diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 073fd86..4d29d80 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -42,17 +42,21 @@ to build your chart(s) and image(s). Add `--push` to publish images to docker
 hub and `--publish-chart` to publish the chart and index to gh-pages.
 
 ```
-usage: chartpress [-h] [--push] [--publish-chart]
+usage: chartpress [-h] [--push] [--force-push] [--publish-chart]
                   [--extra-message EXTRA_MESSAGE] [--tag TAG | --long]
-                  [--image-prefix IMAGE_PREFIX] [--reset] [--skip-build]
-                  [--version] [--commit-range COMMIT_RANGE]
+                  [--image-prefix IMAGE_PREFIX] [--reset]
+                  [--skip-build | --force-build] [--version]
+                  [--commit-range COMMIT_RANGE]
 
 Automate building and publishing helm charts and associated images. This is
 used as part of the JupyterHub and Binder projects.
 
 optional arguments:
   -h, --help            show this help message and exit
-  --push                Push built images to their docker image registry.
+  --push                Push built images to their image registries, but not
+                        if it would replace an existing image.
+  --force-push          Push built images to their image registries,
+                        regardless if it would replace an existing image.
   --publish-chart       Package a Helm chart and publish it to a Helm chart
                         repository contructed with a GitHub git repository and
                         GitHub pages.
@@ -70,6 +74,8 @@ optional arguments:
                         can be configured in chartpress.yaml with the resetTag
                         and resetVersion configurations.
   --skip-build          Skip the image build step.
+  --force-build         Enforce the image build step, regardless of if the
+                        image already is available either locally or remotely.
   --version             Print current chartpress version and exit.
   --commit-range COMMIT_RANGE
                         Deprecated: this flag will be ignored. The new logic
diff --git a/chartpress.py b/chartpress.py
index 844e755..670a658 100755
--- a/chartpress.py
+++ b/chartpress.py
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ def _strip_identifiers_build_suffix(identifier):
     return re.sub(r'[-\.]\d{3,}\.\w{4,}\Z', "", identifier)
 
 
-def build_images(prefix, images, tag=None, push=False, chart_version=None, skip_build=False, long=False):
+def build_images(prefix, images, tag=None, push=False, force_push=False, chart_version=None, force_build=False, skip_build=False, long=False):
     """Build a collection of docker images
 
     Args:
@@ -304,9 +304,14 @@ def build_images(prefix, images, tag=None, push=False, chart_version=None, skip_
         to modify the image's files.
     push (bool):
         Whether to push the resulting images (default: False).
+    force_push (bool):
+        Whether to push the built images even if they already exist in the image
+        registry (default: False).
     chart_version (str):
         The latest chart version, trimmed from its build suffix, will be included
         as a prefix on image tags if `tag` is not specified.
+    force_build (bool):
+        To build even if the image is available locally or remotely already.
     skip_build (bool):
         Whether to skip the actual image build (only updates tags).
     long (bool):
@@ -364,7 +369,7 @@ def build_images(prefix, images, tag=None, push=False, chart_version=None, skip_
         if skip_build:
             continue
 
-        if tag or image_needs_building(image_spec):
+        if force_build or image_needs_building(image_spec):
             build_args = render_build_args(
                 options,
                 {
@@ -376,8 +381,8 @@ def build_images(prefix, images, tag=None, push=False, chart_version=None, skip_
         else:
             print(f"Skipping build for {image_spec}, it already exists")
 
-        if push:
-            if tag or image_needs_pushing(image_spec):
+        if push or force_push:
+            if force_push or image_needs_pushing(image_spec):
                 check_call([
                     'docker', 'push', image_spec
                 ])
@@ -603,7 +608,12 @@ def main(args=None):
     argparser.add_argument(
         '--push',
         action='store_true',
-        help='Push built images to their docker image registry.',
+        help='Push built images to their image registries, but not if it would replace an existing image.',
+    )
+    argparser.add_argument(
+        '--force-push',
+        action='store_true',
+        help='Push built images to their image registries, regardless if it would replace an existing image.',
     )
     argparser.add_argument(
         '--publish-chart',
@@ -636,11 +646,17 @@ def main(args=None):
         action='store_true',
         help="Skip image build step and reset Chart.yaml's version field and values.yaml's image tags. What it resets to can be configured in chartpress.yaml with the resetTag and resetVersion configurations.",
     )
-    argparser.add_argument(
+    skip_or_force_build_group = argparser.add_mutually_exclusive_group()
+    skip_or_force_build_group.add_argument(
         '--skip-build',
         action='store_true',
         help='Skip the image build step.',
     )
+    skip_or_force_build_group.add_argument(
+        '--force-build',
+        action='store_true',
+        help='Enforce the image build step, regardless of if the image already is available either locally or remotely.',
+    )
     argparser.add_argument(
         '--version',
         action='store_true',
@@ -695,7 +711,9 @@ def main(args=None):
                 images=chart['images'],
                 tag=args.tag if not args.reset else chart.get('resetTag', 'set-by-chartpress'),
                 push=args.push,
+                force_push=args.force_push,
                 chart_version=chart_version,
+                force_build=args.force_build,
                 skip_build=args.skip_build or args.reset,
                 long=args.long,
             )
diff --git a/tests/README.md b/tests/README.md
index a655b2f..4659141 100644
--- a/tests/README.md
+++ b/tests/README.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pytest -vx --flakes
 ```
 
