diff --git a/internal/commands/buildpack_new.go b/internal/commands/buildpack_new.go
index 8b3c11849..6904658ce 100644
--- a/internal/commands/buildpack_new.go
+++ b/internal/commands/buildpack_new.go
@@ -70,7 +70,10 @@ func BuildpackNew(logger logging.Logger, creator BuildpackCreator) *cobra.Comman
 				})
 			}
 
-			targets, err := target.ParseTargets(flags.Targets)
+			targets, warn, err := target.ParseTargets(flags.Targets)
+			for _,w := range warn.Messages {
+				logger.Warn(w)
+			}
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/internal/target/parse.go b/internal/target/parse.go
index edd22ecf5..bb4c893b8 100644
--- a/internal/target/parse.go
+++ b/internal/target/parse.go
@@ -1,40 +1,46 @@
 package target
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
 	"github.com/buildpacks/pack/internal/style"
+	"github.com/buildpacks/pack/internal/warn"
 	"github.com/buildpacks/pack/pkg/dist"
 )
 
-func ParseTargets(t []string) (targets []dist.Target, err error) {
+func ParseTargets(t []string) (targets []dist.Target, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
 	for _, v := range t {
-		target, err := ParseTarget(v)
+		target, w, err := ParseTarget(v)
+		warn.AddWarn(w)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, warn, err
 		}
 		targets = append(targets, target)
 	}
-	return targets, nil
+	return targets, warn, nil
 }
 
-func ParseTarget(t string) (output dist.Target, err error) {
-	nonDistro, distros, err := getTarget(t)
+func ParseTarget(t string) (output dist.Target, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
+	nonDistro, distros, w, err := getTarget(t)
+	warn.AddWarn(w)
 	if len(nonDistro) <= 1 && nonDistro[0] == "" {
-		return output, errors.Errorf("%s", style.Error("os/arch must be defined"))
+		warn.Add(style.Error("os/arch must be defined"))
 	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, err
+		return output, warn, err
 	}
-	os, arch, variant, err := getPlatform(nonDistro)
+	os, arch, variant,w, err := getPlatform(nonDistro)
+	warn.AddWarn(w)
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, err
+		return output, warn, err
 	}
-	v, err := ParseDistros(distros)
+	v, w, err := ParseDistros(distros)
+	warn.AddWarn(w)
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, err
+		return output, warn, err
 	}
 	output = dist.Target{
 		OS:            os,
@@ -42,48 +48,51 @@ func ParseTarget(t string) (output dist.Target, err error) {
 		ArchVariant:   variant,
 		Distributions: v,
 	}
-	return output, err
+	return output, warn, err
 }
 
-func ParseDistros(distroSlice string) (distros []dist.Distribution, err error) {
+func ParseDistros(distroSlice string) (distros []dist.Distribution, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
 	distro := strings.Split(distroSlice, ";")
 	if l := len(distro); l == 1 && distro[0] == "" {
-		return nil, nil
+		return nil, warn, err
 	}
 	for _, d := range distro {
-		v, err, isWarn := ParseDistro(d)
-		if err != nil && !isWarn {
-			return nil, err
+		v, w, err := ParseDistro(d)
+		warn.AddWarn(w)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, warn, err
 		}
 		distros = append(distros, v)
 	}
-	return distros, nil
+	return distros, warn, nil
 }
 
-func ParseDistro(distroString string) (distro dist.Distribution, err error, isWarn bool) {
+func ParseDistro(distroString string) (distro dist.Distribution, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
 	d := strings.Split(distroString, "@")
 	if d[0] == "" || len(d) == 0 {
-		return distro, errors.Errorf("distro's versions %s cannot be specified without distro's name", style.Symbol("@"+strings.Join(d[1:], "@"))), false
+		return distro, warn, errors.Errorf("distro's versions %s cannot be specified without distro's name", style.Symbol("@"+strings.Join(d[1:], "@")))
 	}
 	if len(d) <= 2 && d[0] == "" {
-		return distro, errors.Errorf("distro with name %s has no specific version!", style.Symbol(d[0])), true
+		warn.Add(fmt.Sprintf("distro with name %s has no specific version!", style.Symbol(d[0])))
 	}
 	distro.Name = d[0]
 	distro.Versions = d[1:]
-	return distro, nil, false
+	return distro, warn, err
 }
 
-func getTarget(t string) (nonDistro []string, distros string, err error) {
+func getTarget(t string) (nonDistro []string, distros string, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
 	target := strings.Split(t, ":")
-	if i, err := getSliceAt[string](target, 0); err != nil || len(target) == 0 {
-		return nonDistro, distros, errors.Errorf("invalid target %s, atleast one of [os][/arch][/archVariant] must be specified", t)
+	if i, err := getSliceAt[string](target, 0); err != nil {
+		return nonDistro, distros, warn, errors.Errorf("invalid target %s, atleast one of [os][/arch][/archVariant] must be specified", t)
+	} else if len(target) == 2 && target[0] == "" {
+		warn.Add(style.Warn("adding distros %s without [os][/arch][/variant]", target[2]))
 	} else {
 		nonDistro = strings.Split(i, "/")
 	}
 	if i, err := getSliceAt[string](target, 1); err == nil {
 		distros = i
 	}
-	return nonDistro, distros, err
+	return nonDistro, distros, warn, err
 }
 
