diff --git a/webdev/bin/webdev.dart b/webdev/bin/webdev.dart
index 6c28c16fa..484a4b412 100644
--- a/webdev/bin/webdev.dart
+++ b/webdev/bin/webdev.dart
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 import 'dart:async';
 
 import 'package:webdev/webdev.dart';
+import 'package:build_runner/src/logging/std_io_logging.dart';
+import 'package:logging/logging.dart';
 
 Future main(List<String> args) async {
+  // TODO(nshahan) See if build_runner wants to expose their listener.
+  // Using log listener from build_runner to match output format.
+  final logListener = Logger.root.onRecord.listen(stdIOLogListener);
   await webdevCommandRunner().run(args);
+  await logListener?.cancel();
 }
diff --git a/webdev/example/pubspec.yaml b/webdev/example/pubspec.yaml
index 5e4f3719d..6c4f93988 100644
--- a/webdev/example/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/webdev/example/pubspec.yaml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ environment:
   sdk: ">=2.0.0-dev.3.0 <2.0.0"
 
 dependencies:
-  angular: ^5.0.0-alpha+3
+  angular: ^5.0.0-alpha+4
   browser: ^0.10.0
 
 dev_dependencies:
@@ -14,10 +14,7 @@ dev_dependencies:
     path: ../
   ##############################################################################
   # Temporary until build_runner exposes a function to generate it's script.
-  build_runner:
-    git:
-      url: https://github.com/dart-lang/build.git
-      path: build_runner
+  build_runner: ^0.7.7
   ##############################################################################
 
 dependency_overrides:
diff --git a/webdev/lib/src/command/build_command.dart b/webdev/lib/src/command/build_command.dart
index ac1b646ca..7f71059e7 100644
--- a/webdev/lib/src/command/build_command.dart
+++ b/webdev/lib/src/command/build_command.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:isolate';
 
 import 'build_runner_command_base.dart';
 
@@ -15,9 +14,6 @@ class BuildCommand extends BuildRunnerCommandBase {
   Future run() async {
     final arguments = ['build'];
     arguments.addAll(argResults.arguments);
-    var exitPort = new ReceivePort();
-    await Isolate.spawnUri(await buildRunnerScript, arguments, null,
-        onExit: exitPort.sendPort, automaticPackageResolution: true);
-    await exitPort.first;
+    await runBuildRunner(arguments);
   }
 }
diff --git a/webdev/lib/src/command/build_runner_command_base.dart b/webdev/lib/src/command/build_runner_command_base.dart
index 88f2fc0eb..2708b16e3 100644
--- a/webdev/lib/src/command/build_runner_command_base.dart
+++ b/webdev/lib/src/command/build_runner_command_base.dart
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
 import 'dart:async';
 import 'dart:io';
+import 'dart:isolate';
 
 import 'package:args/command_runner.dart';
+import 'package:build_runner/src/logging/logging.dart';
+import 'package:logging/logging.dart';
+
+var _logger = new Logger('webdev');
 
 /// Extend to get a command with the arguments common to all build_runner
 /// commands.
@@ -19,13 +24,88 @@ abstract class BuildRunnerCommandBase extends Command {
           help: 'Enables verbose logging.');
   }
 
