@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ type Builder struct {

 	tmpContainers    map[string]struct{}

 	image            string         // imageID

 	imageContexts    *imageContexts // helper for storing contexts from builds

-	noBaseImage      bool

+	noBaseImage      bool           // A flag to track the use of `scratch` as the base image

 	maintainer       string

 	cmdSet           bool

 	disableCommit    bool

@@ -328,6 +328,11 @@ func (b *Builder) warnOnUnusedBuildArgs() {

 	}

 }

+// hasFromImage returns true if the builder has processed a `FROM <image>` line

+func (b *Builder) hasFromImage() bool {

+	return b.image != "" || b.noBaseImage

+}

+

 // Cancel cancels an ongoing Dockerfile build.

 func (b *Builder) Cancel() {

 	b.cancel()

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (

 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"

 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/strslice"

 	"github.com/docker/docker/builder"

+	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/shellvar"

 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/signal"

 	"github.com/docker/go-connections/nat"

 	"github.com/pkg/errors"

@@ -218,7 +219,17 @@ func from(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original string

 		return err

 	}

-	name := args[0]

+	getBuildArg := func(key string) (string, bool) {

+		value, ok := b.options.BuildArgs[key]

+		if value != nil {

+			return *value, ok

+		}

+		return "", ok

+	}

+	name, err := shellvar.Substitute(args[0], getBuildArg)

+	if err != nil {

+		return err

+	}

 	var image builder.Image

@@ -360,7 +371,7 @@ func workdir(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original str

 // RUN [ "echo", "hi" ] # echo hi

 //

 func run(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original string) error {

-	if b.image == "" && !b.noBaseImage {

+	if !b.hasFromImage() {

 		return errors.New("Please provide a source image with `from` prior to run")

 	}

@@ -790,6 +801,10 @@ func arg(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original string)

 	}

 	b.allowedBuildArgs[name] = value

+	// Arg before FROM doesn't add a layer

+	if !b.hasFromImage() {

+		return nil

+	}

 	return b.commit("", b.runConfig.Cmd, fmt.Sprintf("ARG %s", arg))

 }

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func (b *Builder) commit(id string, autoCmd strslice.StrSlice, comment string) e

 	if b.disableCommit {

 		return nil

 	}

-	if b.image == "" && !b.noBaseImage {

+	if !b.hasFromImage() {

 		return errors.New("Please provide a source image with `from` prior to commit")

 	}

 	b.runConfig.Image = b.image

@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ func (b *Builder) probeCache() (bool, error) {

 }

 func (b *Builder) create() (string, error) {

-	if b.image == "" && !b.noBaseImage {

+	if !b.hasFromImage() {

 		return "", errors.New("Please provide a source image with `from` prior to run")

 	}

 	b.runConfig.Image = b.image