diff --git a/infrared_plugin/plugin.spec b/infrared_plugin/plugin.spec
index 12dcab7cd..7bc40f49d 100644
--- a/infrared_plugin/plugin.spec
+++ b/infrared_plugin/plugin.spec
@@ -202,8 +202,10 @@ subparsers:
             ansible_variable: tox_python
           pytest-addopts:
             type: Value
-            help: Extra options to be passed to PyTest
-            ansible_variable: pytest_addopts
+            help: >
+                Extra options to be passed to PyTest. This value is overriden
+                when it is defined at workflow level too.
+            ansible_variable: pytest_addopts_global
           pytest-markers:
             type: Value
             help: >
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/skipregex-new-arg-a9f1c001cbc823f9.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/skipregex-new-arg-a9f1c001cbc823f9.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..104ee34fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/skipregex-new-arg-a9f1c001cbc823f9.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Added new input argument `--skipregex`
+    When it is used, tests are skipped when the regex is found in their test
+    names. Fully qualified test names are used for this search.
+
+    | Example: tobiko.tests.unit.test_exception.TestException.test_init
+
+    * It can be used from CLI with pytest
+
+    .. code-block:: text
+
+      $ .tox/py3/bin/pytest --skipregex='test_join_chunks_.*_bytes|test_join_chunks_with_unicodes' tobiko/tests/unit
+
+    * It can be used from CLI with tox
+
+    .. code-block:: text
+
+      $ PYTEST_ADDOPTS="--skipregex='test_join_chunks_.*_bytes|test_join_chunks_with_unicodes'" TOX_PYTHON=python3.9 tox -e py3
+
+    * It can be used from the Tobiko Infrared plugin by using the --pytest-addopts
+      option (limitation: the skipregex is applied to all the steps from the
+      the executed Tobiko workflow)
+
+    .. code-block:: text
+
+      $ infrared tobiko ... --pytest-addopts "--skipregex='test_join_chunks_.*_bytes|test_join_chunks_with_unicodes'"
+
+    * It can be used from a zuul job by configuring the following variable
+      within the zuul job yaml file (limitation: the skipregex is applied to
+      all the steps from the executed Tobiko workflow)
+
+    .. code-block:: text
+
+      pytest_addopts_global: "--skipregex='test_join_chunks_.*_bytes|test_join_chunks_with_unicodes'"
diff --git a/roles/tobiko-tox/defaults/main.yaml b/roles/tobiko-tox/defaults/main.yaml
index b04a5d427..e796c376d 100644
--- a/roles/tobiko-tox/defaults/main.yaml
+++ b/roles/tobiko-tox/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ tox_expected_rcs:
   - '{{ tox_succeeded_rc }}'
 ignore_test_failures: no
 
-pytest_addopts: ''
+pytest_addopts: '{{ pytest_addopts_global }}'
+pytest_addopts_global: ''
 pytest_markers: "{% if not test_flaky%}not flaky{% endif %}"
 pytest_maxfail: ''
 test_flaky: false
diff --git a/roles/tobiko-tox/tasks/tox.yaml b/roles/tobiko-tox/tasks/tox.yaml
index 60b2a22e4..6cf1ae402 100644
--- a/roles/tobiko-tox/tasks/tox.yaml
+++ b/roles/tobiko-tox/tasks/tox.yaml
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 
 - name: reset values used to generate tox_constrain_env after executing a test suite
   set_fact:
-    pytest_addopts: ''
+    pytest_addopts: '{{ pytest_addopts_global }}'
     test_flaky: false
     pytest_markers: "{% if not test_flaky%}not flaky{% endif %}"
     pytest_maxfail: ''
diff --git a/tobiko/tests/conftest.py b/tobiko/tests/conftest.py
index 7507b688c..e2f031e7b 100644
--- a/tobiko/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tobiko/tests/conftest.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from __future__ import absolute_import
 
 from datetime import datetime
 import os
+import re
 import subprocess
 
 from oslo_log import log
@@ -172,3 +173,21 @@ def pytest_runtest_call(item):
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session", autouse=True)
 def cleanup_shelves():
     tobiko.initialize_shelves()
+
+
+def pytest_addoption(parser):
+    parser.addoption("--skipregex", action="store",
+                     default="", help="skip tests matching the provided regex")
+
+
+def pytest_collection_modifyitems(config, items):
+    skipregex = config.getoption("--skipregex")
+    if not skipregex:
+        # --skipregex not given in cli, therefore move on
+        return
+    skip_listed = pytest.mark.skip(reason="matches --skipregex")
+    for item in items:
+        fully_qualified_test_name = '.'.join([item.obj.__module__,
+                                              item.getmodpath()])
+        if re.search(skipregex, fully_qualified_test_name):
+            item.add_marker(skip_listed)