diff --git a/packages/cli/src/modules/start/alpha.ts b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/alpha.ts
index cbd9ae3a28..860753fb85 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/modules/start/alpha.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/alpha.ts
@@ -57,8 +57,28 @@ export const buildPlugin = createCliPlugin({
     reg.addCommand({
       path: ['repo', 'start'],
       description: 'Starts packages in the repo for local development',
-      execute: async () => {
-        throw new Error('Not implemented');
+      execute: async ({ args }) => {
+        const command = new Command();
+
+        const defaultCommand = command
+          .argument(
+            '[...packageName]',
+            'Run the specified package instead of the defaults.',
+          )
+          .option(...configOption)
+          .option(
+            '--plugin <pluginId>',
+            'Start the dev entry-point for any matching plugin package in the repo',
+            (opt: string, opts: string[]) => (opts ? [...opts, opt] : [opt]),
+            Array<string>(),
+          )
+          .option(
+            '--link <path>',
+            'Link an external workspace for module resolution',
+          )
+          .action(lazy(() => import('./commands/repo/start'), 'command'));
+
+        await defaultCommand.parseAsync(args, { from: 'user' });
       },
     });
   },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/modules/start/commands/repo/start.ts b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/commands/repo/start.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2b10a9c16c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/commands/repo/start.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import {
+  BackstagePackage,
+  PackageGraph,
+  PackageRole,
+} from '@backstage/cli-node';
+import { relative as relativePath } from 'path';
+import { paths } from '../../../../lib/paths';
+
+const ACCEPTED_PACKAGE_ROLES: Array<PackageRole | undefined> = [
+  'frontend',
+  'backend',
+  'frontend-plugin',
+  'backend-plugin',
+];
+
+export async function command(
+  packageNames: string[],
+  options: { plugin: string[]; config: string[] },
+) {
+  const targetPackages = await findTargetPackages(packageNames, options.plugin);
+  console.log(
+    `Starting ${targetPackages.map(p => p.packageJson.name).join(', ')}`,
+  );
+}
+
+async function findTargetPackages(packageNames: string[], pluginIds: string[]) {
+  const targetPackages = new Array<BackstagePackage>();
+
+  const packages = await PackageGraph.listTargetPackages();
+
+  // Priorotize plugin options, so that the `start` script can contain a list of packages,
+  // but make them easy to override by running for example `yarn start --plugin catalog`
+  for (const pluginId of pluginIds) {
+    const matchingPackages = packages.filter(pkg => {
+      return (
+        pluginId === pkg.packageJson.backstage?.pluginId &&
+        ACCEPTED_PACKAGE_ROLES.includes(pkg.packageJson.backstage.role)
+      );
+    });
+    if (!matchingPackages) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Unable to find any plugin packages with plugin ID '${pluginId}'. Make sure backstage.pluginId is set in your package.json files by running 'yarn fix --publish'.`,
+      );
+    }
+    targetPackages.push(...matchingPackages);
+  }
+  if (targetPackages.length > 0) {
+    return targetPackages;
+  }
+
+  // Next check if explicit package names are provided, use them in that case.
+  for (const packageName of packageNames) {
+    const matchingPackage = packages.find(pkg => {
+      return packageName === pkg.packageJson.name;
+    });
+    if (!matchingPackage) {
+      throw new Error(`Unable to find package by name '${packageName}'`);
+    }
+    targetPackages.push(matchingPackage);
+  }
+
+  if (targetPackages.length > 0) {
+    return targetPackages;
+  }
+
+  // If on package names are provided, default to expect a single frontend and/or backend package
+  for (const role of ['frontend', 'backend']) {
+    const matchingPackages = packages.filter(
+      pkg => pkg.packageJson.backstage?.role === role,
+    );
+    if (matchingPackages.length > 1) {
+      // Final fallback is to check for the package path within the monorepo, packages/app or packages/backend
+      const expectedPath = paths.resolveTargetRoot(
+        role === 'frontend' ? 'packages/app' : 'packages/backend',
+      );
+      const matchByPath = matchingPackages.find(
+        pkg => relativePath(expectedPath, pkg.dir) === '',
+      );
+      if (matchByPath) {
+        targetPackages.push(matchByPath);
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      throw new Error(
+        `Found multiple packages with role '${role}' but none of the use the default path '${expectedPath}',` +
+          `choose which packages you want to run by passing the package names explicitly ` +
+          `as arguments, for example 'yarn backstage-cli repo start my-app my-backend'.`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    targetPackages.push(...matchingPackages);
+  }
+  if (targetPackages.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unable to find any packages with role 'frontend' or 'backend'`,
+    );
+  }
+  return targetPackages;
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/modules/start/index.ts b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/index.ts
index 6724fb2af8..627336e3f4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/modules/start/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/modules/start/index.ts
@@ -21,16 +21,19 @@ export function registerRepoCommands(command: Command) {
   command
     .command('start')
     .description('Starts packages in the repo for local development')
-    .action(
-      lazy(
-        async () => ({
-          command: () => {
-            throw new Error('Not implemented');
-          },
-        }),
-        'command',
-      ),
-    );
+    .argument(
+      '[packageName...]',
+      'Run the specified package instead of the defaults.',
+    )
+    .option(...configOption)
+    .option(
+      '--plugin <pluginId>',
+      'Start the dev entry-point for any matching plugin package in the repo',
+      (opt: string, opts: string[]) => (opts ? [...opts, opt] : [opt]),
+      Array<string>(),
+    )
+    .option('--link <path>', 'Link an external workspace for module resolution')
+    .action(lazy(() => import('./commands/repo/start'), 'command'));
 }
 
 export function registerPackageCommands(command: Command) {