diff --git a/cli/app/deploy.go b/cli/app/deploy.go
index 323c773a4..7dc2c1f2c 100644
--- a/cli/app/deploy.go
+++ b/cli/app/deploy.go
@@ -3,11 +3,9 @@ package app
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"path/filepath"
 
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/client"
-	loader "coopcloud.tech/abra/client/stack"
 	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/client/stack"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/config"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -39,12 +37,6 @@ var appDeployCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		pattern := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose**yml", config.APPS_DIR, appEnv.Type)
-		composeFiles, err := filepath.Glob(pattern)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
 		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.APPS_DIR, appEnv.Type, "abra.sh")
 		abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -55,13 +47,17 @@ var appDeployCommand = &cli.Command{
 		}
 		appEnv.Env["STACK_NAME"] = appEnv.StackName()
 
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(appEnv.Type, appEnv.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
 		deployOpts := stack.Deploy{
 			Composefiles: composeFiles,
 			Namespace:    appEnv.StackName(),
 			Prune:        false,
 			ResolveImage: stack.ResolveImageAlways,
 		}
-		compose, err := loader.LoadComposefile(deployOpts, appEnv.Env)
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(appName, deployOpts, appEnv.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/cli/app/version.go b/cli/app/version.go
index ea85a87d4..f644b1d18 100644
--- a/cli/app/version.go
+++ b/cli/app/version.go
@@ -61,7 +61,12 @@ var appVersionCommand = &cli.Command{
 
 		app := appFiles[appName]
 
-		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(appEnv.Type, appEnv.Env)
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(appEnv.Type, appEnv.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: composeFiles}
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(appEnv.Type, opts, appEnv.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/cli/recipe/recipe.go b/cli/recipe/recipe.go
index ab23caa54..aed75c389 100644
--- a/cli/recipe/recipe.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/recipe.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/formatter"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/client/stack"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
 
@@ -182,7 +183,7 @@ This is step 1 of upgrading a recipe. Step 2 is running "abra recipe sync
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(recipe, appEnv.Env)
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(recipe, stack.Deploy{}, appEnv.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -312,7 +313,7 @@ the versioning metadata of up-and-running containers are.
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(recipe, appEnv.Env)
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(recipe, stack.Deploy{}, appEnv.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -370,7 +371,7 @@ var recipeLintCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(recipe, appEnv.Env)
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(recipe, stack.Deploy{}, appEnv.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/config/app.go b/config/app.go
index 599bc9fbd..6b7b3948f 100644
--- a/config/app.go
+++ b/config/app.go
@@ -225,22 +225,35 @@ func GetAppStatuses(appFiles AppFiles) (map[string]string, error) {
 	return statuses, nil
 }
 
-// GetAppComposeFiles retrieves a compose specification for a recipe. This
-// specification is the result of a merge of all the compose.**.yml files in
-// the recipe repository.
-func GetAppComposeFiles(recipe string, appEnv AppEnv) (*composetypes.Config, error) {
-	pattern := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose**yml", APPS_DIR, recipe)
-	composeFiles, err := filepath.Glob(pattern)
-	if err != nil {
-		return &composetypes.Config{}, err
+// GetAppComposeFiles gets the list of compose files for an app which should be
+// merged into a composetypes.Config while respecting the COMPOSE_FILE env var.
+func GetAppComposeFiles(recipe string, appEnv AppEnv) ([]string, error) {
+	if _, ok := appEnv["COMPOSE_FILE"]; !ok {
+		pattern := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose**yml", APPS_DIR, recipe)
+		composeFiles, err := filepath.Glob(pattern)
+		if err != nil {
+			return composeFiles, err
+		}
+		return composeFiles, nil
 	}
 
-	opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: composeFiles}
+	var composeFiles []string
+	composeFileEnvVar := appEnv["COMPOSE_FILE"]
+	for _, file := range strings.Split(composeFileEnvVar, ":") {
+		path := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", APPS_DIR, recipe, file)
+		composeFiles = append(composeFiles, path)
+	}
+	return composeFiles, nil
+}
+
+// GetAppComposeConfig retrieves a compose specification for a recipe. This
+// specification is the result of a merge of all the compose.**.yml files in
+// the recipe repository.
+func GetAppComposeConfig(recipe string, opts stack.Deploy, appEnv AppEnv) (*composetypes.Config, error) {
 	compose, err := loader.LoadComposefile(opts, appEnv)
 	if err != nil {
 		return &composetypes.Config{}, err
 	}
-
 	return compose, nil
 }