 func getSliceAt[T interface{}](slice []T, index int) (value T, err error) {
diff --git a/internal/target/parse_test.go b/internal/target/parse_test.go
index b136f8c31..b4d51ee37 100644
--- a/internal/target/parse_test.go
+++ b/internal/target/parse_test.go
@@ -26,11 +26,11 @@ func testParseTargets(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 
 	when("target#ParseTarget", func() {
 		it("should throw an error when [os][/arch][/variant] is nil", func() {
-			_, err := target.ParseTarget(":distro@version")
+			_,_, err := target.ParseTarget(":distro@version")
 			h.AssertNotNil(t, err)
 		})
 		it("should parse target as expected", func() {
-			output, err := target.ParseTarget("linux/arm/v6")
+			output,_, err := target.ParseTarget("linux/arm/v6")
 			h.AssertNil(t, err)
 			h.AssertEq(t, output, dist.Target{
 				OS:          "linux",
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ func testParseTargets(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 	})
 	when("target#ParseTargets", func() {
 		it("should throw an error when atleast one target throws error", func() {
-			_, err := target.ParseTargets([]string{"linux/arm/v6", ":distro@version"})
+			_,_, err := target.ParseTargets([]string{"linux/arm/v6", ":distro@version"})
 			h.AssertNotNil(t, err)
 		})
 		it("should parse targets as expected", func() {
-			output, err := target.ParseTargets([]string{"linux/arm/v6", "linux/amd:ubuntu@22.04;debian@8.10@10.06"})
+			output,_, err := target.ParseTargets([]string{"linux/arm/v6", "linux/amd:ubuntu@22.04;debian@8.10@10.06"})
 			h.AssertNil(t, err)
 			h.AssertEq(t, output, []dist.Target{
 				{
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func testParseTargets(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 	})
 	when("target#ParseDistro", func() {
 		it("should parse distro as expected", func() {
-			output, err, _ := target.ParseDistro("ubuntu@22.04@20.08")
+			output, _, err := target.ParseDistro("ubuntu@22.04@20.08")
 			h.AssertEq(t, output, dist.Distribution{
 				Name:     "ubuntu",
 				Versions: []string{"22.04", "20.08"},
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func testParseTargets(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 	})
 	when("target#ParseDistros", func() {
 		it("should parse distros as expected", func() {
-			output, err := target.ParseDistros("ubuntu@22.04@20.08;debian@8.10@10.06")
+			output, _, err := target.ParseDistros("ubuntu@22.04@20.08;debian@8.10@10.06")
 			h.AssertEq(t, output, []dist.Distribution{
 				{
 					Name:     "ubuntu",
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func testParseTargets(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 			h.AssertNil(t, err)
 		})
 		it("result should be nil", func() {
-			output, err := target.ParseDistros("")
+			output, _, err := target.ParseDistros("")
 			h.AssertEq(t, output, []dist.Distribution(nil))
 			h.AssertNil(t, err)
 		})
diff --git a/internal/target/platform.go b/internal/target/platform.go
index 9da8c76f8..8ca085d2b 100644
--- a/internal/target/platform.go
+++ b/internal/target/platform.go
@@ -6,16 +6,26 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
 	"github.com/buildpacks/pack/internal/style"
+	"github.com/buildpacks/pack/internal/warn"
 )
 
-func getPlatform(t []string) (os, arch, variant string, err error) {
+func getPlatform(t []string) (os, arch, variant string, warn *warn.Warn, err error) {
 	os, _ = getSliceAt[string](t, 0)
 	arch, _ = getSliceAt[string](t, 1)
 	variant, _ = getSliceAt[string](t, 2)
+	if !supportsOS(os) && supportsVariant(arch, variant) {
+		warn.Add(style.Warn("unknown os %s, is this a typo", os))
+	}
+	if supportsArch(os, arch) && !supportsVariant(arch, variant) {
+		warn.Add(style.Warn("unknown variant %s", variant))
+	}
+	if supportsOS(os) && !supportsArch(os, arch) && supportsVariant(arch, variant) {
+		warn.Add(style.Warn("unknown arch %s", arch))
+	}
 	if !SupportsPlatform(os, arch, variant) {
-		return os, arch, variant, errors.Errorf("unknown target: %s", style.Symbol(strings.Join(t, "/")))
+		return os, arch, variant, warn, errors.Errorf("unknown target: %s", style.Symbol(strings.Join(t, "/")))
 	}
-	return os, arch, variant, nil
+	return os, arch, variant, warn, err
 }
 
 var supportedOSArchs = map[string][]string{
diff --git a/internal/warn/warn.go b/internal/warn/warn.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5a6f6b18b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/warn/warn.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package warn
+
+type Warn struct {
+	Messages []string
+}
+
+func(warn *Warn) Add(mesage string) *Warn {
+	warn.Messages = append(warn.Messages, mesage)
+	return warn
+}
+
+func(warn *Warn) AddSlice(messages... string) *Warn {
+	warn.Messages = append(warn.Messages, messages...)
+	return warn
+}
+
+func(w *Warn) AddWarn(warn *Warn) *Warn {
+	w.Messages = append(w.Messages, warn.Messages...)
+	return w
+}
\ No newline at end of file