diff --git a/archivebox/cli/archivebox_add.py b/archivebox/cli/archivebox_add.py
index 41c7554d..0b3a9f95 100644
--- a/archivebox/cli/archivebox_add.py
+++ b/archivebox/cli/archivebox_add.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from typing import List, Optional, IO
 
 from ..main import add
 from ..util import docstring
+from ..parsers import PARSERS
 from ..config import OUTPUT_DIR, ONLY_NEW
 from ..logging_util import SmartFormatter, accept_stdin, stderr
 
@@ -73,6 +74,13 @@ def main(args: Optional[List[str]]=None, stdin: Optional[IO]=None, pwd: Optional
               This does not take precedence over the configuration",
         default=""
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--parser",
+        type=str,
+        help="Parser used to read inputted URLs.",
+        default="auto",
+        choices=["auto"] + list(PARSERS.keys())
+    )
     command = parser.parse_args(args or ())
     urls = command.urls
     stdin_urls = accept_stdin(stdin)
@@ -90,6 +98,7 @@ def main(args: Optional[List[str]]=None, stdin: Optional[IO]=None, pwd: Optional
         overwrite=command.overwrite,
         init=command.init,
         extractors=command.extract,
+        parser=command.parser,
         out_dir=pwd or OUTPUT_DIR,
     )
 
diff --git a/archivebox/index/__init__.py b/archivebox/index/__init__.py
index 04ab0a8d..a79e9e5e 100644
--- a/archivebox/index/__init__.py
+++ b/archivebox/index/__init__.py
@@ -265,14 +265,14 @@ def load_main_index_meta(out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> Optional[dict]:
 
 
 @enforce_types
-def parse_links_from_source(source_path: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None) -> Tuple[List[Link], List[Link]]:
+def parse_links_from_source(source_path: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None, parser: str="auto") -> Tuple[List[Link], List[Link]]:
 
     from ..parsers import parse_links
 
     new_links: List[Link] = []
 
     # parse and validate the import file
-    raw_links, parser_name = parse_links(source_path, root_url=root_url)
+    raw_links, parser_name = parse_links(source_path, root_url=root_url, parser=parser)
     new_links = validate_links(raw_links)
 
     if parser_name:
diff --git a/archivebox/main.py b/archivebox/main.py
index c1751528..413d1136 100644
--- a/archivebox/main.py
+++ b/archivebox/main.py
@@ -537,6 +537,7 @@ def add(urls: Union[str, List[str]],
         overwrite: bool=False,
         init: bool=False,
         extractors: str="",
+        parser: str="auto",
         out_dir: Path=OUTPUT_DIR) -> List[Link]:
     """Add a new URL or list of URLs to your archive"""
 
@@ -561,7 +562,7 @@ def add(urls: Union[str, List[str]],
         # save verbatim args to sources
         write_ahead_log = save_text_as_source('\n'.join(urls), filename='{ts}-import.txt', out_dir=out_dir)
     
-    new_links += parse_links_from_source(write_ahead_log, root_url=None)
+    new_links += parse_links_from_source(write_ahead_log, root_url=None, parser=parser)
 
     # If we're going one level deeper, download each link and look for more links
     new_links_depth = []
diff --git a/archivebox/parsers/__init__.py b/archivebox/parsers/__init__.py
index 441c08ac..b18b2275 100644
--- a/archivebox/parsers/__init__.py
+++ b/archivebox/parsers/__init__.py
@@ -42,25 +42,29 @@ from .generic_rss import parse_generic_rss_export
 from .generic_json import parse_generic_json_export
 from .generic_html import parse_generic_html_export
 from .generic_txt import parse_generic_txt_export
+from .url_list import parse_url_list
 
-PARSERS = (
+PARSERS = {
     # Specialized parsers
-    ('Pocket API', parse_pocket_api_export),
-    ('Wallabag ATOM', parse_wallabag_atom_export),
-    ('Pocket HTML', parse_pocket_html_export),
-    ('Pinboard RSS', parse_pinboard_rss_export),
-    ('Shaarli RSS', parse_shaarli_rss_export),
-    ('Medium RSS', parse_medium_rss_export),
+    'pocket-api': ('Pocket API', parse_pocket_api_export),
+    'wallabag': ('Wallabag ATOM', parse_wallabag_atom_export),
+    'pocket-html': ('Pocket HTML', parse_pocket_html_export),
+    'pinboard-rss': ('Pinboard RSS', parse_pinboard_rss_export),
+    'shaarli-rss': ('Shaarli RSS', parse_shaarli_rss_export),
+    'medium-rss': ('Medium RSS', parse_medium_rss_export),
     
