diff --git a/cdx_toolkit/cli.py b/cdx_toolkit/cli.py
index 22a2e1e..a1aa528 100644
--- a/cdx_toolkit/cli.py
+++ b/cdx_toolkit/cli.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import os
 
 import cdx_toolkit
+from cdx_toolkit.commoncrawl import normalize_crawl
 
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ def main(args=None):
     parser.add_argument('--limit', type=int, action='store')
     parser.add_argument('--cc-mirror', action='store', help='use this Common Crawl index mirror')
     parser.add_argument('--cc-sort', action='store', help='default mixed, alternatively: ascending')
+    parser.add_argument('--crawl', nargs='*', action='store', help='crawl names or an integer for the most recent N crawls. Implies --cc')
     parser.add_argument('--from', action='store')  # XXX default for cc
     parser.add_argument('--to', action='store')
     parser.add_argument('--filter', action='append', help='see CDX API documentation for usage')
@@ -93,13 +95,15 @@ def get_version():
 
 def setup(cmd):
     kwargs = {}
-    kwargs['source'] = cmd.cc or cmd.ia or cmd.source or None
+    kwargs['source'] = 'cc' if cmd.crawl else cmd.cc or cmd.ia or cmd.source or None
     if kwargs['source'] is None:
         raise ValueError('must specify --cc, --ia, or a --source')
     if cmd.wb:
         kwargs['wb'] = cmd.wb
     if cmd.cc_mirror:
         kwargs['cc_mirror'] = cmd.cc_mirror
+    if cmd.crawl:
+        kwargs['crawl'] = normalize_crawl(cmd.crawl)
     if getattr(cmd, 'warc_download_prefix', None) is not None:
         kwargs['warc_download_prefix'] = cmd.warc_download_prefix
 
diff --git a/cdx_toolkit/commoncrawl.py b/cdx_toolkit/commoncrawl.py
index a8608c7..545f97f 100644
--- a/cdx_toolkit/commoncrawl.py
+++ b/cdx_toolkit/commoncrawl.py
@@ -15,6 +15,18 @@
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+def normalize_crawl(crawl):
+    crawls = []
+    for c in crawl:
+        if ',' in c:
+            crawls.extend(c.split(','))
+        else:
+            crawls.append(c)
+    if len(crawls) > 1 and any(x.isdigit() for x in crawls):
+        raise ValueError('If you specify an integer, only one crawl is allowed')
+    return crawls
+
+
 def get_cache_names(cc_mirror):
     cache = os.path.expanduser('~/.cache/cdx_toolkit/')
     filename = re.sub(r'[^\w]', '_', cc_mirror.replace('https://', ''))
@@ -75,6 +87,9 @@ def get_cc_endpoints(cc_mirror):
 
 
 def apply_cc_defaults(params, now=None):
+    if 'crawl' in params:
+        return
+
     three_months = 3 * 30 * 86400
     year = 365*86400
     if params.get('from_ts') is None:
@@ -171,6 +186,13 @@ def bisect_cc(cc_map, cc_times, from_ts_t, to_t):
 
 
 def filter_cc_endpoints(raw_index_list, cc_sort, params={}):
+    # YYY with --crawl, just check that the list is crawls that exist
+    # YYY if we want to expand CC-MAIN-2024 to be all 2024 crawls, that can be done here
+    # YYY we do need to reorder according to cc_sort
+    # what is the type of raw_index_list -- it is from collinfo.json cdx-api
+    # "cdx-api": "https://index.commoncrawl.org/CC-MAIN-2024-18-index"
+
+    # if no --crawl
     cc_map, cc_times = make_cc_maps(raw_index_list)
 
     from_ts_t, to_t = check_cc_from_to(params)
@@ -186,7 +208,8 @@ def filter_cc_endpoints(raw_index_list, cc_sort, params={}):
     # adjust index_list order based on cc_sort order
     if 'closest' in params:
         # XXX funky ordering not implemented, inform the caller
-        # cli already prints a warning for iter + closer, telling user to use get instead
+        # cli already prints a warning for iter + closest, telling user to use get instead
+        # no need to warn if it's a single crawl
         # this routine is called for both get and iter
         pass
     if cc_sort == 'ascending':
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_cc.py b/tests/unit/test_cc.py
index e23f70f..17aa2e6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_cc.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_cc.py
@@ -9,6 +9,22 @@
 logging.basicConfig(level='INFO')
 
 
+def test_normalize_crawl():
+    tests = [
+        [['1'], ['1']],
+        [['a'], ['a']],
+        [['a', 'b'], ['a', 'b']],
+        [['a,b', 'c'], ['a', 'b', 'c']],
+        [['a,b,c,d'], ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']],
+        [['a', 'b,c'], ['a', 'b', 'c']],
+    ]
+
+    for t in tests:
+        assert cdx_toolkit.commoncrawl.normalize_crawl(t[0]) == t[1]
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        cdx_toolkit.commoncrawl.normalize_crawl(['1', '2'])
+
+
 def test_apply_cc_defaults():
     # no from
     #  closest -- sets from, to