diff --git a/bin/ansible-playbook b/bin/ansible-playbook
index f14f6eddd0f..7df1a337960 100755
--- a/bin/ansible-playbook
+++ b/bin/ansible-playbook
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ def main(args):
         help="do list all tasks that would be executed")
     parser.add_option('--step', dest='step', action='store_true',
         help="one-step-at-a-time: confirm each task before running")
+    parser.add_option('--start-at-task', dest='start_at', 
+        help="start the playbook with a task matching this name")
 
     options, args = parser.parse_args(args)
 
@@ -116,6 +118,8 @@ def main(args):
         playbook_cb = callbacks.PlaybookCallbacks(verbose=utils.VERBOSITY)
         if options.step:
             playbook_cb.step = options.step
+        if options.start_at:
+            playbook_cb.start_at = options.start_at
         runner_cb = callbacks.PlaybookRunnerCallbacks(stats, verbose=utils.VERBOSITY)
 
         pb = ansible.playbook.PlayBook(
diff --git a/lib/ansible/callbacks.py b/lib/ansible/callbacks.py
index d241806740d..cf204bbdb26 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/callbacks.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/callbacks.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import getpass
 import os
 import subprocess
 import random
+import fnmatch
 from ansible.color import stringc
 
 cowsay = None
@@ -460,8 +461,15 @@ class PlaybookCallbacks(object):
         msg = "TASK: [%s]" % name
         if is_conditional:
             msg = "NOTIFIED: [%s]" % name
-
-        if hasattr(self, 'step') and self.step:
+        
+        if hasattr(self, 'start_at'):
+            if name == self.start_at or fnmatch.fnmatch(name, self.start_at):
+                # we found out match, we can get rid of this now
+                del self.start_at
+
+        if hasattr(self, 'start_at'): # we still have start_at so skip the task
+            self.skip_task = True
+        elif hasattr(self, 'step') and self.step:
             resp = raw_input('Perform task: %s (y/n/c): ' % name)
             if resp.lower() in ['y','yes']:
                 self.skip_task = False