diff --git a/lib/process-release.js b/lib/process-release.js
index b536003cb8..ea7e87e5e2 100644
--- a/lib/process-release.js
+++ b/lib/process-release.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ var semver = require('semver')
 // file names. Inputs come from command-line switches (--target, --dist-url),
 // `process.version` and `process.release` where it exists.
 function processRelease (argv, gyp, defaultVersion, defaultRelease) {
-  var version = argv[0] || gyp.opts.target || defaultVersion
+  var version = (semver.valid(argv[0]) && argv[0]) || gyp.opts.target || defaultVersion
     , versionSemver = semver.parse(version)
     , overrideDistUrl = gyp.opts['dist-url'] || gyp.opts.disturl
     , isDefaultVersion
diff --git a/test/test-process-release.js b/test/test-process-release.js
index c0fbbf624e..bc39aafa7d 100644
--- a/test/test-process-release.js
+++ b/test/test-process-release.js
@@ -421,3 +421,31 @@ test('test process release - process.release ~ node@4.0.0-rc.4 passed as argv[0]
   })
 })
 
+
+test('test process release - process.release ~ node@4.0.0-rc.4 - bogus string passed as argv[0]', function (t) {
+  t.plan(2)
+
+  // additional arguments can be passed in on the commandline that should be ignored if they
+  // are not specifying a valid version @ position 0
+  var release = processRelease([ 'this is no version!' ], { opts: {} }, 'v4.0.0-rc.4', {
+    name: 'node',
+    headersUrl: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/node-v4.0.0-rc.4-headers.tar.gz'
+  })
+
+  t.equal(release.semver.version, '4.0.0-rc.4')
+  delete release.semver
+
+  t.deepEqual(release, {
+    version: '4.0.0-rc.4',
+    name: 'node',
+    baseUrl: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/',
+    tarballUrl: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/node-v4.0.0-rc.4-headers.tar.gz',
+    shasumsUrl: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/SHASUMS256.txt',
+    versionDir: '4.0.0-rc.4',
+    libUrl32: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/win-x86/node.lib',
+    libUrl64: 'https://nodejs.org/download/rc/v4.0.0-rc.4/win-x64/node.lib',
+    libPath32: 'win-x86/node.lib',
+    libPath64: 'win-x64/node.lib'
+  })
+})
+