diff --git a/.changeset/khaki-planets-prove.md b/.changeset/khaki-planets-prove.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..168f30213b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/khaki-planets-prove.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+add a --from <location> option to the plugin install command
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
index 1fef399501..d6686f2655 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/index.ts
@@ -232,7 +232,11 @@ export function registerCommands(program: CommanderStatic) {
     .action(lazy(() => import('./info').then(m => m.default)));
 
   program
-    .command('install <plugin-id>', { hidden: true })
+    .command('install [plugin-id]', { hidden: true })
+    .option(
+      '--from <packageJsonFilePath>',
+      'Install from a local package.json containing the installation recipe',
+    )
     .description('Install a Backstage plugin [EXPERIMENTAL]')
     .action(lazy(() => import('./install/install').then(m => m.default)));
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/install/install.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/install/install.ts
index 2ec208bca3..cc6e46cfa2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/install/install.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/install/install.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import { Step, PackageWithInstallRecipe } from './types';
 import { fetchPackageInfo } from '../../lib/versioning';
 import { NotFoundError } from '../../lib/errors';
 import * as stepDefinitionMap from './steps';
+import { Command } from 'commander';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
 
 const stepDefinitions = Object.values(stepDefinitionMap);
 
@@ -95,11 +97,21 @@ class PluginInstaller {
   }
 }
 
-export default async (pluginId: string) => {
+export default async (pluginId?: string, cmd?: Command) => {
   // TODO(himanshu): If no plugin id is provided, it should list all plugins available. Maybe in some other command?
-  // TODO(himanshu): Add a way to test your install recipe. Maybe a --from-local-package=/path/to/package.json
 
-  const pkg = await fetchPluginPackage(pluginId);
+  let pkg: PackageWithInstallRecipe;
+  if (pluginId) {
+    pkg = await fetchPluginPackage(pluginId);
+  } else if (cmd?.from) {
+    // TODO(himanshu): Also support reading directly from url
+    pkg = await fs.readJson(cmd.from);
+  } else {
+    throw new Error(
+      'Missing both <plugin-id> or a package.json file path in the --from flag.',
+    );
+  }
+
   const steps = await PluginInstaller.resolveSteps(pkg);
   const installer = new PluginInstaller(steps);
   await installer.run();