@@ -, +, @@ 
---
 bin/egencache   |   12 +++++++++---
 man/egencache.1 |    1 +
 2 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
--- a/bin/egencache	
+++ a/bin/egencache	
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ from portage import os, _encodings, _unicode_encode, _unicode_decode
 from _emerge.MetadataRegen import MetadataRegen
 from portage.cache.cache_errors import CacheError, StatCollision
 from portage.manifest import guessManifestFileType
-from portage.util import cmp_sort_key, writemsg_level
+from portage.util import cmp_sort_key, normalize_path, writemsg_level
 from portage import cpv_getkey
 from portage.dep import Atom, isjustname
 from portage.versions import pkgcmp, pkgsplit, vercmp
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ def parse_args(args):
 	common = optparse.OptionGroup(parser, 'Common options')
 	common.add_option("--repo",
 		action="store",
-		help="name of repo to operate on (default repo is located at $PORTDIR)")
+		help="name of or absolute path to repo to operate on (default repo is located at $PORTDIR)")
 	common.add_option("--config-root",
 		help="location of portage config files",
 		dest="portage_configroot")
@@ -727,8 +727,12 @@ def egencache_main(args):
 	# completely controlled by commandline arguments.
 	env = {}
 
+	repo_path = None
 	if options.repo is None:
 		env['PORTDIR_OVERLAY'] = ''
+	elif options.repo.startswith(os.path.sep) and os.path.exists(options.repo):
+		repo_path = normalize_path(options.repo)
+		env['PORTDIR_OVERLAY'] = repo_path
 
 	if options.cache_dir is not None:
 		env['PORTAGE_DEPCACHEDIR'] = options.cache_dir
@@ -770,7 +774,9 @@ def egencache_main(args):
 
 	portdb = portage.portdbapi(mysettings=settings)
 	if options.repo is not None:
-		repo_path = portdb.getRepositoryPath(options.repo)
+		if repo_path is None:
+			repo_path = portdb.getRepositoryPath(options.repo)
+
 		if repo_path is None:
 			parser.error("Unable to locate repository named '%s'" % \
 				(options.repo,))
--- a/man/egencache.1	
+++ a/man/egencache.1	
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ Name of the repo to operate on (default repo is located at \fBPORTDIR\fR).
 The name should correspond the value of a \fBrepo_name\fR entry (see
 \fBportage\fR(5)) from one of the repositories that is configured via the
 \fBPORTDIR\fR or \fBPORTDIR_OVERLAY\fR variables (see \fBmake.conf\fR(5)).
+Alternatively, REPO can be given as an absolute path to the repository.
 .TP
 .BR "\-\-rsync"
 When used together with the \fB\-\-update\fR action, this enables a workaround
--