diff --git a/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/cli.md b/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/cli.md
index 780cb14b5..1fe68f318 100644
--- a/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/cli.md
+++ b/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/cli.md
@@ -285,6 +285,8 @@ This subcommand has the following additional options:
 
 * ``--attrs=one two three``
     Legacy name for --input-file - deprecated.
+* ``--auto-install-gems``
+    Auto installs gem dependencies of the profile or resource pack.
 * ``-b``, ``--backend=BACKEND``
     Choose a backend: local, ssh, winrm, docker.
 * ``--backend-cache``, ``--no-backend-cache``
diff --git a/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/profiles.md b/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/profiles.md
index 02f50a20f..de0282590 100644
--- a/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/profiles.md
+++ b/docs-chef-io/content/inspec/profiles.md
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ Each profile must have an `inspec.yml` file that defines the following informati
 - Use `supports` to specify a list of supported platform targets.
 - Use `depends` to define a list of profiles on which this profile depends.
 - Use `inputs` to define a list of inputs you can use in your controls.
+- Use `gem_dependencies` to specify a list of profile gem dependencies that is required to be installed for the profile to function correctly.
 
 `name` is required; all other profile settings are optional. For example:
 
@@ -80,6 +81,9 @@ supports:
 depends:
   - name: profile
     path: ../path/to/profile
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: "gem-name"
+    version: ">= 2.0.0"
 inspec_version: "~> 2.1"
 ```
 
@@ -294,6 +298,18 @@ depends:
 - name: linux
   compliance: base/linux
 ```
+## Gem Dependencies
+
+Any profile with ruby gem dependencies that need to be installed can be specified using the `gem_dependencies` settings in the `inspec.yml` metadata file.
+
+For example, if you required any ruby library in a custom resource that needs a specific gem to be installed, then you can specify those gems in the metadata file. Chef InSpec will prompt to install the gems to `~/.inspec/gems` when you run your profile the first time. To skip the prompt and automatically install, pass the `--auto-install-gems` option to `inspec exec`.
+
+
+```YAML
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: "mongo"
+    version: ">= 2.3.12"
+```
 
 ## Vendoring Dependencies
 
diff --git a/lib/inspec.rb b/lib/inspec.rb
index 47b829f09..1661391ed 100644
--- a/lib/inspec.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec.rb
@@ -28,3 +28,6 @@ require "inspec/base_cli"
 require "inspec/fetcher"
 require "inspec/source_reader"
 require "inspec/resource"
+
+require "inspec/dependency_loader"
+require "inspec/dependency_installer"
diff --git a/lib/inspec/base_cli.rb b/lib/inspec/base_cli.rb
index 503a3b9c1..58b68579a 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/base_cli.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/base_cli.rb
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ module Inspec
         desc: "Folder which contains referenced profiles."
       option :vendor_cache, type: :string,
         desc: "Use the given path for caching dependencies. (default: ~/.inspec/cache)"
+      option :auto_install_gems, type: :boolean, default: false,
+        desc: "Auto installs gem dependencies of the profile or resource pack."
     end
 
     def self.supermarket_options
diff --git a/lib/inspec/cli.rb b/lib/inspec/cli.rb
index 1a34e674a..a16a6c380 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/cli.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/cli.rb
@@ -201,6 +201,12 @@ class Inspec::InspecCLI < Inspec::BaseCLI
     vendor_deps(path, vendor_options)
 
     profile = Inspec::Profile.for_target(path, o)
+    gem_deps = profile.metadata.gem_dependencies + \
+      profile.locked_dependencies.list.map { |_k, v| v.profile.metadata.gem_dependencies }.flatten
+    unless gem_deps.empty?
+      o[:logger].warn "Archiving a profile that contains gem dependencies, but InSpec cannot package gems with the profile! Please archive your ~/.inspec/gems directory separately."
+    end
+
     result = profile.check
 