 ## Not yet tested
-- `--push`
+- `--push` or `--force-push`
 
 ## References
 - [pytest](https://docs.pytest.org)
diff --git a/tests/test_repo_interactions.py b/tests/test_repo_interactions.py
index bb293ea..66404c9 100644
--- a/tests/test_repo_interactions.py
+++ b/tests/test_repo_interactions.py
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ def test_git_repo_fixture(git_repo):
     assert os.path.isfile("chartpress.yaml")
     assert os.path.isfile("testchart/Chart.yaml")
     assert os.path.isfile("testchart/values.yaml")
+    assert os.path.isfile("testchart/templates/configmap.yaml")
+    assert os.path.isfile("image/Dockerfile")
 
     # assert there is another branch to contain published content as well
     git_repo.git.checkout("gh-pages")
@@ -45,22 +47,24 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
     out = _capture_output(["--reset"], capfd)
     assert f"Updating testchart/Chart.yaml: version: 0.0.1-test.reset.version" in out
     assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: image: testchart/testimage:test-reset-tag" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.0: testchart/testimage:test-reset-tag" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.1.image: testchart/testimage:test-reset-tag" in out
+
 
     # verify that we don't need to rebuild the image
     out = _capture_output([], capfd)
     assert f"Skipping build" in out
 
 
+    # verify usage of --force-build
+    out = _capture_output(["--force-build"], capfd)
+    assert f"Successfully tagged" in out
+
+
     # verify usage --skip-build and --tag
     tag = "1.2.3-test.tag"
     out = _capture_output(["--skip-build", "--tag", tag], capfd)
     assert f"Successfully tagged" not in out
     assert f"Updating testchart/Chart.yaml: version: {tag}" in out
     assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: image: testchart/testimage:{tag}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.0: testchart/testimage:{tag}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.1.image: testchart/testimage:{tag}" in out
 
 
     # verify a real git tag is detected
@@ -77,16 +81,12 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
     out = _capture_output(["--skip-build", "--long"], capfd)
     assert f"Updating testchart/Chart.yaml: version: {tag}.000.{sha}" in out
     assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: image: testchart/testimage:{tag}.000.{sha}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.0: testchart/testimage:{tag}.000.{sha}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.1.image: testchart/testimage:{tag}.000.{sha}" in out
 
 
     # verify usage of --image-prefix
     out = _capture_output(["--skip-build", "--image-prefix", "test-prefix/"], capfd)
     assert f"Updating testchart/Chart.yaml: version: {tag}" in out
     assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: image: test-prefix/testimage:{tag}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.0: test-prefix/testimage:{tag}" in out
-    assert f"Updating testchart/values.yaml: list.1.image: test-prefix/testimage:{tag}" in out
 
 
     # verify usage of --publish-chart and --extra-message
@@ -98,11 +98,13 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
         ],
         capfd,
     )
+
     # verify output of --publish-chart
     assert "Branch 'gh-pages' set up to track remote branch 'gh-pages' from 'origin'." in out
     assert "Successfully packaged chart and saved it to:" in out
     assert f"/testchart-{tag}.tgz" in out
 
+    # checkout gh-pages
     git_repo.git.stash()
     git_repo.git.checkout("gh-pages")
 
@@ -118,6 +120,7 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
     automatic_helm_chart_repo_commit = git_repo.commit("HEAD")
     assert "test added --extra-message" in automatic_helm_chart_repo_commit.message
 
+    # return to master
     git_repo.git.checkout("master")
     git_repo.git.stash("pop")
 
@@ -134,11 +137,13 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
         ],
         capfd,
     )
+
     # verify output of --publish-chart
     assert "Branch 'gh-pages' set up to track remote branch 'gh-pages' from 'origin'." in out
     assert "Successfully packaged chart and saved it to:" in out
     assert f"/testchart-{tag}.001.{sha}.tgz" in out
 
+    # checkout gh-pages
     git_repo.git.stash()
     git_repo.git.checkout("gh-pages")
 
@@ -153,6 +158,7 @@ def test_chartpress_run(git_repo, capfd):
     assert f"version: {tag}" in index_yaml
     assert f"version: {tag}.001.{sha}" in index_yaml
 
+    # return to master
     git_repo.git.checkout("master")
     git_repo.git.stash("pop")