diff --git a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.test.ts b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..71e5377a03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed 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 { DefaultDocsBuildStrategy } from './DocsBuildStrategy';
+import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
+
+const MockedConfigReader = ConfigReader as jest.MockedClass<
+  typeof ConfigReader
+>;
+
+jest.mock('@backstage/config');
+
+describe('DefaultDocsBuildStrategy', () => {
+  const entity = {
+    apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
+    kind: 'Component',
+    metadata: {
+      uid: '0',
+      name: 'test',
+    },
+  };
+
+  const config = new ConfigReader({});
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.resetAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  describe('shouldBuild', () => {
+    it('should return true when techdocs.build is set to local', async () => {
+      const defaultDocsBuildStrategy = new DefaultDocsBuildStrategy(config);
+
+      MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+
+      const result = await defaultDocsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild(entity);
+
+      expect(result).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('should return false when techdocs.build is set to external', async () => {
+      const defaultDocsBuildStrategy = new DefaultDocsBuildStrategy(config);
+
+      MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('external');
+
+      const result = await defaultDocsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild(entity);
+
+      expect(result).toBe(false);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.ts b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..69b0474a85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/DocsBuildStrategy.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed 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 { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
+import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+
+export interface DocsBuildStrategy {
+  shouldBuild(entity: Entity): Promise<boolean>;
+}
+
+export class DefaultDocsBuildStrategy {
+  private readonly config: Config;
+
+  constructor(config: Config) {
+    this.config = config;
+  }
+
+  async shouldBuild(_: Entity): Promise<boolean> {
+    return this.config.getString('techdocs.builder') === 'local';
+  }
+}
diff --git a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.test.ts b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
index 43e9641efb..521024252c 100644
--- a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import {
   RouterOptions,
 } from './router';
 import { TechDocsCache } from '../cache';
+import { DocsBuildStrategy } from './DocsBuildStrategy';
 
 jest.mock('@backstage/catalog-client');
 jest.mock('@backstage/config');
@@ -120,6 +121,9 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
   const cache: jest.Mocked<PluginCacheManager> = {
     getClient: jest.fn(),
   };
+  const docsBuildStrategy: jest.Mocked<DocsBuildStrategy> = {
+    shouldBuild: jest.fn(),
+  };
   const outOfTheBoxOptions = {
     preparers,
     generators,
@@ -128,6 +132,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
     logger: getVoidLogger(),
     discovery,
     cache,
+    docsBuildStrategy,
   };
   const recommendedOptions = {
     publisher,
@@ -135,6 +140,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
     logger: getVoidLogger(),
     discovery,
     cache,
+    docsBuildStrategy,
   };
 
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -181,10 +187,10 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
         expect(response.status).toBe(404);
       });
 
-      it('should not check for an update without local builder', async () => {
+      it('should not check for an update when shouldBuild returns false', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('external');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(false);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doCacheSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) =>
@@ -198,10 +204,10 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
         expect(response.status).toBe(304);
       });
 
-      it('should error if missing builder', async () => {
+      it('should error if build is required and is missing preparer', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(recommendedOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
 
         const response = await request(app)
@@ -219,7 +225,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
       it('should execute synchronization', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) =>
@@ -244,7 +250,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
       it('should return on updated', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) => {
@@ -297,10 +303,10 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
         expect(response.status).toBe(404);
       });
 
-      it('should not check for an update without local builder', async () => {
+      it('should not check for an update when shouldBuild returns false', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('external');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(false);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doCacheSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) =>
@@ -322,10 +328,10 @@ data: {"updated":false}
         );
       });
 
-      it('should error if missing builder', async () => {
+      it('should error if build is required and is missing preparer', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(recommendedOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
 
         const response = await request(app)
@@ -348,7 +354,7 @@ data: "Invalid configuration. 'techdocs.builder' was set to 'local' but no 'prep
       it('should execute synchronization', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) =>
@@ -376,7 +382,7 @@ data: "Invalid configuration. 'techdocs.builder' was set to 'local' but no 'prep
       it('should return an event-stream', async () => {
         const app = await createApp(outOfTheBoxOptions);
 
-        MockedConfigReader.prototype.getString.mockReturnValue('local');
+        docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild.mockResolvedValue(true);
         MockCachedEntityLoader.prototype.load.mockResolvedValue(entity);
         MockDocsSynchronizer.prototype.doSync.mockImplementation(
           async ({ responseHandler }) => {
diff --git a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
index 141ce93f79..96916bdc9b 100644
--- a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { DocsSynchronizer, DocsSynchronizerSyncOpts } from './DocsSynchronizer';
 import { createCacheMiddleware, TechDocsCache } from '../cache';
 import { CachedEntityLoader } from './CachedEntityLoader';
+import {
+  DefaultDocsBuildStrategy,
+  DocsBuildStrategy,
+} from './DocsBuildStrategy';
 
 /**
  * All of the required dependencies for running TechDocs in the "out-of-the-box"
@@ -49,6 +53,7 @@ export type OutOfTheBoxDeploymentOptions = {
   database?: Knex; // TODO: Make database required when we're implementing database stuff.
   config: Config;
   cache: PluginCacheManager;
+  docsBuildStrategy?: DocsBuildStrategy;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -61,6 +66,7 @@ export type RecommendedDeploymentOptions = {
   discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery;
   config: Config;
   cache: PluginCacheManager;
+  docsBuildStrategy?: DocsBuildStrategy;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -86,6 +92,8 @@ export async function createRouter(
   const router = Router();
   const { publisher, config, logger, discovery } = options;
   const catalogClient = new CatalogClient({ discoveryApi: discovery });
+  const docsBuildStrategy =
+    options.docsBuildStrategy ?? new DefaultDocsBuildStrategy(config);
 
   // Entities are cached to optimize the /static/docs request path, which can be called many times
   // when loading a single techdocs page.
@@ -200,7 +208,8 @@ export async function createRouter(
     // techdocs-backend will only try to build documentation for an entity if techdocs.builder is set to 'local'
     // If set to 'external', it will assume that an external process (e.g. CI/CD pipeline
     // of the repository) is responsible for building and publishing documentation to the storage provider
-    if (config.getString('techdocs.builder') !== 'local') {
+    const shouldBuild = await docsBuildStrategy.shouldBuild(entity);
+    if (!shouldBuild) {
       // However, if caching is enabled, take the opportunity to check and
       // invalidate stale cache entries.
       if (cache) {