-  Future<Uri> get buildRunnerScript async {
-    // TODO(nshahan) build_runner will expose this as a function call that will
-    // be imported to avoid running a binary in a transitive dependency with
-    // pub run.
-    final executable = 'pub';
-    final arguments = ['run', 'build_runner', 'generate-build-script'];
-    final results = await Process.run(executable, arguments);
-    return new Uri.file(results.stdout.toString().trim());
+  /// Runs `pub run build_runner` with [arguments] as an isolate.
+  ///
+  /// Attempts to run `pub get` and `pub upgrade` if needed and will retry
+  /// running build_runner after.
+  Future runBuildRunner(List<String> arguments) async {
+    final result = await _runBuildRunnerGenerate();
+
+    if (result.exitCode != 0) {
+      print(result.exitCode);
+      _logger.severe('Unable to run `pub get` and `pub run build_runner`.'
+          '\nPlease fix the dependencies and retry.'
+          '\n\n${result.stderr}');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    var exitPort = new ReceivePort();
+    var errorPort = new ReceivePort();
+    var messagePort = new ReceivePort();
+    var errorListener = errorPort.listen((e) {
+      stderr.writeAll(e as List, '\n');
+      if (exitCode == 0) exitCode = 1;
+    });
+    await Isolate.spawnUri(_scriptPath(result), arguments, messagePort.sendPort,
+        onExit: exitPort.sendPort,
+        onError: errorPort.sendPort,
+        automaticPackageResolution: true);
+    try {
+      exitCode = await messagePort.first as int;
+    } on StateError catch (_) {
+      if (exitCode == 0) exitCode = 1;
+    }
+    await exitPort.first;
+    await errorListener.cancel();
+  }
+
+  /// Generates a build script and returns it's location.
+  ///
+  /// Will attempt to get dependencies if needed.
+  Future<ProcessResult> _runBuildRunnerGenerate() async {
+    var result = await logTimedAsync(
+        _logger, 'Generating build script', _runGenerateBuildScript);
+
+    if (result.exitCode != 0) {
+      _logger.warning('Generating build script failed.');
+      result = await logTimedAsync(_logger, 'Getting dependencies', _runPubGet);
+
+      if (result.exitCode != 0) {
+        _logger.warning('Getting dependencies failed.');
+        result = await logTimedAsync(
+            _logger, 'Upgrading dependencies', _runPubUpgrade);
+
+        if (result.exitCode != 0) {
+          _logger.severe('Upgrading dependencies failed');
+          return result;
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Try running build_runner again.
+      result = await logTimedAsync(
+          _logger, 'Generating build script', _runGenerateBuildScript);
+    }
+
+    return result;
   }
+
+  /// Parses the generated script path from the the results of running
+  /// `build_runner generate-build-script`.`
+  Uri _scriptPath(ProcessResult result) =>
+      new Uri.file(result.stdout.toString().trim());
+
+  /// Runs `build_runner generate-build-script` as a Process.
+  Future<ProcessResult> _runGenerateBuildScript() =>
+      // TODO(nshahan) build_runner will expose this as a function call that
+      // will be imported to avoid running a binary in a transitive dependency
+      // with pub run.
+      Process.run('pub', ['run', 'build_runner', 'generate-build-script']);
+
+  /// Runs `pub get` as a Process.
+  Future<ProcessResult> _runPubGet() =>
+      Process.run('pub', ['get', '--no-precompile']);
+
+  /// Runs `pub upgrade` as a Process.
+  Future<ProcessResult> _runPubUpgrade() =>
+      Process.run('pub', ['upgrade', '--no-precompile']);
 }
diff --git a/webdev/lib/src/command/serve_command.dart b/webdev/lib/src/command/serve_command.dart
index a8ba022b7..5e74d21ec 100644
--- a/webdev/lib/src/command/serve_command.dart
+++ b/webdev/lib/src/command/serve_command.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:isolate';
 
 import 'build_runner_command_base.dart';
 
@@ -24,9 +23,6 @@ class ServeCommand extends BuildRunnerCommandBase {
   Future run() async {
     final arguments = ['serve'];
     arguments.addAll(argResults.arguments);
-    var exitPort = new ReceivePort();
-    await Isolate.spawnUri(await buildRunnerScript, arguments, null,
-        onExit: exitPort.sendPort, automaticPackageResolution: true);
-    await exitPort.first;
+    await runBuildRunner(arguments);
   }
 }
diff --git a/webdev/pubspec.yaml b/webdev/pubspec.yaml
index 5796813f4..434febd49 100644
--- a/webdev/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/webdev/pubspec.yaml
@@ -8,11 +8,8 @@ environment:
 
 dependencies:
   args: ^1.2.0
-  build_runner:
-    git:
-      url: https://github.com/dart-lang/build.git
-      path: build_runner
-  build_web_compilers: ^0.1.1
+  build_runner: ^0.7.7
+  build_web_compilers: ^0.2.0
 
 dev_dependencies:
   test: "^0.12.0"