diff --git a/docs/cmd_reference.md b/docs/cmd_reference.md
index 6660398c..e12a7e09 100644
--- a/docs/cmd_reference.md
+++ b/docs/cmd_reference.md
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ This lists available CMD options in Helmsman:
   `--no-ssm-subst`
         turn off SSM parameter substitution globally.
 
+  `-spec string`
+        specification file name, contains locations of desired state files to be merged
+
   `--subst-ssm-values`
         turn on SSM parameter substitution in values files.
 
diff --git a/examples/example-spec.yaml b/examples/example-spec.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..14757ed1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/example-spec.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+stateFiles:
+  - path: examples/example.yaml
+  - path: examples/minimal-example.yaml
+  - path: examples/minimal-example.toml
diff --git a/internal/app/cli.go b/internal/app/cli.go
index eb7cff84..99a3f09c 100644
--- a/internal/app/cli.go
+++ b/internal/app/cli.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/imdario/mergo"
@@ -24,6 +25,37 @@ const (
 // Allow parsing of multiple string command line options into an array of strings
 type stringArray []string
 
+type fileOptionArray []fileOption
+
+type fileOption struct {
+	name     string
+	priority int
+}
+
+func (f *fileOptionArray) String() string {
+	var a []string
+	for _, v := range *f {
+		a = append(a, v.name)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(a, " ")
+}
+
+func (f *fileOptionArray) Set(value string) error {
+	var fo fileOption
+
+	fo.name = value
+	*f = append(*f, fo)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (f fileOptionArray) sort() {
+	log.Verbose("Sorting files listed in the -spec file based on their priorities... ")
+
+	sort.SliceStable(f, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return (f)[i].priority < (f)[j].priority
+	})
+}
+
 func (i *stringArray) String() string {
 	return strings.Join(*i, " ")
 }
@@ -35,7 +67,8 @@ func (i *stringArray) Set(value string) error {
 
 type cli struct {
 	debug                 bool
-	files                 stringArray
+	files                 fileOptionArray
+	spec                  string
 	envFiles              stringArray
 	target                stringArray
 	group                 stringArray
@@ -88,6 +121,7 @@ func (c *cli) parse() {
 	flag.Var(&c.group, "group", "limit execution to specific group of apps.")
 	flag.IntVar(&c.diffContext, "diff-context", -1, "number of lines of context to show around changes in helm diff output")
 	flag.IntVar(&c.parallel, "p", 1, "max number of concurrent helm releases to run")
+	flag.StringVar(&c.spec, "spec", "", "specification file name, contains locations of desired state files to be merged")
 	flag.StringVar(&c.kubeconfig, "kubeconfig", "", "path to the kubeconfig file to use for CLI requests")
 	flag.StringVar(&c.nsOverride, "ns-override", "", "override defined namespaces with this one")
 	flag.StringVar(&c.contextOverride, "context-override", "", "override releases context defined in release state with this one")
@@ -147,6 +181,10 @@ func (c *cli) parse() {
 		log.Fatal("--target and --group can't be used together.")
 	}
 
+	if len(flags.files) > 0 && len(flags.spec) > 0 {
+		log.Fatal("-f and -spec can't be used together.")
+	}
+
 	if c.parallel < 1 {
 		c.parallel = 1
 	}
@@ -159,7 +197,7 @@ func (c *cli) parse() {
 	kubectlVersion := getKubectlVersion()
 	log.Verbose("kubectl client version: " + kubectlVersion)
 
-	if len(c.files) == 0 {
+	if len(c.files) == 0 && len(c.spec) == 0 {
 		log.Info("No desired state files provided.")
 		os.Exit(0)
 	}
@@ -218,32 +256,49 @@ func (c *cli) readState(s *state) error {
 	os.RemoveAll(tempFilesDir)
 	_ = os.MkdirAll(tempFilesDir, 0o755)
 
+	if len(c.spec) > 0 {
+
+		sp := new(StateFiles)
+		sp.specFromYAML(c.spec)
+
+		for _, val := range sp.StateFiles {
+			fo := fileOption{}
+			fo.name = val.Path
+			if err := isValidFile(fo.name, validManifestFiles); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid -spec file: %w", err)
+			}
+			c.files = append(c.files, fo)
+		}
+		c.files.sort()
+	}
+
 	// read the TOML/YAML desired state file
 	for _, f := range c.files {
 		var fileState state
 
