diff --git a/mobile/android/gradle/build.gradle b/mobile/android/gradle/build.gradle
index 3dbfddd44ff..18ad7607137 100644
--- a/mobile/android/gradle/build.gradle
+++ b/mobile/android/gradle/build.gradle
@@ -33,5 +33,15 @@ subprojects {
         commandLine "${topsrcdir}/mach"
         args 'build'
         args 'mobile/android/base/gradle-targets'
+
+        // Only show the output if something went wrong.
+        ignoreExitValue = true
+        standardOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+        errorOutput = standardOutput
+        doLast {
+            if (execResult.exitValue != 0) {
+                throw new GradleException("Process '${commandLine}' finished with non-zero exit value ${execResult.exitValue}:\n\n${standardOutput.toString()}")
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/mobile/android/gradle/omnijar/build.gradle b/mobile/android/gradle/omnijar/build.gradle
index 3d906508097..44ea426383f 100644
--- a/mobile/android/gradle/omnijar/build.gradle
+++ b/mobile/android/gradle/omnijar/build.gradle
@@ -23,6 +23,16 @@ task buildOmnijar(type:Exec) {
     args '-C'
     args 'mobile/android/base'
     args 'gradle-omnijar'
+
+    // Only show the output if something went wrong.
+    ignoreExitValue = true
+    standardOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+    errorOutput = standardOutput
+    doLast {
+        if (execResult.exitValue != 0) {
+            throw new GradleException("Process '${commandLine}' finished with non-zero exit value ${execResult.exitValue}:\n\n${standardOutput.toString()}")
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 apply plugin: 'idea'
diff --git a/mobile/android/gradle/settings.gradle b/mobile/android/gradle/settings.gradle
index 8ce2199a406..3c26b3f9acd 100644
--- a/mobile/android/gradle/settings.gradle
+++ b/mobile/android/gradle/settings.gradle
@@ -8,20 +8,20 @@ if (!hasProperty('topsrcdir')) {
     logger.warn("topsrcdir is undefined: assuming source directory Gradle invocation with topsrcdir=${topsrcdir}.")
 }
 
-def command = ["${topsrcdir}/mach", "environment", "--format", "json", "--verbose"]
-def proc = command.execute(null, new File(topsrcdir))
-def sout = new StringBuffer()
-def serr = new StringBuffer()
-proc.consumeProcessOutput(sout, serr)
+def commandLine = ["${topsrcdir}/mach", "environment", "--format", "json", "--verbose"]
+def proc = commandLine.execute(null, new File(topsrcdir))
+def standardOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+proc.consumeProcessOutput(standardOutput, standardOutput)
 proc.waitFor()
 
+// Only show the output if something went wrong.
 if (proc.exitValue() != 0) {
-    throw new GradleException("Could not extract mozconfig/build environment from |${topsrcdir}/mach environment|!");
+    throw new GradleException("Process '${commandLine}' finished with non-zero exit value ${proc.exitValue()}:\n\n${standardOutput.toString()}")
 }
 
 import groovy.json.JsonSlurper
 def slurper = new JsonSlurper()
-def json = slurper.parseText(sout.toString())
+def json = slurper.parseText(standardOutput.toString())
 
 include ':app'
 include ':base'