diff --git a/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdFreeze.hs b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdFreeze.hs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..71233bb5682
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/CmdFreeze.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns, RecordWildCards #-}
+
+-- | cabal-install CLI command: freeze
+--
+module Distribution.Client.CmdFreeze (
+    freezeAction,
+  ) where
+
+import Distribution.Client.ProjectPlanning
+         ( ElaboratedInstallPlan, rebuildInstallPlan )
+import Distribution.Client.ProjectConfig
+         ( ProjectConfig(..), ProjectConfigShared(..)
+         , commandLineFlagsToProjectConfig, writeProjectLocalFreezeConfig
+         , findProjectRoot )
+import Distribution.Client.ProjectPlanning.Types
+         ( ElaboratedConfiguredPackage(..) )
+import Distribution.Client.Targets
+         ( UserConstraint(..) )
+import Distribution.Solver.Types.ConstraintSource
+         ( ConstraintSource(..) )
+import Distribution.Client.DistDirLayout
+         ( defaultDistDirLayout, defaultCabalDirLayout )
+import Distribution.Client.Config
+         ( defaultCabalDir )
+import qualified Distribution.Client.InstallPlan as InstallPlan
+
+
+import Distribution.Package
+         ( PackageName, packageName, packageVersion )
+import Distribution.Version
+         ( VersionRange, thisVersion, unionVersionRanges )
+import Distribution.PackageDescription
+         ( FlagAssignment )
+import Distribution.Client.Setup
+         ( GlobalFlags, ConfigFlags(..), ConfigExFlags, InstallFlags )
+import Distribution.Simple.Setup
+         ( HaddockFlags, fromFlagOrDefault )
+import Distribution.Simple.Utils
+         ( die, notice )
+import Distribution.Verbosity
+         ( normal )
+
+import Data.Monoid
+import qualified Data.Map as Map
+import Data.Map (Map)
+import Control.Monad (unless)
+import System.FilePath
+
+
+-- | To a first approximation, the @freeze@ command runs the first phase of
+-- the @build@ command where we bring the install plan up to date, and then
+-- based on the install plan we write out a @cabal.project.freeze@ config file.
+--
+-- For more details on how this works, see the module
+-- "Distribution.Client.ProjectOrchestration"
+--
+freezeAction :: (ConfigFlags, ConfigExFlags, InstallFlags, HaddockFlags)
+             -> [String] -> GlobalFlags -> IO ()
+freezeAction (configFlags, configExFlags, installFlags, haddockFlags)
+             extraArgs globalFlags = do
+
+    unless (null extraArgs) $
+      die $ "'fetch' doesn't take any extra arguments: "
+         ++ unwords extraArgs
+
+    cabalDir <- defaultCabalDir
+    let cabalDirLayout = defaultCabalDirLayout cabalDir
+
+    projectRootDir <- findProjectRoot
+    let distDirLayout = defaultDistDirLayout projectRootDir
+
+    let cliConfig = commandLineFlagsToProjectConfig
+                      globalFlags configFlags configExFlags
+                      installFlags haddockFlags
+
+
+    (_, elaboratedPlan, _, _) <-
+      rebuildInstallPlan verbosity
+                         projectRootDir distDirLayout cabalDirLayout
+                         cliConfig
+
+    let freezeConfig = projectFreezeConfig elaboratedPlan
+    writeProjectLocalFreezeConfig projectRootDir freezeConfig
+    notice verbosity $
+      "Wrote freeze file: " ++ projectRootDir </> "cabal.project.freeze"
+
+  where
+    verbosity = fromFlagOrDefault normal (configVerbosity configFlags)
+
+
+
+-- | Given the install plan, produce a config value with constraints that
+-- freezes the versions of packages used in the plan.
+--
+projectFreezeConfig :: ElaboratedInstallPlan -> ProjectConfig
+projectFreezeConfig elaboratedPlan =
+    mempty {
+      projectConfigShared = mempty {
+        projectConfigConstraints =
+          concat (Map.elems (projectFreezeConstraints elaboratedPlan))
+      }
+    }
+
+-- | Given the install plan, produce solver constraints that will ensure the
+-- solver picks the same solution again in future in different environments.
