--- a/tools/tryselect/selectors/syntax.py
+++ b/tools/tryselect/selectors/syntax.py
@@ -64,16 +64,22 @@ class SyntaxParser(BaseTryParser):
           }],
         [['-v', '--verbose'],
          {'dest': 'verbose',
           'action': 'store_true',
           'default': False,
           'help': 'Print detailed information about the resulting test selection '
                   'and commands performed.',
           }],
+        [['--detect-paths'],
+         {'dest': 'detect_paths',
+          'action': 'store_true',
+          'default': False,
+          'help': 'Provide test paths based on files changed in the working copy.',
+          }],
     ]
 
     # Arguments we will accept on the command line and pass through to try
     # syntax with no further intervention. The set is taken from
     # http://trychooser.pub.build.mozilla.org with a few additions.
     #
     # Note that the meaning of store_false and store_true arguments is
     # not preserved here, as we're only using these to echo the literal
@@ -449,20 +455,20 @@ class AutoTry(object):
                     parts.append(arg)
                     parts.append(e)
             if action in ('store_true', 'store_false'):
                 parts.append(arg)
 
         try_syntax = " ".join(parts)
         return try_syntax
 
-    def find_paths_and_tags(self, verbose):
+    def find_paths_and_tags(self, verbose, detect_paths):
         paths, tags = set(), set()
         changed_files = self.vcs.files_changed
-        if changed_files:
+        if changed_files and detect_paths:
             if verbose:
                 print("Pushing tests based on modifications to the "
                       "following files:\n\t%s" % "\n\t".join(changed_files))
 
             from mozbuild.frontend.reader import (
                 BuildReader,
                 EmptyConfig,
             )
@@ -575,17 +581,18 @@ class AutoTry(object):
                 print("No saved configuration called %s found in autotry.ini" % kwargs["preset"],
                       file=sys.stderr)
 
             for key, value in kwargs.iteritems():
                 if value in (None, []) and key in defaults:
                     kwargs[key] = defaults[key]
 
         if not any(kwargs[item] for item in ("paths", "tests", "tags")):
-            kwargs["paths"], kwargs["tags"] = self.find_paths_and_tags(kwargs["verbose"])
+            kwargs["paths"], kwargs["tags"] = self.find_paths_and_tags(kwargs["verbose"],
+                                                                       kwargs["detect_paths"])
 
         builds, platforms, tests, talos, jobs, paths, tags, extra = self.validate_args(**kwargs)
 
         if paths or tags:
             paths = [os.path.relpath(os.path.normpath(os.path.abspath(item)), self.topsrcdir)
                      for item in paths]
             paths_by_flavor = self.paths_by_flavor(paths=paths, tags=tags)