${PWD}/${queue}"
         fi
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ function get_realpath() {
             # Pull the first path segment off of queue.
             local segment="${queue%%/*}"
             # If this is the last segment.
-            if [[ "${queue}" != */* ]] ; then
+            if [[ "${queue}" != */* ]]; then
                 segment="${queue}"
                 queue=""
             else
@@ -44,10 +46,10 @@ function get_realpath() {
                 queue="${queue#*/}"
             fi
             local link="${current}/${segment}"
-            if [ -h "${link}" ] ; then
+            if [ -h "${link}" ]; then
                 link="$(readlink "${link}")"
                 queue="${link}/${queue}"
-                if [[ "${link}" == /* ]] ; then
+                if [[ "${link}" == /* ]]; then
                     current=""
                 fi
             else
@@ -64,11 +66,11 @@ function get_realpath() {
 # Complain if no arguments were provided.
 if [ "$#" -lt 1 ]; then
     color "31" "Usage: ./prysm.sh PROCESS FLAGS."
+    color "31" "       ./prysm.sh PROCESS --download-only."
     color "31" "PROCESS can be beacon-chain, validator, or slasher."
     exit 1
 fi
 
-
 readonly wrapper_dir="$(dirname "$(get_realpath "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")")/dist"
 arch=$(uname -m)
 arch=${arch/x86_64/amd64}
@@ -77,61 +79,74 @@ readonly os_arch_suffix="$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-$arch"
 
 system=""
 case "$OSTYPE" in
-  darwin*)  system="darwin" ;; 
-  linux*)   system="linux" ;;
-  msys*)    system="windows" ;;
-  cygwin*)  system="windows" ;;
-  *)        exit 1 ;;
+darwin*) system="darwin" ;;
+linux*) system="linux" ;;
+msys*) system="windows" ;;
+cygwin*) system="windows" ;;
+*) exit 1 ;;
 esac
 readonly system
 
 if [ "$system" == "windows" ]; then
-	arch="amd64.exe"
+    arch="amd64.exe"
 elif [[ "$os_arch_suffix" == *"arm64"* ]]; then
-  arch="arm64"
+    arch="arm64"
 fi
 
-if [[ "$arch" == "armv7l" ]]; then 
-  color "31" "32-bit ARM is not supported. Please install a 64-bit operating system."
-  exit 1
+if [[ "$arch" == "armv7l" ]]; then
+    color "31" "32-bit ARM is not supported. Please install a 64-bit operating system."
+    exit 1
 fi
 
 mkdir -p $wrapper_dir
 
 function get_prysm_version() {
-  if [[ -n ${USE_PRYSM_VERSION:-} ]]; then
-    readonly reason="specified in \$USE_PRYSM_VERSION"
-    readonly prysm_version="${USE_PRYSM_VERSION}"
-  else
-    # Find the latest Prysm version available for download.
-    readonly reason="automatically selected latest available version"
-    prysm_version=$(curl -s https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/latest)
-    readonly prysm_version
-  fi
+    if [[ -n ${USE_PRYSM_VERSION:-} ]]; then
+        readonly reason="specified in \$USE_PRYSM_VERSION"
+        readonly prysm_version="${USE_PRYSM_VERSION}"
+    else
+        # Find the latest Prysm version available for download.
+        readonly reason="automatically selected latest available version"
+        prysm_version=$(curl -s https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/latest)
+        readonly prysm_version
+    fi
 }
 
 function verify() {
-  file=$1
+    file=$1
 
-  skip=${PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES-0}
-  if [[ $skip == 1 ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
+    skip=${PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES-0}
+    if [[ $skip == 1 ]]; then
+        return 0
+    fi
 
-  hash shasum 2>/dev/null || { echo >&2 "shasum is not available. Either install it or run with PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES=1."; exit 1; }
-  hash gpg 2>/dev/null || { echo >&2 "gpg is not available. Either install it or run with PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES=1."; exit 1; }
+    hash shasum 2>/dev/null || {
+        echo >&2 "shasum is not available. Either install it or run with PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES=1."
+        exit 1
+    }
+    hash gpg 2>/dev/null || {
+        echo >&2 "gpg is not available. Either install it or run with PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES=1."
+        exit 1
+    }
 
-  color "37" "Verifying binary integrity."
+    color "37" "Verifying binary integrity."
 
