diff --git a/src/cli/commands/add.js b/src/cli/commands/add.js
index 3e9b1bb49b..cde074bfe3 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/add.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/add.js
@@ -189,6 +189,7 @@ export function setFlags(commander: Object) {
   commander.option('-O, --optional', 'save package to your `optionalDependencies`');
   commander.option('-E, --exact', 'install exact version');
   commander.option('-T, --tilde', 'install most recent release with the same minor version');
+  commander.option('--link', 'link local dependencies');
 }
 
 export async function run(config: Config, reporter: Reporter, flags: Object, args: Array<string>): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/install.js b/src/cli/commands/install.js
index e71ac6b1dc..64eb8a3f56 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/install.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/install.js
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ export class Install {
     this.config = config;
     this.flags = normalizeFlags(config, flags);
 
-    this.resolver = new PackageResolver(config, lockfile);
+    this.resolver = new PackageResolver(config, flags, lockfile);
     this.integrityChecker = new InstallationIntegrityChecker(config);
     this.linker = new PackageLinker(config, this.resolver);
     this.scripts = new PackageInstallScripts(config, this.resolver, this.flags.force);
@@ -846,6 +846,7 @@ export function setFlags(commander: Object) {
   commander.option('-O, --save-optional', 'DEPRECATED - save package to your `optionalDependencies`');
   commander.option('-E, --save-exact', 'DEPRECATED');
   commander.option('-T, --save-tilde', 'DEPRECATED');
+  commander.option('--link', 'link local dependencies');
 }
 
 export async function install(config: Config, reporter: Reporter, flags: Object, lockfile: Lockfile): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/link.js b/src/cli/commands/link.js
index 693f1f4b47..6e56bafeea 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/link.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/link.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type Config from '../../config.js';
 import {MessageError} from '../../errors.js';
 import * as fs from '../../util/fs.js';
 import {getBinFolder as getGlobalBinFolder} from './global';
+import {getPackageFilters} from './pack';
 
 const invariant = require('invariant');
 const path = require('path');
@@ -26,7 +27,9 @@ export function hasWrapper(commander: Object, args: Array<string>): boolean {
   return true;
 }
 
-export function setFlags(commander: Object) {}
+export function setFlags(commander: Object) {
+  commander.option('--deep', 'create a link for each file inside the current directory instead of the directory itself');
+}
 
 export async function run(config: Config, reporter: Reporter, flags: Object, args: Array<string>): Promise<void> {
   if (args.length) {
@@ -56,28 +59,49 @@ export async function run(config: Config, reporter: Reporter, flags: Object, arg
     const linkLoc = path.join(config.linkFolder, name);
     if (await fs.exists(linkLoc)) {
       reporter.warn(reporter.lang('linkCollision', name));
+      await fs.unlink(path.join(config.cwd, linkLoc));
+    }
+
+    if (flags.deep) {
+      await linkDeep(config, linkLoc);
     } else {
       await fs.mkdirp(path.dirname(linkLoc));
       await fs.symlink(config.cwd, linkLoc);
+    }
 
-      // If there is a `bin` defined in the package.json,
-      // link each bin to the global bin
-      if (manifest.bin) {
-        const globalBinFolder = await getGlobalBinFolder(config, flags);
-        for (const binName in manifest.bin) {
-          const binSrc = manifest.bin[binName];
-          const binSrcLoc = path.join(linkLoc, binSrc);
-          const binDestLoc = path.join(globalBinFolder, binName);
-          if (await fs.exists(binDestLoc)) {
-            reporter.warn(reporter.lang('binLinkCollision', binName));
-          } else {
-            await fs.symlink(binSrcLoc, binDestLoc);
-          }
+    // If there is a `bin` defined in the package.json,
+    // link each bin to the global bin
+    if (manifest.bin) {
+      const globalBinFolder = await getGlobalBinFolder(config, flags);
+      for (const binName in manifest.bin) {
+        const binSrc = manifest.bin[binName];
+        const binSrcLoc = path.join(linkLoc, binSrc);
+        const binDestLoc = path.join(globalBinFolder, binName);
+        if (await fs.exists(binDestLoc)) {
+          reporter.warn(reporter.lang('binLinkCollision', binName));
+        } else {
+          await fs.symlink(binSrcLoc, binDestLoc);
         }
       }
+    }
 