-		if err := fileState.fromFile(f); err != nil {
+		if err := fileState.fromFile(f.name); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		log.Infof("Parsed [[ %s ]] successfully and found [ %d ] apps", f, len(fileState.Apps))
+
+		log.Infof("Parsed [[ %s ]] successfully and found [ %d ] apps", f.name, len(fileState.Apps))
 		// Merge Apps that already existed in the state
 		for appName, app := range fileState.Apps {
 			if _, ok := s.Apps[appName]; ok {
 				if err := mergo.Merge(s.Apps[appName], app, mergo.WithAppendSlice, mergo.WithOverride); err != nil {
-					return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge %s from desired state file %s: %w", appName, f, err)
+					return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge %s from desired state file %s: %w", appName, f.name, err)
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
 		// Merge the remaining Apps
 		if err := mergo.Merge(&s.Apps, &fileState.Apps); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge desired state file %s: %w", f, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge desired state file %s: %w", f.name, err)
 		}
 		// All the apps are already merged, make fileState.Apps empty to avoid conflicts in the final merge
 		fileState.Apps = make(map[string]*release)
 
 		if err := mergo.Merge(s, &fileState, mergo.WithAppendSlice, mergo.WithOverride); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge desired state file %s: %w", f, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to merge desired state file %s: %w", f.name, err)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/app/cli_test.go b/internal/app/cli_test.go
index 79680b1f..9b34399f 100644
--- a/internal/app/cli_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/cli_test.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func Test_readState(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "yaml minimal example; no validation",
 			flags: cli{
-				files:          stringArray([]string{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml"}),
+				files:          fileOptionArray([]fileOption{fileOption{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml", 0}}),
 				skipValidation: true,
 			},
 			want: result{
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func Test_readState(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "toml minimal example; no validation",
 			flags: cli{
-				files:          stringArray([]string{"../../examples/minimal-example.toml"}),
+				files:          fileOptionArray([]fileOption{fileOption{"../../examples/minimal-example.toml", 0}}),
 				skipValidation: true,
 			},
 			want: result{
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func Test_readState(t *testing.T) {
 			name: "yaml minimal example; no validation with bad target",
 			flags: cli{
 				target:         stringArray([]string{"foo"}),
-				files:          stringArray([]string{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml"}),
+				files:          fileOptionArray([]fileOption{{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml", 0}}),
 				skipValidation: true,
 			},
 			want: result{
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func Test_readState(t *testing.T) {
 			name: "yaml minimal example; no validation; target jenkins",
 			flags: cli{
 				target:         stringArray([]string{"jenkins"}),
-				files:          stringArray([]string{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml"}),
+				files:          fileOptionArray([]fileOption{{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml", 0}}),
 				skipValidation: true,
 			},
 			want: result{
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func Test_readState(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name: "yaml and toml minimal examples merged; no validation",
 			flags: cli{
-				files:          stringArray([]string{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml", "../../examples/minimal-example.toml"}),
+				files:          fileOptionArray([]fileOption{{"../../examples/minimal-example.yaml", 0}, {"../../examples/minimal-example.toml", 0}}),
 				skipValidation: true,
 			},
 			want: result{
diff --git a/internal/app/spec_state.go b/internal/app/spec_state.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3a7b5144
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/app/spec_state.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
+)
+
+type StatePath struct {
+	Path string `yaml:"path"`
+}
+
+type StateFiles struct {
+	StateFiles []StatePath `yaml:"stateFiles"`
+}
+
+// fromYAML reads a yaml file and decodes it to a state type.
+// parser which throws an error if the YAML file is not valid.
+func (pc *StateFiles) specFromYAML(file string) error {
+	rawYamlFile, err := ioutil.ReadFile(file)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorf("specFromYaml %v %v", file, err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	yamlFile := string(rawYamlFile)
+
+	if err = yaml.UnmarshalStrict([]byte(yamlFile), pc); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/app/spec_state_test.go b/internal/app/spec_state_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dc209414
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/app/spec_state_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func Test_specFromYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	type args struct {
+		file string
+		s    *StateFiles
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		args args
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "test case 1 -- Valid YAML",
+			args: args{
+				file: "../../examples/example-spec.yaml",
+				s:    new(StateFiles),
+			},
+			want: true,
+		}, {
+			name: "test case 2 -- Invalid Yaml",
+			args: args{
+				file: "../../tests/Invalid_example_spec.yaml",
+				s:    new(StateFiles),
+			},
+			want: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	teardownTestCase := setupStateFileTestCase(t)
+	defer teardownTestCase(t)
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		// os.Args = append(os.Args, "-f ../../examples/example.yaml")
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := tt.args.s.specFromYAML(tt.args.file)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Log(err)
+			}
+
+			got := err == nil
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("specFromYaml() = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func Test_specFileSort(t *testing.T) {
+	type args struct {
+		files fileOptionArray
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		args args
+		want [3]int
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "test case 1 -- Files sorted by priority",
+			args: args{
+				files: fileOptionArray(
+					[]fileOption{
+						fileOption{"third.yaml", 0},
+						fileOption{"first.yaml", -20},
+						fileOption{"second.yaml", -10},
+					}),
+			},
+			want: [3]int{-20, -10, 0},
+		},
+	}
+
+	teardownTestCase := setupStateFileTestCase(t)
+	defer teardownTestCase(t)
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tt.args.files.sort()
+
+			got := [3]int{}
+			for i, f := range tt.args.files {
+				got[i] = f.priority
+			}
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("files from spec file are not sorted by priority = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/Invalid_example_spec.yaml b/tests/Invalid_example_spec.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..19ccd2c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Invalid_example_spec.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+stateFiles:
+  name1: invalid/example.yaml
+  name2: invalid/minimal-example.yaml