diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_and_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_and_test.yaml
index 0c8baf82a..b33e81797 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_and_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_and_test.yaml
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run packaging argument tests
         shell: bash
         run: ci/scripts/test_packaging_args.sh
+      - name: Run build argument tests
+        shell: bash
+        run: ci/scripts/test_build_paimon_args.sh
       - name: Run asan_symbolize tests
         shell: bash
         run: ci/scripts/test_asan_symbolize.sh
diff --git a/ci/scripts/build_paimon.sh b/ci/scripts/build_paimon.sh
index cea59da8b..a145f07c7 100755
--- a/ci/scripts/build_paimon.sh
+++ b/ci/scripts/build_paimon.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ usage() {
     echo "Usage: $0 --source_dir <path> [--enable_asan] [--enable_ubsan] [--enable_tsan] [--check_clang_tidy] [--build_type <type>] [--lint_git_target_commit <commit-or-branch>] [--install_smoke]"
 }
 
+require_value() {
+    local option=$1
+    local value=${2-}
+    if [[ -z "${value}" || "${value}" == --* ]]; then
+        echo "Missing value for ${option}" >&2
+        usage >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
 source_dir=""
 enable_asan="false"
 enable_ubsan="false"
@@ -33,11 +43,7 @@ install_smoke="false"
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     case "$1" in
         --source_dir)
-            if [[ $# -lt 2 ]]; then
-                echo "Missing value for --source_dir" >&2
-                usage >&2
-                exit 1
-            fi
+            require_value "$1" "${2-}"
             source_dir=$2
             shift 2
             ;;
@@ -58,20 +64,12 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
             shift
             ;;
         --build_type)
-            if [[ $# -lt 2 ]]; then
-                echo "Missing value for --build_type" >&2
-                usage >&2
-                exit 1
-            fi
+            require_value "$1" "${2-}"
             build_type=$2
             shift 2
             ;;
         --lint_git_target_commit)
-            if [[ $# -lt 2 ]]; then
-                echo "Missing value for --lint_git_target_commit" >&2
-                usage >&2
-                exit 1
-            fi
+            require_value "$1" "${2-}"
             lint_git_target_commit=$2
             shift 2
             ;;
@@ -97,6 +95,15 @@ if [[ -z "${source_dir}" ]]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
+case "${build_type}" in
+    Debug | Release | RelWithDebInfo | MinSizeRel) ;;
+    *)
+        echo "Invalid value for --build_type: ${build_type}" >&2
+        usage >&2
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac
+
 if [[ "${enable_asan}" == "true" && "${enable_tsan}" == "true" ]]; then
     echo "ASAN and TSAN cannot be enabled together" >&2
     usage >&2
diff --git a/ci/scripts/test_build_paimon_args.sh b/ci/scripts/test_build_paimon_args.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..3bbfeac58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/scripts/test_build_paimon_args.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+# or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+# distributed with this work for additional information
+# regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+# to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+# "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+# with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# Argument validation tests for build_paimon.sh. A stub cmake keeps malformed
+# input from starting a configure or build if validation regresses.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+source_dir=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)
+script="${source_dir}/ci/scripts/build_paimon.sh"
+
+work_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "${work_dir}"' EXIT
+mkdir -p "${work_dir}/source" "${work_dir}/bin"
+
+stub_cmake="${work_dir}/bin/cmake"
+printf '%s\n' '#!/usr/bin/env bash' 'echo "cmake stub called: $*" >&2' 'exit 99' \
+    > "${stub_cmake}"
+chmod +x "${stub_cmake}"
+
+stub_ccache="${work_dir}/bin/ccache"
+printf '%s\n' '#!/usr/bin/env bash' 'exit 0' > "${stub_ccache}"
+chmod +x "${stub_ccache}"
+
+checks=0
+failures=0
+
+expect_rejected() {
+    local description=$1 expected=$2
+    shift 2
+    local output status
+    checks=$((checks + 1))
+    output=$(PATH="${work_dir}/bin:${PATH}" "${script}" "$@" 2>&1)
+    status=$?
+    if [[ "${status}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+        echo "FAIL ${description}: expected a non-zero exit"
+    elif [[ "${output}" != *"${expected}"* ]]; then
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+        echo "FAIL ${description}: expected '${expected}', got: ${output}"
+    elif [[ "${output}" == *"cmake stub called:"* ]]; then
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+        echo "FAIL ${description}: validation happened after invoking cmake"
+    fi
+}
+
+expect_build_type_accepted() {
+    local build_type=$1 output status
+    checks=$((checks + 1))
+    output=$(PATH="${work_dir}/bin:${PATH}" "${script}" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" \
+        --build_type "${build_type}" 2>&1)
+    status=$?
+    if [[ "${status}" -ne 99 ]]; then
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+        echo "FAIL build type ${build_type}: expected cmake stub exit 99, got ${status}: ${output}"
+    elif [[ "${output}" != *"-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${build_type}"* ]]; then
+        failures=$((failures + 1))
+        echo "FAIL build type ${build_type}: cmake did not receive the expected value: ${output}"
+    fi
+}
+
+expect_rejected "source directory cannot consume another option" \
+    "Missing value for --source_dir" --source_dir --enable_asan
+expect_rejected "source directory requires a value" \
+    "Missing value for --source_dir" --source_dir
+expect_rejected "build type cannot consume another option" \
+    "Missing value for --build_type" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" --build_type --enable_asan
+expect_rejected "build type requires a value" \
+    "Missing value for --build_type" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" --build_type
+expect_rejected "lint target cannot consume another option" \
+    "Missing value for --lint_git_target_commit" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" \
+    --lint_git_target_commit --enable_asan
+expect_rejected "lint target requires a value" \
+    "Missing value for --lint_git_target_commit" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" \
+    --lint_git_target_commit
+expect_rejected "unknown build type is rejected" \
+    "Invalid value for --build_type: Profile" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" \
+    --build_type Profile
+expect_rejected "source directory is required" \
+    "--source_dir is required"
+expect_rejected "unknown arguments are rejected" \
+    "Unknown argument: --unknown" --unknown
+expect_rejected "ASAN and TSAN are mutually exclusive" \
+    "ASAN and TSAN cannot be enabled together" --source_dir "${work_dir}/source" \
+    --enable_asan --enable_tsan
+
+for build_type in Debug Release RelWithDebInfo MinSizeRel; do
+    expect_build_type_accepted "${build_type}"
+done
+
+if [[ "${failures}" -ne 0 ]]; then
+    echo "${failures}/${checks} checks failed"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "All ${checks} build_paimon argument checks passed"