diff --git a/server/scripts/build-wrapper.sh b/server/scripts/build-wrapper.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e16dc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/scripts/build-wrapper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Wrapper script to invoke gradle from meson
+set -e
+
+# Do not execute gradle when ninja is called as root (it would download the
+# whole gradle world in /root/.gradle).
+# This is typically useful for calling "sudo ninja install" after a "ninja
+# install"
+if [[ "$EUID" == 0 ]]
+then
+    echo "(not invoking gradle, since we are root)" >&2
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+PROJECT_ROOT="$1"
+OUTPUT="$2"
+BUILDTYPE="$3"
+
+# gradlew is in the parent of the server directory
+GRADLE=${GRADLE:-$PROJECT_ROOT/../gradlew}
+
+if [[ "$BUILDTYPE" == debug ]]
+then
+    "$GRADLE" -p "$PROJECT_ROOT" assembleDebug
+    cp "$PROJECT_ROOT/build/outputs/apk/debug/server-debug.apk" "$OUTPUT"
+else
+    "$GRADLE" -p "$PROJECT_ROOT" assembleRelease
+    cp "$PROJECT_ROOT/build/outputs/apk/release/server-release-unsigned.apk" "$OUTPUT"
+fi