diff --git a/common/command.cc b/common/command.cc
index 8f18f54d..1399efdb 100644
--- a/common/command.cc
+++ b/common/command.cc
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ po::options_description CommandHandler::getGeneralOptions()
     general.add_options()("version,V", "show version");
     general.add_options()("test", "check architecture database integrity");
     general.add_options()("freq", po::value<double>(), "set target frequency for design in MHz");
+    general.add_options()("timing-allow-fail", "allow timing to fail in design");
     general.add_options()("no-tmdriv", "disable timing-driven placement");
     general.add_options()("save", po::value<std::string>(), "project file to write");
     general.add_options()("load", po::value<std::string>(), "project file to read");
@@ -178,6 +179,10 @@ void CommandHandler::setupContext(Context *ctx)
         settings->set("timing/ignoreLoops", true);
     }
 
+    if (vm.count("timing-allow-fail")) {
+        settings->set("timing/allowFail", true);
+    }
+
     if (vm.count("cstrweight")) {
         settings->set("placer1/constraintWeight", vm["cstrweight"].as<float>());
     }
diff --git a/common/timing.cc b/common/timing.cc
index 8ade2660..2a0af874 100644
--- a/common/timing.cc
+++ b/common/timing.cc
@@ -904,6 +904,10 @@ void timing_analysis(Context *ctx, bool print_histogram, bool print_fmax, bool p
             if (!warn_on_failure || passed)
                 log_info("Max frequency for clock %*s'%s': %.02f MHz (%s at %.02f MHz)\n", width, "",
                          clock_name.c_str(), clock_fmax[clock.first], passed ? "PASS" : "FAIL", target);
+            else
+            if (bool_or_default(ctx->settings, ctx->id("timing/allowFail"), false))
+                log_warning("Max frequency for clock %*s'%s': %.02f MHz (%s at %.02f MHz)\n", width, "",
+                         clock_name.c_str(), clock_fmax[clock.first], passed ? "PASS" : "FAIL", target);
             else
                 log_nonfatal_error("Max frequency for clock %*s'%s': %.02f MHz (%s at %.02f MHz)\n", width, "",
                                    clock_name.c_str(), clock_fmax[clock.first], passed ? "PASS" : "FAIL", target);