diff --git a/src/dev/run/fail.js b/src/dev/run/fail.ts
similarity index 78%
rename from src/dev/run/fail.js
rename to src/dev/run/fail.ts
index af0197fd47fd4..aa8386eaeecaa 100644
--- a/src/dev/run/fail.js
+++ b/src/dev/run/fail.ts
@@ -21,18 +21,23 @@ import { inspect } from 'util';
 
 const FAIL_TAG = Symbol('fail error');
 
-export function createFailError(reason, exitCode = 1) {
-  const error = new Error(reason);
-  error.exitCode = exitCode;
-  error[FAIL_TAG] = true;
-  return error;
+interface FailError extends Error {
+  exitCode: number;
+  [FAIL_TAG]: true;
 }
 
-export function isFailError(error) {
+export function createFailError(reason: string, exitCode = 1): FailError {
+  return Object.assign(new Error(reason), {
+    exitCode,
+    [FAIL_TAG]: true as true,
+  });
+}
+
+export function isFailError(error: any): error is FailError {
   return Boolean(error && error[FAIL_TAG]);
 }
 
-export function combineErrors(errors) {
+export function combineErrors(errors: Array<Error | FailError>) {
   if (errors.length === 1) {
     return errors[0];
   }
diff --git a/src/dev/run/flags.js b/src/dev/run/flags.ts
similarity index 72%
rename from src/dev/run/flags.js
rename to src/dev/run/flags.ts
index ef98e9532b2c9..8adbf24567b35 100644
--- a/src/dev/run/flags.js
+++ b/src/dev/run/flags.ts
@@ -21,8 +21,19 @@ import { relative } from 'path';
 
 import getopts from 'getopts';
 
-export function getFlags(argv) {
-  return getopts(argv, {
+export interface Flags {
+  verbose: boolean;
+  quiet: boolean;
+  silent: boolean;
+  debug: boolean;
+  help: boolean;
+  _: string[];
+
+  [key: string]: undefined | boolean | string | string[];
+}
+
+export function getFlags(argv: string[]): Flags {
+  const { verbose, quiet, silent, debug, help, _, ...others } = getopts(argv, {
     alias: {
       v: 'verbose',
     },
@@ -32,14 +43,23 @@ export function getFlags(argv) {
       silent: false,
       debug: false,
       help: false,
-    }
+    },
   });
+
+  return {
+    verbose,
+    quiet,
+    silent,
+    debug,
+    help,
+    _,
+    ...others,
+  };
 }
 
 export function getHelp() {
-  return (
-    `
-  node ${relative(process.cwd(), process.argv[1], '.js')}
+  return `
+  node ${relative(process.cwd(), process.argv[1])}
 
   Runs a dev task
 
@@ -50,6 +70,5 @@ export function getHelp() {
     --silent           Don't log anything
     --help             Show this message
 
-`
-  );
+`;
 }
diff --git a/src/dev/run/index.d.ts b/src/dev/run/index.d.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8f49f5a84f3fd..0000000000000
--- a/src/dev/run/index.d.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
- * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
- * this work for additional information regarding copyright
- * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. 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.
- */
-
-import { ToolingLog } from '@kbn/dev-utils';
-
-export function createFailError(msg: string, exitCode?: number): Error;
-export function run(
-  body: (args: { flags: Record<string, any>; log: ToolingLog }) => void
-): Promise<void>;
diff --git a/src/dev/run/index.js b/src/dev/run/index.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/dev/run/index.js
rename to src/dev/run/index.ts
diff --git a/src/dev/run/run.js b/src/dev/run/run.ts
similarity index 84%
rename from src/dev/run/run.js
rename to src/dev/run/run.ts
index d7d0b4ec30c72..0cdf2fe37df98 100644
--- a/src/dev/run/run.js
+++ b/src/dev/run/run.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-import { ToolingLog, pickLevelFromFlags } from '@kbn/dev-utils';
+import { pickLevelFromFlags, ToolingLog } from '@kbn/dev-utils';
 import { isFailError } from './fail';
-import { getFlags, getHelp } from './flags';
+import { Flags, getFlags, getHelp } from './flags';
 
-export async function run(body) {
+export async function run(body: (args: { log: ToolingLog; flags: Flags }) => Promise<void> | void) {
   const flags = getFlags(process.argv.slice(2));
 
   if (flags.help) {
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export async function run(body) {
 
   const log = new ToolingLog({
     level: pickLevelFromFlags(flags),
-    writeTo: process.stdout
+    writeTo: process.stdout,
   });
 
   try {
diff --git a/src/dev/run_i18n_check.ts b/src/dev/run_i18n_check.ts
index 28d518f008cfb..91180b2bfa5ea 100644
--- a/src/dev/run_i18n_check.ts
+++ b/src/dev/run_i18n_check.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,16 @@ run(
       );
     }
 
+    if (typeof path === 'boolean' || typeof includeConfig === 'boolean') {
+      throw createFailError(
+        `${chalk.white.bgRed(' I18N ERROR ')} --path and --include-config require a value`
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (typeof fix !== 'boolean') {
+      throw createFailError(`${chalk.white.bgRed(' I18N ERROR ')} --fix can't have a value`);
+    }
+
     const config = await mergeConfigs(includeConfig);
     const defaultMessages = await extractDefaultMessages({ path, config });
 
diff --git a/src/dev/run_i18n_extract.ts b/src/dev/run_i18n_extract.ts
index 0610674a70e1c..c2584e2527389 100644
--- a/src/dev/run_i18n_extract.ts
+++ b/src/dev/run_i18n_extract.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ run(
       );
     }
 
+    if (typeof path === 'boolean' || typeof includeConfig === 'boolean') {
+      throw createFailError(
+        `${chalk.white.bgRed(' I18N ERROR ')} --path and --include-config require a value`
+      );
+    }
+
     const config = await mergeConfigs(includeConfig);
     const defaultMessages = await extractDefaultMessages({ path, config });
 
diff --git a/src/dev/run_i18n_integrate.ts b/src/dev/run_i18n_integrate.ts
index 3e5877bfa924a..d0ee997efa08a 100644
--- a/src/dev/run_i18n_integrate.ts
+++ b/src/dev/run_i18n_integrate.ts
@@ -47,9 +47,30 @@ run(
       );
     }
 
-    if (Array.isArray(target)) {
+    if (typeof target === 'boolean' || Array.isArray(target)) {
       throw createFailError(
-        `${chalk.white.bgRed(' I18N ERROR ')} --target should be specified only once.`
+        `${chalk.white.bgRed(
+          ' I18N ERROR '
+        )} --target should be specified only once and must have a value.`
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (typeof path === 'boolean' || typeof includeConfig === 'boolean') {
+      throw createFailError(
+        `${chalk.white.bgRed(' I18N ERROR ')} --path and --include-config require a value`
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (
+      typeof ignoreIncompatible !== 'boolean' ||
+      typeof ignoreUnused !== 'boolean' ||
+      typeof ignoreMissing !== 'boolean' ||
+      typeof dryRun !== 'boolean'
+    ) {
+      throw createFailError(
+        `${chalk.white.bgRed(
+          ' I18N ERROR '
+        )} --ignore-incompatible, --ignore-unused, --ignore-missing, and --dry-run can't have values`
       );
     }