diff --git a/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py b/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
index fd2767e4d6c0eada905cd843ee1de685cf40fd9d..6a1465aea19214fb2c3f6ea2c8432dd5cf4fce7c 100644
--- a/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
+++ b/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
@@ -204,8 +204,8 @@ def mx_post_parse_cmd_line(opts):
     if not mx.distribution('FASTR_RELEASE{}'.format(val), fatalIfMissing=False):
         mx.instantiateDistribution('FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi=val))
 
-    if not val and os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RELEASE') and not mx.distribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT', fatalIfMissing=False):
-        mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT<rffi>', dict(rffi=''))
+    if not val and os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RELEASE'):
+        _instantiate_graalvm_support_dist()
 
     for dist in mx_fastr._fastr_suite.dists:
         if isinstance(dist, mx.JARDistribution):
@@ -216,8 +216,8 @@ def _instantiate_graalvm_support_dist():
         mx.abort('Cannot instantiate the GraalVM support distribution when \'FASTR_RFFI\' is set. Found: \'{}\''.format(os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RFFI')))
     if not os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RELEASE'):
         mx.abort('Cannot instantiate the GraalVM support distribution when \'FASTR_RELEASE\' is not set.')
-    if not mx.distribution('FASTR_RELEASE', fatalIfMissing=False):
-        mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi=''))
+    if not mx.distribution('FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE', fatalIfMissing=False):
+        mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi='', os=mx.get_os(), arch=mx.get_arch()))
     if not mx.distribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT', fatalIfMissing=False):
         mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT<rffi>', dict(rffi=''))
 
diff --git a/mx.fastr/suite.py b/mx.fastr/suite.py
index 4134b0accbde757ab8bf90342d561ec0e9ed92e4..b30fdbc9a3c20c2703748d81db7fb1dd24ab8c1d 100644
--- a/mx.fastr/suite.py
+++ b/mx.fastr/suite.py
@@ -463,6 +463,21 @@ suite = {
       },
     },
 
+    "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>": {
+      "native" : True,
+      "platformDependent" : True,
+      "relpath" : True,
+      "description" : "a binary release of FastR",
+      "dependencies" : ["com.oracle.truffle.r.release"],
+      "os_arch" : {
+        "<others>" : {
+          "<others>" : {
+            "path" : "mxbuild/dists/<os>/<arch>/<rffi>/fastr-graalvm-release.tar.gz",
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    },
+
     "FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT<rffi>" : {
       "native" : True,
       "platformDependent" : True,
@@ -471,7 +486,7 @@ suite = {
         "./" : [
           {
             "source_type" : "extracted-dependency",
-            "dependency" : "FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>",
+            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>",
             "path" : "*",
             "exclude" : [
               "COPYRIGHT",
@@ -484,7 +499,7 @@ suite = {
           },
           {
             "source_type" : "extracted-dependency",
-            "dependency" : "FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>",
+            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>",
             "path" : "bin/fastr_jars/*",
             "exclude" : [
               "bin/fastr_jars/fastr.jar",
@@ -494,9 +509,9 @@ suite = {
           },
           "dependency:fastr:GNUR",
         ],
-        "COPYRIGHT_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>/COPYRIGHT",
-        "LICENSE_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>/LICENSE",
-        "README_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>/README.md",
+        "COPYRIGHT_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/COPYRIGHT",
+        "LICENSE_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/LICENSE",
+        "README_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/README.md",
         "bin/Rscript" : "file:com.oracle.truffle.r.release/src/Rscript_legacy",
         "bin/exec/R" : "file:com.oracle.truffle.r.release/src/R_legacy",
         "legacy/" : "dependency:fastr:FASTR_LEGACY_LAUNCHER",