diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index 71b33cbf9119eb..11f7bad38a3d7f 100755
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -547,6 +547,12 @@
     default=False,
     help='build V8 using GN instead of gyp')
 
+parser.add_option('--verbose',
+    action='store_true',
+    dest='verbose',
+    default=False,
+    help='get more output from this script')
+
 # Create compile_commands.json in out/Debug and out/Release.
 parser.add_option('-C',
     action='store_true',
@@ -575,6 +581,14 @@ def warn(msg):
 # track if warnings occurred
 warn.warned = False
 
+def print_verbose(x):
+  if not options.verbose:
+    return
+  if type(x) is str:
+    print x
+  else:
+    pprint.pprint(x, indent=2)
+
 def b(value):
   """Returns the string 'true' if value is truthy, 'false' otherwise."""
   if value:
@@ -1158,7 +1172,7 @@ def without_ssl_error(option):
 def configure_static(o):
   if options.fully_static or options.partly_static:
     if flavor == 'mac':
-      print("Generation of static executable will not work on OSX "
+      warn("Generation of static executable will not work on OSX "
             "when using the default compilation environment")
       return
 
@@ -1172,9 +1186,9 @@ def configure_static(o):
 
 def write(filename, data):
   filename = filename
-  print('creating %s' % filename)
-  f = open(filename, 'w+')
-  f.write(data)
+  print_verbose('creating %s' % filename)
+  with open(filename, 'w+') as f:
+    f.write(data)
 
 do_not_edit = '# Do not edit. Generated by the configure script.\n'
 
@@ -1192,7 +1206,7 @@ def glob_to_var(dir_base, dir_sub, patch_dir):
           patchfile = '%s/%s/%s' % (dir_base, patch_dir, file)
           if os.path.isfile(patchfile):
             srcfile = '%s/%s' % (patch_dir, file)
-            print('Using version-specific floating patch %s' % patchfile)
+            warn('Using floating patch "%s" from "%s"' % (patchfile, dir_base))
         list.append(srcfile)
     break
   return list
@@ -1226,8 +1240,8 @@ def icu_download(path):
         if (md5 == gotmd5):
           return targetfile
         else:
-          print('Expected: %s      *MISMATCH*' % md5)
-          print('\n ** Corrupted ZIP? Delete %s to retry download.\n' % targetfile)
+          error('Expected: %s      *MISMATCH*' % md5)
+          error('\n ** Corrupted ZIP? Delete %s to retry download.\n' % targetfile)
     return None
   icu_config = {
     'variables': {}
@@ -1328,7 +1342,7 @@ def write_config(data, name):
   # --with-icu-source processing
   # now, check that they didn't pass --with-icu-source=deps/icu
   elif with_icu_source and os.path.abspath(icu_full_path) == os.path.abspath(with_icu_source):
-    print('Ignoring redundant --with-icu-source=%s' % with_icu_source)
+    warn('Ignoring redundant --with-icu-source=%s' % with_icu_source)
     with_icu_source = None
   # if with_icu_source is still set, try to use it.
   if with_icu_source:
@@ -1371,7 +1385,7 @@ def write_config(data, name):
   # ICU source dir relative to tools/icu (for .gyp file)
   o['variables']['icu_path'] = icu_full_path
   if not os.path.isdir(icu_full_path):
-    print('* ECMA-402 (Intl) support didn\'t find ICU in %s..' % icu_full_path)
+    warn('* ECMA-402 (Intl) support didn\'t find ICU in %s..' % icu_full_path)
     # can we download (or find) a zipfile?
     localzip = icu_download(icu_full_path)
     if localzip:
@@ -1380,7 +1394,7 @@ def write_config(data, name):
     error('''Cannot build Intl without ICU in %s.
        Fix, or disable with "--with-intl=none"''' % icu_full_path)
   else:
-    print('* Using ICU in %s' % icu_full_path)
+    print_verbose('* Using ICU in %s' % icu_full_path)
   # Now, what version of ICU is it? We just need the "major", such as 54.
   # uvernum.h contains it as a #define.
   uvernum_h = os.path.join(icu_full_path, 'source/common/unicode/uvernum.h')
@@ -1543,7 +1557,7 @@ def make_bin_override():
 if make_global_settings:
   output['make_global_settings'] = make_global_settings
 
-pprint.pprint(output, indent=2)
+print_verbose(output)
 
 write('config.gypi', do_not_edit +
       pprint.pformat(output, indent=2) + '\n')
@@ -1582,9 +1596,11 @@ def make_bin_override():
 if options.compile_commands_json:
   gyp_args += ['-f', 'compile_commands_json']
 
+# pass the leftover positional arguments to GYP
 gyp_args += args
 
-if warn.warned:
+if warn.warned and not options.verbose:
   warn('warnings were emitted in the configure phase')
 
+print_verbose("running: \n    " + " ".join(['python', 'tools/gyp_node.py'] + gyp_args))
 run_gyp(gyp_args)