diff --git a/test_complete.sh b/test_complete.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..235857eb8d73e5deae82a76e299e1fb502ecf9bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_complete.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+SELF=./validate_workflow.sh
+_validate_workflow_completion() {
+    local cur prev opts
+    COMPREPLY=()
+    cur="${COMP_WORDS[COMP_CWORD]}"
+    prev="${COMP_WORDS[COMP_CWORD-1]}"
+    opts=$(cat $SELF | grep "^#hh\s-., --[a-z]" | sed -e "s/^#hh.*\(-.\), \(--[a-z-]*\).*/\1 \2/g")
+    2>&1 echo "OPTS:$opts" 
+    case "$prev" in
+        --pipe)
+            prev=$(echo $prev | sed -e "s/--\(daemon\|watch-folder\|result_folder\|valid_folder\|invalid_folder\)//g")
+            return 0
+            ;;
+        --mode)
+            COMPREPLY=( $(compgen -W "auto mediathek fotothek save kitodo lfulg" -- ${cur}) )
+            return 0
+            ;;
+        --files-mode)
+            COMPREPLY=( $(compgen -W "nothing sort delete" -- ${cur}) )
+            return 0
+            ;;
+        -reset_failed_preingest|--reset_failed_preingest)
+            _pushd /mnt/import
+            _filedir -d
+            _popd
+            return
+            ;;
+    esac
+    # debug
+    2>&1 echo "PREVS:$prevs" 
+}
+complete -F _validate_workflow_completion validate_workflow.sh
+
diff --git a/validate_workflow.sh b/validate_workflow.sh
index 6b2b5e6227f28d3fcfd8c95f2b37bc78f88416a3..51d7feb1ebf37298748e61bcf075039a36dcacfb 100755
--- a/validate_workflow.sh
+++ b/validate_workflow.sh
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@
 #hh      -p, --pipe
 #hh                validates a single filestream from STDIN, writes result to STDOUT
 #hh                no daemon, no folder nor filemode params needed
-#hh
+#hh      -G, --gen-bash-complete
+#hh                prints a script for bash autocompletion, should be copied
+#hh                to /etc/bash_completion.d/validate_workflow
 #hh
 
 # expected programs:
@@ -171,6 +173,14 @@ get_cli_args() {
                 comment_help
                 exit 0
                 ;;
+            -G | --gen_bash_complete)
+
+                cat <<COMPLETE
+                
+                complete -F _validate_workflow_completion $(basename "${0}")
+COMPLETE
+            exit 0
+            ;;
             -D | --debug)
                 WITH_DEBUG=1
                 shift