-      reporter.success(reporter.lang('linkRegistered', name));
-      reporter.info(reporter.lang('linkRegisteredMessage', name));
+    reporter.success(reporter.lang('linkRegistered', name));
+    reporter.info(reporter.lang('linkRegisteredMessage', name));
+  }
+}
+
+async function linkDeep(config, linkLoc) {
+  await fs.mkdirp(linkLoc);
+
+  const {keepFiles} = await getPackageFilters(config);
+  for (let name of await fs.readdir(config.cwd)) {
+    const relative = path.relative(config.cwd, name);
+    if (!keepFiles.has(relative)) {
+      continue;
     }
+
+    const src = path.join(config.cwd, name);
+    const dest = path.join(linkLoc, name);
+    await fs.symlink(src, dest);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/pack.js b/src/cli/commands/pack.js
index ce0f6812ae..af6784150d 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/pack.js
+++ b/src/cli/commands/pack.js
@@ -48,10 +48,7 @@ const NEVER_IGNORE = ignoreLinesToRegex([
   '!/+(changes|changelog|history)*',
 ]);
 
-export async function packTarball(
-  config: Config,
-  {mapHeader}: {mapHeader?: Object => Object} = {},
-): Promise<stream$Duplex> {
+export async function getPackageFilters(config) {
   const pkg = await config.readRootManifest();
   const {bundledDependencies, main, files: onlyFiles} = pkg;
 
@@ -108,7 +105,14 @@ export async function packTarball(
   const possibleKeepFiles: Set<string> = new Set();
 
   // apply filters
-  sortFilter(files, filters, keepFiles, possibleKeepFiles, ignoredFiles);
+  return sortFilter(files, filters, keepFiles, possibleKeepFiles, ignoredFiles);
+}
+
+export async function packTarball(
+  config: Config,
+  {mapHeader}: {mapHeader?: Object => Object} = {},
+): Promise<stream$Duplex> {
+  const {keepFiles} = await getPackageFilters(config);
 
   const packer = tar.pack(config.cwd, {
     ignore: name => {
diff --git a/src/package-request.js b/src/package-request.js
index ee9ac6412e..fb4c1efffa 100644
--- a/src/package-request.js
+++ b/src/package-request.js
@@ -145,7 +145,14 @@ export default class PackageRequest {
   }
 
   async normalize(pattern: string): any {
-    const {name, range, hasVersion} = PackageRequest.normalizePattern(pattern);
+    let {name, range, hasVersion} = PackageRequest.normalizePattern(pattern);
+
+    // Check if package is linked globally if specified
+    const linkPath = path.join(this.config.linkFolder, name);
+    if (this.resolver.flags.link && await fs.exists(linkPath)) {
+      range = 'link:' + linkPath;
+    }
+
     const newRange = await this.normalizeRange(range);
     return {name, range: newRange, hasVersion};
   }
diff --git a/src/package-resolver.js b/src/package-resolver.js
index f59321ba32..a3818f2c0a 100644
--- a/src/package-resolver.js
+++ b/src/package-resolver.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export type ResolverOptions = {|
 |};
 
 export default class PackageResolver {
-  constructor(config: Config, lockfile: Lockfile) {
+  constructor(config: Config, flags: Object, lockfile: Lockfile) {
     this.patternsByPackage = map();
     this.fetchingPatterns = map();
     this.fetchingQueue = new BlockingQueue('resolver fetching');
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export default class PackageResolver {
     this.reporter = config.reporter;
     this.lockfile = lockfile;
     this.config = config;
+    this.flags = flags;
     this.delayedResolveQueue = [];
   }