diff --git a/PHPCI/Model/Build.php b/PHPCI/Model/Build.php
index edd8fd2c..41fae705 100644
--- a/PHPCI/Model/Build.php
+++ b/PHPCI/Model/Build.php
@@ -150,7 +150,9 @@ class Build extends BuildBase
 
             foreach (array('setup', 'test', 'complete', 'success', 'failure') as $stage) {
                 if ($className::canExecute($stage, $builder, $this)) {
-                    $config[$stage][$className] = array();
+                    $config[$stage][$className] = array(
+                        'zero_config' => true
+                    );
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpCodeSniffer.php b/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpCodeSniffer.php
index c88c422b..7c7f81e0 100755
--- a/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpCodeSniffer.php
+++ b/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpCodeSniffer.php
@@ -97,8 +97,13 @@ class PhpCodeSniffer implements PHPCI\Plugin, PHPCI\ZeroConfigPlugin
         $this->encoding = '';
         $this->path = '';
         $this->ignore = $this->phpci->ignore;
-        $this->allowed_warnings = -1;
-        $this->allowed_errors = -1;
+        $this->allowed_warnings = 0;
+        $this->allowed_errors = 0;
+
+        if (isset($options['zero_config']) && $options['zero_config']) {
+            $this->allowed_warnings = -1;
+            $this->allowed_errors = -1;
+        }
 
         if (isset($options['suffixes'])) {
             $this->suffixes = (array)$options['suffixes'];
diff --git a/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpMessDetector.php b/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpMessDetector.php
index 7745c363..ce9f0193 100755
--- a/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpMessDetector.php
+++ b/PHPCI/Plugin/PhpMessDetector.php
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ class PhpMessDetector implements PHPCI\Plugin, PHPCI\ZeroConfigPlugin
         $this->ignore = $phpci->ignore;
         $this->path = '';
         $this->rules = array('codesize', 'unusedcode', 'naming');
-        $this->allowed_warnings = -1;
+        $this->allowed_warnings = 0;
+
+        if (isset($options['zero_config']) && $options['zero_config']) {
+            $this->allowed_warnings = -1;
+        }
 
         if (!empty($options['path'])) {
             $this->path = $options['path'];