diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/cli.ts b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/cli.ts
index 11b9450f2af6eb..5a3afc52e7eb94 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/cli.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ export function runFtrCli() {
           kbnTestServer: {
             installDir: parseInstallDir(flags),
           },
+          suiteFiles: {
+            include: toArray(flags['include-file'] as string | string[]),
+            exclude: toArray(flags['exclude-file'] as string | string[]),
+          },
           suiteTags: {
             include: toArray(flags['include-tag'] as string | string[]),
             exclude: toArray(flags['exclude-tag'] as string | string[]),
@@ -104,7 +108,16 @@ export function runFtrCli() {
     },
     {
       flags: {
-        string: ['config', 'grep', 'exclude', 'include-tag', 'exclude-tag', 'kibana-install-dir'],
+        string: [
+          'config',
+          'grep',
+          'exclude',
+          'include-file',
+          'exclude-file',
+          'include-tag',
+          'exclude-tag',
+          'kibana-install-dir',
+        ],
         boolean: ['bail', 'invert', 'test-stats', 'updateBaselines', 'throttle', 'headless'],
         default: {
           config: 'test/functional/config.js',
@@ -116,6 +129,8 @@ export function runFtrCli() {
         --grep <pattern>   pattern used to select which tests to run
         --invert           invert grep to exclude tests
         --exclude=file     path to a test file that should not be loaded
+        --include-file=file  a test file to be included, pass multiple times for multiple files
+        --exclude-file=file  a test file to be excluded, pass multiple times for multiple files
         --include-tag=tag  a tag to be included, pass multiple times for multiple tags
         --exclude-tag=tag  a tag to be excluded, pass multiple times for multiple tags
         --test-stats       print the number of tests (included and excluded) to STDERR
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.ts b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.ts
index 75623d6c088905..25889ac85c6dd9 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,17 @@ export const schema = Joi.object()
       .items(Joi.string())
       .default([]),
 
+    suiteFiles: Joi.object()
+      .keys({
+        include: Joi.array()
+          .items(Joi.string())
+          .default([]),
+        exclude: Joi.array()
+          .items(Joi.string())
+          .default([]),
+      })
+      .default(),
+
     suiteTags: Joi.object()
       .keys({
         include: Joi.array()
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/decorate_mocha_ui.js b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/decorate_mocha_ui.js
index 64fc51a04aac9b..c09ae5e775ea37 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/decorate_mocha_ui.js
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/decorate_mocha_ui.js
@@ -16,12 +16,13 @@
  * specific language governing permissions and limitations
  * under the License.
  */
-
+import { sep } from 'path';
+import { REPO_ROOT } from '@kbn/dev-utils';
 import { createAssignmentProxy } from './assignment_proxy';
 import { wrapFunction } from './wrap_function';
 import { wrapRunnableArgs } from './wrap_runnable_args';
 
-export function decorateMochaUi(lifecycle, context) {
+export function decorateMochaUi(lifecycle, context, config) {
   // incremented at the start of each suite, decremented after
   // so that in each non-suite call we can know if we are within
   // a suite, or that when a suite is defined it is within a suite
@@ -65,6 +66,12 @@ export function decorateMochaUi(lifecycle, context) {
             this._tags = [].concat(this._tags || [], tags);
           };
 
+          const filePath = this.file.replace(REPO_ROOT + sep, '');
+          this.tags(filePath);
+          this.suiteTag = filePath; // The tag that uniquely targets this suite/file
+
+          this.ftrConfig = config;
+
           provider.call(this);
 
           after(async () => {
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/setup_mocha.js b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/setup_mocha.js
index 326877919d9855..980becf46ba992 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/setup_mocha.js
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_test_runner/lib/mocha/setup_mocha.js
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
  */
 
 import Mocha from 'mocha';
+import { realpathSync } from 'fs';
+import { sep } from 'path';
+import { REPO_ROOT } from '@kbn/dev-utils';
 
 import { loadTestFiles } from './load_test_files';
 import { filterSuitesByTags } from './filter_suites_by_tags';
@@ -49,11 +52,23 @@ export async function setupMocha(lifecycle, log, config, providers) {
     log,
     lifecycle,
     providers,
+    config,
     paths: config.get('testFiles'),
     excludePaths: config.get('excludeTestFiles'),
     updateBaselines: config.get('updateBaselines'),
   });
 
+  filterSuitesByTags({
+    log,
+    mocha,
+    include: config
+      .get('suiteFiles.include')
+      .map(f => realpathSync(f).replace(REPO_ROOT + sep, '')),
+    exclude: config
+      .get('suiteFiles.exclude')
+      .map(f => realpathSync(f).replace(REPO_ROOT + sep, '')),
+  });
+
   filterSuitesByTags({
     log,
     mocha,
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/cli/run_tests/args.js b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/cli/run_tests/args.js
index b34006a38a45d8..349816dc5d089f 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/cli/run_tests/args.js
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/cli/run_tests/args.js
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ const options = {
   updateBaselines: {
     desc: 'Replace baseline screenshots with whatever is generated from the test.',
   },
+  'include-file': {
+    arg: '<file>',
+    desc: 'Files that must included to be run, can be included multiple times.',
+  },
+  'exclude-file': {
+    arg: '<file>',
+    desc: 'Files that must NOT be included to be run, can be included multiple times.',
+  },
   'include-tag': {
     arg: '<tag>',
     desc: 'Tags that suites must include to be run, can be included multiple times.',
@@ -115,6 +123,13 @@ export function processOptions(userOptions, defaultConfigPaths) {
     delete userOptions['kibana-install-dir'];
   }
 
+  userOptions.suiteFiles = {
+    include: [].concat(userOptions['include-file'] || []),
+    exclude: [].concat(userOptions['exclude-file'] || []),
+  };
+  delete userOptions['include-file'];
+  delete userOptions['exclude-file'];
+
   userOptions.suiteTags = {
     include: [].concat(userOptions['include-tag'] || []),
     exclude: [].concat(userOptions['exclude-tag'] || []),
diff --git a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/lib/run_ftr.js b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/lib/run_ftr.js
index 9b631e33f3b24c..14883ac977c431 100644
--- a/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/lib/run_ftr.js
+++ b/packages/kbn-test/src/functional_tests/lib/run_ftr.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { CliError } from './run_cli';
 
 async function createFtr({
   configPath,
-  options: { installDir, log, bail, grep, updateBaselines, suiteTags },
+  options: { installDir, log, bail, grep, updateBaselines, suiteFiles, suiteTags },
 }) {
   const config = await readConfigFile(log, configPath);
 
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ async function createFtr({
         installDir,
       },
       updateBaselines,
+      suiteFiles: {
+        include: [...suiteFiles.include, ...config.get('suiteFiles.include')],
+        exclude: [...suiteFiles.exclude, ...config.get('suiteFiles.exclude')],
+      },
       suiteTags: {
         include: [...suiteTags.include, ...config.get('suiteTags.include')],
         exclude: [...suiteTags.exclude, ...config.get('suiteTags.exclude')],