diff --git a/core/dbt/main.py b/core/dbt/main.py
index 6136350b44a..f5c0cd75949 100644
--- a/core/dbt/main.py
+++ b/core/dbt/main.py
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@ def _build_base_subparser():
     )
 
     base_subparser.add_argument(
+        '-t',
         '--target',
         default=None,
         type=str,