diff --git a/cargo.sh b/cargo.sh
index ae3a3c08..434340b4 100755
--- a/cargo.sh
+++ b/cargo.sh
@@ -11,21 +11,7 @@ SOURCE_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_PATH")"
 
 CARGO_TARGET_DIR="$(pwd)"
 export CARGO_TARGET_DIR
-if [ "${1}" = "--rename" ]; then
-    shift
-    FILENAME="${1}"
-    shift
-    OUT_PATH="$(realpath "${1}")"
-elif [ "${1}" = "--output" ]; then
-    shift
-    OUT_PATH="$(realpath "${1}")"
-    FILENAME="$(basename "${OUT_PATH}")"
-fi
-shift
 
 cd "$SOURCE_DIR"
 cargo "$@"
 
-if [ -n "${OUT_PATH}" ]; then
-    cp -a "${CARGO_TARGET_DIR}"/debug/"${FILENAME}" "${OUT_PATH}"
-fi
diff --git a/cargo_build.sh b/cargo_build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..840bc1c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cargo_build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# This script manages Cargo builds
+# while keeping the artifact directory within the build tree
+# instead of the source tree
+
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_PATH="$(realpath "$0")"
+SOURCE_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_PATH")"
+
+RELEASE=""
+BINARY_DIR="debug"
+if [ "${1}" = "--release" ]; then
+    shift
+    BINARY_DIR="release"
+    RELEASE="--release"
+fi
+
+if [ "${1}" = "--rename" ]; then
+    shift
+    FILENAME="${1}"
+    shift
+fi
+OUT_PATH="$(realpath "${1}")"
+shift
+OUT_BASENAME="$(basename "${OUT_PATH}")"
+FILENAME="${FILENAME:-"${OUT_BASENAME}"}"
+
+sh "$SOURCE_DIR"/cargo.sh build $RELEASE "$@"
+
+if [ -n "${OUT_PATH}" ]; then
+    cp -a ./"${BINARY_DIR}"/"${FILENAME}" "${OUT_PATH}"
+fi
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f748973f..a5d6a856 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ endif
 if get_option('buildtype') != 'plain'
     add_project_arguments('-fstack-protector-strong', language: 'c')
 endif
+if get_option('buildtype') == 'release'
+    cargo_build_flags = ['--release'] # for artifacts
+else
+    cargo_build_flags = []
+endif
 
 prefix = get_option('prefix')
 datadir = join_paths(prefix, get_option('datadir'))
@@ -54,8 +59,9 @@ summary = [
 ]
 message('\n'.join(summary))
 
-cargo = find_program('cargo')
+dep_cargo = find_program('cargo')
 cargo_script = find_program('cargo.sh')
+cargo_build = find_program('cargo_build.sh')
 
 subdir('data')
 subdir('protocols')
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 36f817bb..0f071d01 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ rslibs = custom_target(
     output: ['librs.a'],
     install: false,
     console: true,
-    command: [cargo_script, '--output', '@OUTPUT@', 'build', '--lib']
+    command: [cargo_build] + cargo_build_flags + ['@OUTPUT@', '--lib']
 )
 
 build_rstests = custom_target(
@@ -72,14 +72,14 @@ build_rstests = custom_target(
     output: ['src'],
     install: false,
     console: true,
-    command: [cargo_script, '', 'test', '--no-run'],
+    command: [cargo_script, 'test', '--no-run'],
     depends: rslibs, # no point building tests if the code itself fails
 )
 
 test(
     'rstest',
     cargo_script,
-    args: ['', 'test'],
+    args: ['test'],
     # this is a whole Carg-based test suite, let it run for a while
     timeout: 900,
     depends: build_rstests,
@@ -131,7 +131,8 @@ test_layout = custom_target('squeekboard-test-layout',
     build_always_stale: true,
     output: ['squeekboard-test-layout'],
     console: true,
-    command: [cargo_script, '--rename', 'test_layout', '@OUTPUT@', 'build', '--bin', 'test_layout'],
+    command: [cargo_build] + cargo_build_flags
+        + ['--rename', 'test_layout', '@OUTPUT@', '--bin', 'test_layout'],
     install: true,
     install_dir: bindir,
 )
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index bd89b1a9..3c7b6c39 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ foreach layout : [
     test(
         'test_layout_' + layout,
         cargo_script,
-        args: ['', 'run', '--example', 'test_layout', layout]
+        args: ['run', '--example', 'test_layout', layout]
     )
 endforeach