diff --git a/bonobo/commands/run.py b/bonobo/commands/run.py
index 6de6bf6..fb93e77 100644
--- a/bonobo/commands/run.py
+++ b/bonobo/commands/run.py
@@ -26,6 +26,20 @@ def get_default_services(filename, services=None):
     return services or {}
 
 
+def _install_requirements(requirements):
+    """Install requirements given a path to requirements.txt file."""
+    import importlib
+    import pip
+
+    pip.main(['install', '-r', requirements])
+    # Some shenanigans to be sure everything is importable after this, especially .egg-link files which
+    # are referenced in *.pth files and apparently loaded by site.py at some magic bootstrap moment of the
+    # python interpreter.
+    pip.utils.pkg_resources = importlib.reload(pip.utils.pkg_resources)
+    import site
+    importlib.reload(site)
+
+
 def execute(filename, module, install=False, quiet=False, verbose=False):
     import runpy
     from bonobo import Graph, run, settings
@@ -39,16 +53,8 @@ def execute(filename, module, install=False, quiet=False, verbose=False):
     if filename:
         if os.path.isdir(filename):
             if install:
-                import importlib
-                import pip
                 requirements = os.path.join(filename, 'requirements.txt')
-                pip.main(['install', '-r', requirements])
-                # Some shenanigans to be sure everything is importable after this, especially .egg-link files which
-                # are referenced in *.pth files and apparently loaded by site.py at some magic bootstrap moment of the
-                # python interpreter.
-                pip.utils.pkg_resources = importlib.reload(pip.utils.pkg_resources)
-                import site
-                importlib.reload(site)
+                _install_requirements(requirements)
 
             pathname = filename
             for filename in DEFAULT_GRAPH_FILENAMES:
@@ -58,7 +64,8 @@ def execute(filename, module, install=False, quiet=False, verbose=False):
             if not os.path.exists(filename):
                 raise IOError('Could not find entrypoint (candidates: {}).'.format(', '.join(DEFAULT_GRAPH_FILENAMES)))
         elif install:
-            raise RuntimeError('Cannot --install on a file (only available for dirs containing requirements.txt).')
+            requirements = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(filename), 'requirements.txt')
+            _install_requirements(requirements)
         context = runpy.run_path(filename, run_name='__bonobo__')
     elif module:
         context = runpy.run_module(module, run_name='__bonobo__')
diff --git a/tests/test_commands.py b/tests/test_commands.py
index 280308d..e2d7b7b 100644
--- a/tests/test_commands.py
+++ b/tests/test_commands.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import os
 import runpy
 import sys
 from unittest.mock import patch
@@ -70,6 +71,24 @@ def test_run_path(runner, capsys):
     assert out[2].startswith('Baz ')
 
 
+@all_runners
+def test_install_requirements_for_dir(runner):
+    dirname = get_examples_path('types')
+    with patch('bonobo.commands.run._install_requirements') as install_mock:
+        runner('run', '--install', dirname)
+    install_mock.assert_called_once_with(
+        os.path.join(dirname, 'requirements.txt'))
+
+
+@all_runners
+def test_install_requirements_for_file(runner):
+    dirname = get_examples_path('types')
+    with patch('bonobo.commands.run._install_requirements') as install_mock:
+        runner('run', '--install', os.path.join(dirname, 'strings.py'))
+    install_mock.assert_called_once_with(
+        os.path.join(dirname, 'requirements.txt'))
+
+
 @all_runners
 def test_version(runner, capsys):
     runner('version')