diff --git a/cli/cli.go b/cli/cli.go
index 51c2342c..f21ee2fe 100644
--- a/cli/cli.go
+++ b/cli/cli.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/server"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/web"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli"
@@ -185,6 +186,14 @@ func newAbraApp(version, commit string) *cli.App {
 			}
 		}
 
+		if _, err := os.Stat(config.CATALOGUE_DIR); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.git", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, config.CATALOGUE_JSON_REPO_NAME)
+			logrus.Warnf("local recipe catalogue is missing, retrieving now")
+			if err := git.Clone(config.CATALOGUE_DIR, url); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		logrus.Debugf("abra version %s, commit %s", version, commit)
 
 		return nil