diff --git a/lib/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts b/lib/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
index 3ef3a2c3b8..03fc61d512 100644
--- a/lib/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {
 	IWatchIgnoreListService,
 } from "../declarations";
 import { IPlatformsDataService } from "../definitions/platform";
-import { IProjectDataService } from "../definitions/project";
+import { IProjectData, IProjectDataService } from "../definitions/project";
 import {
 	IAndroidPluginBuildService,
 	IPluginBuildOptions,
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ export class AndroidPluginBuildService implements IAndroidPluginBuildService {
 		private $androidToolsInfo: IAndroidToolsInfo,
 		private $logger: ILogger,
 		private $packageManager: INodePackageManager,
+		private $projectData: IProjectData,
 		private $projectDataService: IProjectDataService,
 		private $devicePlatformsConstants: Mobile.IDevicePlatformsConstants,
 		private $errors: IErrors,
@@ -727,6 +728,8 @@ export class AndroidPluginBuildService implements IAndroidPluginBuildService {
 			"assembleRelease",
 			`-PcompileSdk=android-${pluginBuildSettings.androidToolsInfo.compileSdkVersion}`,
 			`-PbuildToolsVersion=${pluginBuildSettings.androidToolsInfo.buildToolsVersion}`,
+			`-PappPath=${this.$projectData.getAppDirectoryPath()}`,
+			`-PappResourcesPath=${this.$projectData.getAppResourcesDirectoryPath()}`
 		];
 		if (pluginBuildSettings.gradleArgs) {
 			localArgs.push(pluginBuildSettings.gradleArgs);
diff --git a/test/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts b/test/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
index 9797602906..58e124750f 100644
--- a/test/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
+++ b/test/services/android-plugin-build-service.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ describe("androidPluginBuildService", () => {
 			},
 		});
 		testInjector.register("packageManager", setupNpm(options));
+		testInjector.register("projectData", stubs.ProjectDataStub);
 		testInjector.register("filesHashService", <IFilesHashService>{
 			generateHashes: async (
 				files: string[]
@@ -110,6 +111,10 @@ describe("androidPluginBuildService", () => {
 		androidBuildPluginService = testInjector.resolve<AndroidPluginBuildService>(
 			AndroidPluginBuildService
 		);
+
+		// initialize dummy projectData
+		const projectData = testInjector.resolve("projectData");
+		projectData.initializeProjectData("test-project");
 	}
 
 	function setupNpm(options: {
diff --git a/vendor/gradle-plugin/build.gradle b/vendor/gradle-plugin/build.gradle
index 7fd52fc8f9..b7f03c8ce7 100644
--- a/vendor/gradle-plugin/build.gradle
+++ b/vendor/gradle-plugin/build.gradle
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import groovy.json.JsonSlurper
 import org.gradle.internal.logging.text.StyledTextOutputFactory
 import static org.gradle.internal.logging.text.StyledTextOutput.Style
+import java.nio.file.Paths
 
 apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
 apply plugin: 'kotlin-android'
@@ -25,31 +26,52 @@ buildscript {
     // Set up styled logger
     project.ext.outLogger = services.get(StyledTextOutputFactory).create("colouredOutputLogger")
 
-    // todo: pass appResourcesPath from CLI as a gradle arg
-    project.ext.getAppResourcesPath = { ->
+    project.ext.USER_PROJECT_ROOT = "$rootDir/../../.."
+
+    project.ext.getAppPath = { ->
         def relativePathToApp = "app"
-        def relativePathToAppResources
-        def absolutePathToAppResources
-        def projectRoot = "$rootDir/../../.."
-        def nsConfigFile = file("$projectRoot/nsconfig.json")
+        def nsConfigFile = file("$USER_PROJECT_ROOT/nsconfig.json")
         def nsConfig
 
         if (nsConfigFile.exists()) {
             nsConfig = new JsonSlurper().parseText(nsConfigFile.getText("UTF-8"))
         }
 
-        if(nsConfig != null && nsConfig.appPath != null){
+        if (project.hasProperty("appPath")) {
+            // when appPath is passed through -PappPath=/path/to/app
+            // the path could be relative or absolute - either case will work
+            relativePathToApp = appPath
+        } else if (nsConfig != null && nsConfig.appPath != null) {
             relativePathToApp = nsConfig.appPath
         }
 
-        if(nsConfig != null && nsConfig.appResourcesPath != null ) {
+        project.ext.appPath = Paths.get(USER_PROJECT_ROOT).resolve(relativePathToApp).toAbsolutePath()
+
+        return project.ext.appPath
+    }
+
+    project.ext.getAppResourcesPath = { ->
+        def relativePathToAppResources
+        def absolutePathToAppResources
+        def nsConfigFile = file("$USER_PROJECT_ROOT/nsconfig.json")
+        def nsConfig
+
+        if (nsConfigFile.exists()) {
+            nsConfig = new JsonSlurper().parseText(nsConfigFile.getText("UTF-8"))
+        }
+
+        if (project.hasProperty("appResourcesPath")) {
+            // when appResourcesPath is passed through -PappResourcesPath=/path/to/App_Resources
+            // the path could be relative or absolute - either case will work
+            relativePathToAppResources = appResourcesPath
+            absolutePathToAppResources = Paths.get(USER_PROJECT_ROOT).resolve(relativePathToAppResources).toAbsolutePath()
+        } else if (nsConfig != null && nsConfig.appResourcesPath != null) {
             relativePathToAppResources = nsConfig.appResourcesPath
+            absolutePathToAppResources = Paths.get(USER_PROJECT_ROOT).resolve(relativePathToAppResources).toAbsolutePath()
         } else {
-            relativePathToAppResources  = "$relativePathToApp/App_Resources"
+            absolutePathToAppResources = "${getAppPath()}/App_Resources"
         }
 
-        absolutePathToAppResources = java.nio.file.Paths.get(projectRoot).resolve(relativePathToAppResources).toAbsolutePath()
-
         project.ext.appResourcesPath = absolutePathToAppResources
 
         return absolutePathToAppResources