diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/authors-package/watchr.js b/aio/tools/transforms/authors-package/watchr.js
index 296dba3270..7713a330e9 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/authors-package/watchr.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/authors-package/watchr.js
@@ -22,10 +22,28 @@ function next(error) {
   }
 }
 
-console.log('Started watching files in:');
-console.log(' - ', contentsPath);
-console.log(' - ', apiPath);
-console.log('Doc gen will run when you change a file in either of these folders.');
+let p = Promise.resolve();
 
-watchr.open(contentsPath, listener, next);
-watchr.open(apiPath, listener, next);
+if (process.argv.indexOf('--watch-only') === -1) {
+  console.log('===================================================================');
+  console.log('Running initial doc generation');
+  console.log('-------------------------------------------------------------------');
+  console.log('Skip the full doc-gen by running: `yarn docs-watch -- --watch-only`');
+  console.log('===================================================================');
+  const {Dgeni} = require('dgeni');
+  var dgeni = new Dgeni([require('../angular.io-package')]);
+  p = dgeni.generate();
+}
+
+p.then(() => {
+  console.log('===================================================================');
+  console.log('Started watching files in:');
+  console.log(' - ', contentsPath);
+  console.log(' - ', apiPath);
+  console.log('Doc gen will run when you change a file in either of these folders.');
+  console.log('===================================================================');
+
+  watchr.open(contentsPath, listener, next);
+  watchr.open(apiPath, listener, next);
+
+});
\ No newline at end of file