While launching a project, the CodeWarrior software automatically builds the current active target. How can I specify the build configuration I want to debug?

The CodeWarrior software has the following default settings.

Figure 1. Build Before Launching

And, the launch configuration refers the project and not the build target of the project.

Figure 2. Launch Configuration - Refers Project

This is why the CodeWarrior software automatically build the current active build target.

To ensure that the CodeWarrior software builds the right target in CodeWarrior for Microcontroller V10.1:

Make sure you have the right build set as active, or
Figure 3. Set Active Build Configuration
Or, clear the Build (if required) before launching checkbox, and build the project yourself before launching.

However, in Microcontrollers V10.2, you can specify the build target while launching the project.

Figure 4. Specify Build Target - In Microcontrollers V10.2