+--
+projectFreezeConstraints :: ElaboratedInstallPlan
+                         -> Map PackageName [(UserConstraint, ConstraintSource)]
+projectFreezeConstraints plan =
+    --
+    -- TODO: [required eventually] this is currently an underapproximation
+    -- since the constraints language is not expressive enough to specify the
+    -- precise solution. See https://github.com/haskell/cabal/issues/3502.
+    --
+    -- For the moment we deal with multiple versions in the solution by using
+    -- constraints that allow either version. Also, we do not include any
+    -- constraints for packages that are local to the project (e.g. if the
+    -- solution has two instances of Cabal, one from the local project and one
+    -- pulled in as a setup deps then we exclude all constraints on Cabal, not
+    -- just the constraint for the local instance since any constraint would
+    -- apply to both instances).
+    --
+    Map.unionWith (++) versionConstraints flagConstraints
+    `Map.difference` localPackages
+  where
+    versionConstraints :: Map PackageName [(UserConstraint, ConstraintSource)]
+    versionConstraints =
+      Map.mapWithKey
+        (\p v -> [(UserConstraintVersion p v, ConstraintSourceFreeze)])
+        versionRanges
+
+    versionRanges :: Map PackageName VersionRange
+    versionRanges =
+      Map.fromListWith unionVersionRanges $
+          [ (packageName pkg, thisVersion (packageVersion pkg))
+          | InstallPlan.PreExisting pkg <- InstallPlan.toList plan
+          ]
+       ++ [ (packageName pkg, thisVersion (packageVersion pkg))
+          | InstallPlan.Configured pkg <- InstallPlan.toList plan
+          ]
+
+    flagConstraints :: Map PackageName [(UserConstraint, ConstraintSource)]
+    flagConstraints =
+      Map.mapWithKey
+        (\p f -> [(UserConstraintFlags p f, ConstraintSourceFreeze)])
+        flagAssignments
+
+    flagAssignments :: Map PackageName FlagAssignment
+    flagAssignments =
+      Map.fromList
+        [ (pkgname, flags)
+        | InstallPlan.Configured pkg <- InstallPlan.toList plan
+        , let flags   = pkgFlagAssignment pkg
+              pkgname = packageName pkg
+        , not (null flags) ]
+
+    localPackages :: Map PackageName ()
+    localPackages =
+      Map.fromList
+        [ (packageName pkg, ())
+        | InstallPlan.Configured pkg <- InstallPlan.toList plan
+        , pkgLocalToProject pkg
+        ]
+
diff --git a/cabal-install/Main.hs b/cabal-install/Main.hs
index 57f2cf7c96c..d68a126ccff 100644
--- a/cabal-install/Main.hs
+++ b/cabal-install/Main.hs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ import qualified Distribution.Client.List as List
 import qualified Distribution.Client.CmdConfigure as CmdConfigure
 import qualified Distribution.Client.CmdBuild     as CmdBuild
 import qualified Distribution.Client.CmdRepl      as CmdRepl
+import qualified Distribution.Client.CmdFreeze    as CmdFreeze
 
 import Distribution.Client.Install            (install)
 import Distribution.Client.Configure          (configure)
@@ -283,6 +284,8 @@ mainWorker args = topHandler $
                                   CmdBuild.buildAction
       , hiddenCmd  installCommand { commandName = "new-repl" }
                                   CmdRepl.replAction
+      , hiddenCmd  installCommand { commandName = "new-freeze" }
+                                  CmdFreeze.freezeAction
       ]
 
 type Action = GlobalFlags -> IO ()
diff --git a/cabal-install/cabal-install.cabal b/cabal-install/cabal-install.cabal
index 43d5cd146ce..a46949c4b83 100644
--- a/cabal-install/cabal-install.cabal
+++ b/cabal-install/cabal-install.cabal
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ executable cabal
         Distribution.Client.Check
         Distribution.Client.CmdBuild
         Distribution.Client.CmdConfigure
+        Distribution.Client.CmdFreeze
         Distribution.Client.CmdRepl
         Distribution.Client.Config
         Distribution.Client.Configure