diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/stack.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/stack.ts
index 25452e6e1d991..fae7728df7f73 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/stack.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/stack.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ export interface StackProps {
    * Optional. If not supplied, the HashedNamingScheme will be used.
    */
   namingScheme?: IAddressingScheme;
+
+  /**
+   * @default false
+   */
+  ephemeral?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -79,6 +84,8 @@ export class Stack extends Construct {
    */
   public readonly name: string;
 
+  public readonly ephemeral: boolean;
+
   /*
    * Used to determine if this construct is a stack.
    */
@@ -113,6 +120,7 @@ export class Stack extends Construct {
 
     this.logicalIds = new LogicalIDs(props && props.namingScheme ? props.namingScheme : new HashedAddressingScheme());
     this.name = this.node.id;
+    this.ephemeral = props && props.ephemeral === true ? true : false;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -453,7 +461,8 @@ export class Stack extends Construct {
       environment: this.environment,
       properties: {
         templateFile: template,
-      }
+      },
+      ephemeral: this.ephemeral,
     };
 
     if (Object.keys(this.parameterValues).length > 0) {
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/synthesis.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/synthesis.ts
index 9b5d95d3ae1ae..271b81f2481aa 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/synthesis.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/synthesis.ts
@@ -354,6 +354,7 @@ function renderLegacyStacks(artifacts: { [id: string]: cxapi.Artifact }, store:
         environment: { name: artifact.environment.substr('aws://'.length), account: match[1], region: match[2] },
         template,
         metadata: artifact.metadata || {},
+        ephemeral: artifact.ephemeral,
       };
 
       if (artifact.dependencies && artifact.dependencies.length > 0) {
@@ -369,4 +370,4 @@ function renderLegacyStacks(artifacts: { [id: string]: cxapi.Artifact }, store:
   }
 
   return stacks;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/artifacts.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/artifacts.ts
index 133027dfe04b1..db80719575454 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/artifacts.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/artifacts.ts
@@ -13,10 +13,11 @@ export interface Artifact {
   dependencies?: string[];
   missing?: { [key: string]: any };
   properties?: { [name: string]: any };
+  ephemeral?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function validateArtifact(artifcat: Artifact) {
   if (!AWS_ENV_REGEX.test(artifcat.environment)) {
     throw new Error(`Artifact "environment" must conform to ${AWS_ENV_REGEX}: ${artifcat.environment}`);
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/cxapi.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/cxapi.ts
index 8bbbdcf9340bb..f7f0fe5095016 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/cxapi.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cx-api/lib/cxapi.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ export interface SynthesizedStack {
   missing?: { [key: string]: MissingContext };
   metadata: StackMetadata;
   template: any;
+  ephemeral?: boolean;
 
   /**
    * Other stacks this stack depends on
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
index 7578717093553..6575346603e25 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
@@ -87,8 +87,10 @@ export class AppStacks {
     }
 
     if (selectors.length === 0) {
-      debug('Stack name not specified, so defaulting to all available stacks: ' + listStackNames(stacks));
-      return this.applyRenames(stacks);
+      // filter out ephemeral Stacks
+      const nonEphemeralStacks = stacks.filter(s => s.ephemeral !== true);
+      debug('Stack name not specified, so defaulting to all available stacks: ' + listStackNames(nonEphemeralStacks));
+      return this.applyRenames(nonEphemeralStacks);
     }
 
     const allStacks = new Map<string, cxapi.SynthesizedStack>();
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
index 55aefd18d7a4d..d17eedbfb57d1 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
@@ -86,4 +86,62 @@ export = {
 
     test.done();
   },
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+
+  async 'does not return ephemeral Stacks when called without any selectors'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const result: cxapi.SynthesizeResponse = {
+      version: '1',
+      stacks: [
+        {
+          name: 'EphemeralStack',
+          template: { resource: 'Resource' },
+          environment: { name: 'dev', account: '12345', region: 'here' },
+          metadata: {},
+          ephemeral: true,
+        },
+      ],
+    };
+    const stacks = new AppStacks({
+      configuration: new Configuration(),
+      aws: new SDK(),
+      synthesizer: async () => result,
+    });
+
+    // WHEN
+    const synthed = await stacks.selectStacks([], ExtendedStackSelection.None);
+
+    // THEN
+    test.equal(synthed.length, 0);
+
+    test.done();
+  },
+
+  async 'does return ephemeral Stacks when called with selectors matching it'(test: Test) {
+    // GIVEN
+    const result: cxapi.SynthesizeResponse = {
+      version: '1',
+      stacks: [
+        {
+          name: 'EphemeralStack',
+          template: { resource: 'Resource' },
+          environment: { name: 'dev', account: '12345', region: 'here' },
+          metadata: {},
+          ephemeral: true,
+        },
+      ],
+    };
+    const stacks = new AppStacks({
+      configuration: new Configuration(),
+      aws: new SDK(),
+      synthesizer: async () => result,
+    });
+
+    // WHEN
+    const synthed = await stacks.selectStacks(['EphemeralStack'], ExtendedStackSelection.None);
+
+    // THEN
+    test.equal(synthed.length, 1);
+
+    test.done();
+  },
+};