diff --git a/jaq/src/cli.rs b/jaq/src/cli.rs
index 658baa0d..7c627ec8 100644
--- a/jaq/src/cli.rs
+++ b/jaq/src/cli.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ pub struct Cli {
 
     // Key-value options
     pub arg: Vec<(String, String)>,
+    pub argjson: Vec<(String, String)>,
     pub slurpfile: Vec<(String, OsString)>,
     pub rawfile: Vec<(String, OsString)>,
 
@@ -106,6 +107,10 @@ impl Cli {
                 let (name, value) = parse_key_val("--arg", args)?;
                 self.arg.push((name, value.into_string()?));
             }
+            "argjson" => {
+                let (name, value) = parse_key_val("--argjson", args)?;
+                self.argjson.push((name, value.into_string()?));
+            }
             "slurpfile" => self.slurpfile.push(parse_key_val("--slurpfile", args)?),
             "rawfile" => self.rawfile.push(parse_key_val("--rawfile", args)?),
 
diff --git a/jaq/src/help.txt b/jaq/src/help.txt
index c6938f72..e75cd7e8 100644
--- a/jaq/src/help.txt
+++ b/jaq/src/help.txt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Compilation options:
 
 Variable options:
       --arg       <A> <V>   Set variable `$A` to string `V`
+      --argjson   <A> <V>   Set variable `$A` to JSON value `V`
       --slurpfile <A> <F>   Set variable `$A` to array containing the JSON values in file `F`
       --rawfile   <A> <F>   Set variable `$A` to string containing the contents of file `F`
       --args                Collect remaining positional arguments into `$ARGS.positional`
diff --git a/jaq/src/main.rs b/jaq/src/main.rs
index 5620c304..d0e539dc 100644
--- a/jaq/src/main.rs
+++ b/jaq/src/main.rs
@@ -134,6 +134,15 @@ fn binds(cli: &Cli) -> Result<Vec<(String, Val)>, Error> {
         let s = s.to_owned();
         Ok((k.to_owned(), Val::Str(s.into())))
     });
+    let argjson = cli.argjson.iter().map(|(k, s)| {
+        let s = s.to_owned();
+        use hifijson::token::Lex;
+        let mut lexer = hifijson::SliceLexer::new(s.as_bytes());
+        let v = lexer
+            .exactly_one(Val::parse)
+            .map_err(|e| Error::Parse(format!("cannot parse {s} as JSON: {e}")));
+        Ok::<(std::string::String, Val), Error>((k.to_owned(), v?))
+    });
     let rawfile = cli.rawfile.iter().map(|(k, path)| {
         let s = std::fs::read_to_string(path).map_err(|e| Error::Io(Some(format!("{path:?}")), e));
         Ok((k.to_owned(), Val::Str(s?.into())))
@@ -146,7 +155,7 @@ fn binds(cli: &Cli) -> Result<Vec<(String, Val)>, Error> {
     let positional = cli.args.iter().cloned().map(|s| Ok(Val::from(s)));
     let positional = positional.collect::<Result<Vec<_>, Error>>()?;
 
-    let var_val = arg.chain(rawfile).chain(slurpfile);
+    let var_val = arg.chain(rawfile).chain(slurpfile).chain(argjson);
     let mut var_val = var_val.collect::<Result<Vec<_>, Error>>()?;
 
     var_val.push(("ARGS".to_string(), args(&positional, &var_val)));
diff --git a/jaq/tests/golden.rs b/jaq/tests/golden.rs
index 10355efc..40b37446 100644
--- a/jaq/tests/golden.rs
+++ b/jaq/tests/golden.rs
@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ test!(
     "\"yb\""
 );
 
+test!(
+    argjson,
+    &["--argjson", "a", "[1,2,3]", "--argjson", "b", r#""abc""#, "$a,$b"],
+    "0",
+    r#"[
+  1,
+  2,
+  3
+]
+"abc""#
+);
+
 test!(
     args,
     &["-c", "--args", "--arg", "x", "y", "$ARGS", "a", "--", "--test", "--"],