diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ea561567..f72725a3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ endif()
 
 # Define project
 project(Monitoring
-  VERSION 3.19.5
+  VERSION 3.19.6
   DESCRIPTION "O2 Monitoring library"
   LANGUAGES CXX
 )
@@ -279,6 +279,17 @@ if(RdKafka_FOUND)
 endif()
 
 
+# executable: o2-monitoring-send
+add_executable(
+  o2-monitoring-send
+  src/sendMetric.cxx
+)
+target_link_libraries(
+  o2-monitoring-send
+  Monitoring
+)
+install(TARGETS o2-monitoring-send)
+
 ####################################
 # Generate protobuf
 ####################################
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2801b819..82066f6d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ send(Metric{"throughput"}.addValue(100, "tx").addValue(200, "rx"))
 
 See how it works in the example: [examples/1-Basic.cxx](examples/1-Basic.cxx).
 
+Metrics can also be injected from the command line using the o2-monitoring-send utility (self-documented).
+
 ## Advanced features
 
 ### Metric verbosity
diff --git a/src/sendMetric.cxx b/src/sendMetric.cxx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..81acea39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/sendMetric.cxx
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+// Copyright 2019-2020 CERN and copyright holders of ALICE O2.
+// See https://alice-o2.web.cern.ch/copyright for details of the copyright holders.
+// All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
+//
+// This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+// License v3 (GPL Version 3), copied verbatim in the file "COPYING".
+//
+// In applying this license CERN does not waive the privileges and immunities
+// granted to it by virtue of its status as an Intergovernmental Organization
+// or submit itself to any jurisdiction.
+
+// simple command-line program used to send metrics using the monitoring lib
+
+#include <Monitoring/MonitoringFactory.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+using namespace o2::monitoring;
+
+void print_usage()
+{
+  printf("Monitoring command line utility to inject metrics.\n");
+  printf("Usage: o2-monitoring-send [options]\n");
+  printf("Options: \n");
+  printf("  -u ...           Set monitoring URI (for metric output).\n");
+  printf("  -m ...           Set metric name.\n");
+  printf("  -i ...           Set metric value (int).\n");
+  printf("  -v               Verbose mode.\n");
+  printf("  -h               This help.\n");
+  printf("\nExample: o2-monitoring-send -u influxdb-stdout:// -m test.metric -i 12345\n");
+}
+
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv)
+{
+
+  bool verbose = 0; // if set, prints detailed messages
+  
+  std::unique_ptr<Monitoring> monitoringCollector;
+  char option;
+
+  bool isOk = 1;
+  const char *monitoringURI = nullptr;
+  const char *monitoringValue = nullptr;
+  const char *monitoringMetric = nullptr;
+
+  // read options
+  while ((option = getopt(argc, argv, "hvu:i:m:")) != -1) {
+    switch (option) {
+ 
+      case 'u': {
+        monitoringURI = optarg;
+      } break;
+      
+      case 'i': {
+        monitoringValue = optarg;
+      } break;
+      
+      case 'm': {
+        monitoringMetric = optarg;
+      } break;
+     
+      case 'v': {
+        verbose = 1;
+      } break;
+
+      case 'h':
+        print_usage();
+        return 0;
+
+      default:
+        print_usage();
+        return -1;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (monitoringURI == nullptr) {
+    printf("Unspecified monitoring URI.\n");
+    isOk = 0;
+  }
+
+  if (monitoringMetric == nullptr) {
+    printf("Unspecified monitoring metric.\n");
+    isOk = 0;
+  }
+
+  if (monitoringValue == nullptr) {
+    printf("Unspecified monitoring value.\n");
+    isOk = 0;
+  }
+  
+  if (!isOk) {
+    printf("Failed to send metric: bad parameters.\n\n\n");
+    print_usage();
+    return -1;
+  }
+
+  // conversions
+  int monitoringValueI = atoi(monitoringValue);
+
+  // disable logs from monitoring lib	
+  setenv("O2_INFOLOGGER_MODE", "none", 1);
+
+  if (verbose) {
+    // summarize status
+    printf("URI = %s\n", monitoringURI);
+    printf("Metric = %s\n", monitoringMetric);
+    printf("Value = %d (int)\n", monitoringValueI);
+    printf("\n");
+  }
+
+  isOk = 0;
+  try {
+    monitoringCollector = MonitoringFactory::Get(monitoringURI);
+    monitoringCollector->send({ monitoringValueI, monitoringMetric });
+    isOk = 1;
+  }
+  catch (const std::exception &exc) {
+    printf("Exception: %s\n", exc.what());
+  }
+  catch (...) {
+    printf("Undefined exception\n");
+  }
+  
+  MonitoringMeric
+  
+  if (!isOk) {
+    printf("Failed to send metric\n");
+    return -1;
+  }
+
+  if (verbose) {
+    printf("\nSuccess\n");
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+