diff --git a/devstack-vm-gate-wrap.sh b/devstack-vm-gate-wrap.sh
index bda94a90..998caf69 100755
--- a/devstack-vm-gate-wrap.sh
+++ b/devstack-vm-gate-wrap.sh
@@ -357,6 +357,16 @@ export DEVSTACK_GATE_CEILOMETER_BACKEND=${DEVSTACK_GATE_CEILOMETER_BACKEND:-mysq
 # Set Zaqar backend to override the default one. It could be mongodb, redis.
 export DEVSTACK_GATE_ZAQAR_BACKEND=${DEVSTACK_GATE_ZAQAR_BACKEND:-mongodb}
 
+# Set to a space-separated list of projects to prepare in the
+# workspace, e.g. 'openstack-dev/devstack openstack/neutron'.
+# Minimizing the number of targeted projects can reduce the setup cost
+# for jobs that know exactly which repos they need.
+export DEVSTACK_GATE_PROJECTS_OVERRIDE=${DEVSTACK_GATE_PROJECTS_OVERRIDE:-""}
+
+if [ -n "$DEVSTACK_GATE_PROJECTS_OVERRIDE" ]; then
+    PROJECTS=$DEVSTACK_GATE_PROJECTS_OVERRIDE
+fi
+
 if ! function_exists "gate_hook"; then
     # the command we use to run the gate
     function gate_hook {