diff --git a/bin/ansible-pull b/bin/ansible-pull
index 0d680d91f3f..17ff8711b59 100755
--- a/bin/ansible-pull
+++ b/bin/ansible-pull
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ def main(args):
                       help='purge checkout after playbook run')
     parser.add_option('-o', '--only-if-changed', dest='ifchanged', default=False, action='store_true',
                       help='only run the playbook if the repository has been updated')
+    parser.add_option('-f', '--force', dest='force', default=False,
+                      action='store_true',
+                      help='run the playbook even if the repository could '
+                           'not be updated')
     parser.add_option('-d', '--directory', dest='dest', default=None,
                       help='directory to checkout repository to')
     parser.add_option('-U', '--url', dest='url', default=None,
@@ -146,7 +150,11 @@ def main(args):
             )
     rc, out = _run(cmd)
     if rc != 0:
-        return rc
+        if options.force:
+            print("Unable to update repository.  Continuing with (forced) "
+                  "run of playbook.")
+        else:
+            return rc
     elif options.ifchanged and '"changed": true' not in out:
         print "Repository has not changed, quitting."
         return 0
diff --git a/docs/man/man1/ansible-pull.1.asciidoc.in b/docs/man/man1/ansible-pull.1.asciidoc.in
index 6d73f4104d2..809ec000576 100644
--- a/docs/man/man1/ansible-pull.1.asciidoc.in
+++ b/docs/man/man1/ansible-pull.1.asciidoc.in
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ URL of the playbook repository to checkout.
 Branch/Tag/Commit to checkout.  If not provided, uses default behavior
 of module used to check out playbook repository.
 
+*-f*, *--force*::
+
+Force running of playbook even if unable to update playbook repository.  This
+can be useful, for example, to enforce run-time state when a network
+connection may not always be up or possible.
+
 *-i* 'PATH', *--inventory=*'PATH'::
 
 The 'PATH' to the inventory hosts file.  This can be a relative path within