diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 91d057a49e2a0a71a3e160f0f772bfeaf8891dca..d36bbed62276ff3348e7119b80b3d61674adecf2 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ ops_test:
   script:
     - if [ -z "$TARGET_SOCS" ]; then TARGET_SOCS=random; fi
     - python tools/bazel_adb_run.py --target="//mace/ops:ops_test" --run_target=True --stdout_processor=unittest_stdout_processor --target_abis=armeabi-v7a,arm64-v8a --target_socs=$TARGET_SOCS
+    - python tools/bazel_adb_run.py --target="//mace/ops:ops_test" --run_target=True --stdout_processor=unittest_stdout_processor --target_abis=armeabi-v7a,arm64-v8a --target_socs=$TARGET_SOCS --enable_neon=false
 
 api_test:
   stage: api_test
diff --git a/tools/bazel_adb_run.py b/tools/bazel_adb_run.py
index 4c3e813ed2691f1dbaeb6578407565a34f4ad598..84cae554db4f975ff0420fc58be70abd51a7a3d4 100644
--- a/tools/bazel_adb_run.py
+++ b/tools/bazel_adb_run.py
@@ -63,6 +63,17 @@ def ops_benchmark_stdout_processor(stdout, device_properties, abi):
     #    metrics, tags=tags, endpoint="mace_ops_benchmark")
 
 
+# TODO: after merge mace/python/tools and tools are merged,
+# define str2bool as common util
+def str2bool(v):
+    if v.lower() in ('yes', 'true', 't', 'y', '1'):
+        return True
+    elif v.lower() in ('no', 'false', 'f', 'n', '0'):
+        return False
+    else:
+        raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError('Boolean value expected.')
+
+
 def parse_args():
     """Parses command line arguments."""
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
@@ -81,7 +92,7 @@ def parse_args():
         "--target", type=str, default="//...", help="Bazel target to build")
     parser.add_argument(
         "--run_target",
-        type=bool,
+        type=str2bool,
         default=False,
         help="Whether to run the target")
     parser.add_argument(
@@ -105,6 +116,11 @@ def parse_args():
         type=str,
         default="stdout_processor",
         help="Stdout processing function, default: stdout_processor")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--enable_neon",
+        type=str2bool,
+        default=True,
+        help="Whether to use neon optimization")
     return parser.parse_known_args()
 
 
@@ -137,7 +153,8 @@ def main(unused_args):
         debug = True
     for target_abi in target_abis:
         sh_commands.bazel_build(target, strip=strip, abi=target_abi,
-                                disable_no_tuning_warning=True, debug=debug)
+                                disable_no_tuning_warning=True, debug=debug,
+                                enable_neon=FLAGS.enable_neon)
         if FLAGS.run_target:
             for serialno in target_devices:
                 if target_abi not in set(
diff --git a/tools/sh_commands.py b/tools/sh_commands.py
index 065d40f057a5f9fab179415c83b8dfd4fe892f5d..d15d81226ddef4a71cd95851dd0e5f6a92a8a540 100644
--- a/tools/sh_commands.py
+++ b/tools/sh_commands.py
@@ -272,7 +272,8 @@ def bazel_build(target,
                 hexagon_mode=False,
                 disable_no_tuning_warning=False,
                 debug=False,
-                enable_openmp=True):
+                enable_openmp=True,
+                enable_neon=True):
     print("* Build %s with ABI %s" % (target, abi))
     stdout_buff = []
     process_output = make_output_processor(stdout_buff)
@@ -316,7 +317,7 @@ def bazel_build(target,
             "--copt=-DMACE_OBFUSCATE_LITERALS",
             "--copt=-O3",
             "--define",
-            "neon=true",
+            "neon=%s" % str(enable_neon).lower(),
             "--define",
             "openmp=%s" % str(enable_openmp).lower(),
             "--define",
diff --git a/tools/validate.py b/tools/validate.py
index b98fd0894adff8f44bb9109231274c147d14c372..9cf89394f37c423ba579b28f96477aa522c3dac6 100644
--- a/tools/validate.py
+++ b/tools/validate.py
@@ -181,7 +181,6 @@ def validate(platform, model_file, weight_file, input_file, mace_out_file,
 def parse_args():
     """Parses command line arguments."""
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-    parser.register("type", "bool", lambda v: v.lower() == "true")
     parser.add_argument(
         "--platform", type=str, default="", help="Tensorflow or Caffe.")
     parser.add_argument(