     # General parsers
-    ('Netscape HTML', parse_netscape_html_export),
-    ('Generic RSS', parse_generic_rss_export),
-    ('Generic JSON', parse_generic_json_export),
-    ('Generic HTML', parse_generic_html_export),
+    'netscape-html': ('Netscape HTML', parse_netscape_html_export),
+    'rss': ('Generic RSS', parse_generic_rss_export),
+    'json': ('Generic JSON', parse_generic_json_export),
+    'html': ('Generic HTML', parse_generic_html_export),
 
     # Fallback parser
-    ('Plain Text', parse_generic_txt_export),
-)
+    'plain-text': ('Plain Text', parse_generic_txt_export),
+
+    # Explicitly specified parsers
+    'url-list': ('URL list', parse_url_list),
+}
 
 
 @enforce_types
@@ -84,7 +88,7 @@ def parse_links_memory(urls: List[str], root_url: Optional[str]=None):
     
 
 @enforce_types
-def parse_links(source_file: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None) -> Tuple[List[Link], str]:
+def parse_links(source_file: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None, parser: str="auto") -> Tuple[List[Link], str]:
     """parse a list of URLs with their metadata from an 
        RSS feed, bookmarks export, or text file
     """
@@ -93,7 +97,7 @@ def parse_links(source_file: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None) -> Tuple[List[Li
 
     timer = TimedProgress(TIMEOUT * 4)
     with open(source_file, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as file:
-        links, parser = run_parser_functions(file, timer, root_url=root_url)
+        links, parser = run_parser_functions(file, timer, root_url=root_url, parser=parser)
 
     timer.end()
     if parser is None:
@@ -101,11 +105,20 @@ def parse_links(source_file: str, root_url: Optional[str]=None) -> Tuple[List[Li
     return links, parser
 
 
-def run_parser_functions(to_parse: IO[str], timer, root_url: Optional[str]=None) -> Tuple[List[Link], Optional[str]]:
+def run_parser_functions(to_parse: IO[str], timer, root_url: Optional[str]=None, parser: str="auto") -> Tuple[List[Link], Optional[str]]:
     most_links: List[Link] = []
     best_parser_name = None
 
-    for parser_name, parser_func in PARSERS:
+    if parser != "auto":
+        parser_name, parser_func = PARSERS[parser]
+        parsed_links = list(parser_func(to_parse, root_url=root_url))
+        if not parsed_links:
+            raise Exception('no links found')
+        timer.end()
+        return parsed_links, parser_name
+
+    for parser_id in PARSERS:
+        parser_name, parser_func = PARSERS[parser_id]
         try:
             parsed_links = list(parser_func(to_parse, root_url=root_url))
             if not parsed_links:
diff --git a/archivebox/parsers/generic_txt.py b/archivebox/parsers/generic_txt.py
index 94dd523c..ee6ec7c8 100644
--- a/archivebox/parsers/generic_txt.py
+++ b/archivebox/parsers/generic_txt.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from ..util import (
 
 @enforce_types
 def parse_generic_txt_export(text_file: IO[str], **_kwargs) -> Iterable[Link]:
-    """Parse raw links from each line in a text file"""
+    """Parse links from a text file, ignoring other text"""
 
     text_file.seek(0)
     for line in text_file.readlines():
diff --git a/archivebox/parsers/url_list.py b/archivebox/parsers/url_list.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa91acde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/archivebox/parsers/url_list.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+__package__ = 'archivebox.parsers'
+__description__ = 'URL list'
+
+from typing import IO, Iterable
+from datetime import datetime
+
+from ..index.schema import Link
+from ..util import (
+    enforce_types
+)
+
+
+@enforce_types
+def parse_url_list(text_file: IO[str], **_kwargs) -> Iterable[Link]:
+    """Parse raw URLs from each line in a text file"""
+
+    text_file.seek(0)
+    for line in text_file.readlines():
+        url = line.strip()
+        if len(url) == 0:
+            continue
+
+        yield Link(
+            url=url,
+            timestamp=str(datetime.now().timestamp()),
+            title=None,
+            tags=None,
+            sources=[text_file.name],
+        )