-  gpg --list-keys $PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY >/dev/null 2>&1 || curl --silent https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/pgp_keys.asc | gpg --import
-  (cd $wrapper_dir; shasum -a 256 -c "${file}.sha256" || failed_verification)
-  (cd $wrapper_dir; gpg -u $PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY --verify "${file}.sig" $file || failed_verification)
+    gpg --list-keys $PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY >/dev/null 2>&1 || curl --silent https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/pgp_keys.asc | gpg --import
+    (
+        cd $wrapper_dir
+        shasum -a 256 -c "${file}.sha256" || failed_verification
+    )
+    (
+        cd $wrapper_dir
+        gpg -u $PRYLABS_SIGNING_KEY --verify "${file}.sig" $file || failed_verification
+    )
 
-  color "32;1" "Verified ${file} has been signed by Prysmatic Labs."
+    color "32;1" "Verified ${file} has been signed by Prysmatic Labs."
 }
 
 function failed_verification() {
-MSG=$(cat <<-END
+    MSG=$(
+        cat <<-END
 Failed to verify Prysm binary. Please erase downloads in the
 dist directory and run this script again. Alternatively, you can use a
 A prior version by specifying environment variable USE_PRYSM_VERSION
@@ -139,9 +154,9 @@ with the specific version, as desired. Example: USE_PRYSM_VERSION=v1.0.0-alpha.5
 If you must wish to continue running an unverified binary, specific the
 environment variable PRYSM_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_BINARIES=1
 END
-)
-  color "31" "$MSG"
-  exit 1
+    )
+    color "31" "$MSG"
+    exit 1
 }
 
 get_prysm_version
@@ -152,67 +167,73 @@ BEACON_CHAIN_REAL="${wrapper_dir}/beacon-chain-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch
 VALIDATOR_REAL="${wrapper_dir}/validator-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}"
 SLASHER_REAL="${wrapper_dir}/slasher-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}"
 
-if [[ $1 == beacon-chain ]]; then 
-  if [[ ! -x $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL ]]; then 
-      color "34" "Downloading beacon chain@${prysm_version} to ${BEACON_CHAIN_REAL} (${reason})"
-      file=beacon-chain-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
-      curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
-      chmod +x $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL
-  else
-      color "37" "Beacon chain is up to date."
-  fi
+if [[ $1 == beacon-chain ]]; then
+    if [[ ! -x $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL ]]; then
+        color "34" "Downloading beacon chain@${prysm_version} to ${BEACON_CHAIN_REAL} (${reason})"
+        file=beacon-chain-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
+        curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
+        chmod +x $BEACON_CHAIN_REAL
+    else
+        color "37" "Beacon chain is up to date."
+    fi
 fi
 
-if  [[ $1 == validator ]]; then 
-  if [[ ! -x $VALIDATOR_REAL ]]; then 
-      color "34" "Downloading validator@${prysm_version} to ${VALIDATOR_REAL} (${reason})"
+if [[ $1 == validator ]]; then
+    if [[ ! -x $VALIDATOR_REAL ]]; then
+        color "34" "Downloading validator@${prysm_version} to ${VALIDATOR_REAL} (${reason})"
 
-      file=validator-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
-      curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $VALIDATOR_REAL
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
-      chmod +x $VALIDATOR_REAL
-  else
-      color "37" "Validator is up to date."
-  fi
+        file=validator-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
+        curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $VALIDATOR_REAL
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
+        chmod +x $VALIDATOR_REAL
+    else
+        color "37" "Validator is up to date."
+    fi
 fi
 
 if [[ $1 == slasher ]]; then
-  if [[ ! -x $SLASHER_REAL ]]; then 
-      color "34" "Downloading slasher@${prysm_version} to ${SLASHER_REAL} (${reason})"
+    if [[ ! -x $SLASHER_REAL ]]; then
+        color "34" "Downloading slasher@${prysm_version} to ${SLASHER_REAL} (${reason})"
 
-      file=slasher-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
-      curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $SLASHER_REAL
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
-      curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
-      chmod +x $SLASHER_REAL
-  else
-      color "37" "Slasher is up to date."
-  fi
+        file=slasher-${prysm_version}-${system}-${arch}
+        curl -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}" -o $SLASHER_REAL
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sha256" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sha256"
+        curl --silent -L "https://prysmaticlabs.com/releases/${file}.sig" -o "${wrapper_dir}/${file}.sig"
+        chmod +x $SLASHER_REAL
+    else
+        color "37" "Slasher is up to date."
+    fi
 fi
 
 case $1 in
-  beacon-chain)
+beacon-chain)
     readonly process=$BEACON_CHAIN_REAL
     ;;
 
-  validator)
+validator)
     readonly process=$VALIDATOR_REAL
     ;;
 
-  slasher)
+slasher)
     readonly process=$SLASHER_REAL
     ;;
 
-  *)
+*)
     color "31" "Usage: ./prysm.sh PROCESS FLAGS."
+    color "31" "       ./prysm.sh PROCESS --download-only."
     color "31" "PROCESS can be beacon-chain, validator, or slasher."
     ;;
 esac
 
 verify $process
 
+if [[ $2 == --download-only ]]; then
+    color "37" "Only download operation is requested, done."
+    exit 0
+fi
+
 color "36" "Starting Prysm $1 ${*:2}"
 exec -a "$0" "${process}" "${@:2}"