     if result && !o[:ignore_errors] == false
diff --git a/lib/inspec/dependency_installer.rb b/lib/inspec/dependency_installer.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cbbe9a60f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/inspec/dependency_installer.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+# This class will install the gem depedencies for profiles etc.
+# The basic things which is required to install dependencies is the gem path where gem needs to be installed
+# and the list of gems needs to be installed.
+require "rubygems/remote_fetcher"
+require "forwardable" unless defined?(Forwardable)
+
+module Inspec
+  class DependencyInstaller
+    extend Forwardable
+
+    attr_reader :gem_path, :requested_gems, :dependency_loader
+
+    def_delegator :dependency_loader, :inspec_gem_path
+
+    def initialize(gem_path = nil, requested_gems = [])
+      @dependency_loader = Inspec::DependencyLoader.new
+      @gem_path = gem_path || inspec_gem_path
+      @requested_gems = requested_gems
+    end
+
+    def install
+      requested_gems.each do |requested_gem|
+        version = requested_gem[:version].nil? ? "> 0" : requested_gem[:version]
+        install_from_remote_gems(requested_gem[:name], { version: version })
+      end
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def install_from_remote_gems(requested_gem_name, opts)
+      version = opts[:version].split(",")
+      begin
+        gem_dependency = Gem::Dependency.new(requested_gem_name, version || "> 0")
+
+        # BestSet is rubygems.org API + indexing, APISet is for custom sources
+        sources = if opts[:source]
+                    Gem::Resolver::APISet.new(URI.join(opts[:source] + "/api/v1/dependencies"))
+                  else
+                    Gem::Resolver::BestSet.new
+                  end
+
+        install_gem_to_gems_dir(gem_dependency, [sources], opts[:update_mode])
+      rescue Gem::RemoteFetcher::FetchError => gem_ex
+        ex = Inspec::GemDependencyInstallError.new(gem_ex.message)
+        ex.gem_name = requested_gem_name
+        raise ex
+      rescue Gem::Requirement::BadRequirementError => gem_ex
+        ex = Inspec::GemDependencyInstallError.new(gem_ex.message)
+        ex.gem_name = requested_gem_name
+        raise "Unparseable gem dependency '#{version}' for '#{ex.gem_name}'"
+      end
+    end
+
+    def install_gem_to_gems_dir(gem_dependency, extra_request_sets = [], update_mode = false)
+      # Solve the dependency (that is, find a way to install the new gem and anything it needs)
+      request_set = Gem::RequestSet.new(gem_dependency)
+
+      begin
+        solution = request_set.resolve
+      rescue Gem::UnsatisfiableDependencyError => gem_ex
+        ex = Inspec::GemDependencyInstallError.new(gem_ex.message)
+        ex.gem_name = gem_dependency.name
+        raise ex
+      end
+
+      # OK, perform the installation.
+      # Ignore deps here, because any needed deps should already be baked into gem_dependency
+      request_set.install_into(gem_path, true, ignore_dependencies: true, document: [])
+
+      # Locate the GemVersion for the new dependency and return it
+      solution.detect { |g| g.name == gem_dependency.name }.version
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/inspec/dependency_loader.rb b/lib/inspec/dependency_loader.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ca24393b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/inspec/dependency_loader.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# This class will load the gem depedencies for profiles etc.
+# The basic things which is required to load gem dependencies is the path from which gems needs to be loaded
+# and the list of gems needs to be loaded.
+
+module Inspec
+  class DependencyLoader
+    attr_accessor :gem_path, :gem_list
+
+    # initializes the dependency_loader
+    def initialize(gem_path = nil, gem_list = [])
+      @gem_path = gem_path || inspec_gem_path
+      @gem_list = gem_list
+    end
+
+    def load
+      Gem.path << gem_path
+      Gem.refresh
+
+      gem_list.each do |gem_data|
+        version = gem_data[:version].nil? ? "> 0" : gem_data[:version]
+        activate_gem_dependency(gem_data[:name], version)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def inspec_gem_path
+      self.class.inspec_gem_path
+    end
+
+    def self.inspec_gem_path
+      require "rbconfig" unless defined?(RbConfig)
+      ruby_abi_version = RbConfig::CONFIG["ruby_version"]
+      # TODO: why are we installing under the api directory for plugins?
+      base_dir = Inspec.config_dir
+      base_dir = File.realpath base_dir if File.exist? base_dir
+      File.join(base_dir, "gems", ruby_abi_version)
+    end
+
+    # Lists all gems found in the inspec_gem_path.
+    # @return [Array[Gem::Specification]] Specs of all gems found.
+    def list_managed_gems
+      Dir.glob(File.join(gem_path, "specifications", "*.gemspec")).map { |p| Gem::Specification.load(p) }
+    end
+
+    def list_installed_gems
+      list_managed_gems
+    end
+
+    def gem_installed?(name)
+      list_installed_gems.any? { |spec| spec.name == name }
+    end
+
+    def gem_version_installed?(name, version)
+      list_installed_gems.any? { |s| s.name == name && Gem::Requirement.new(version.split(",")) =~ s.version }
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def activate_gem_dependency(name, version_constraint = "> 0")
+      version_constraint = version_constraint.split(",")
+      gem_deps = [Gem::Dependency.new(name.to_s, version_constraint)]
+      managed_gem_set = Gem::Resolver::VendorSet.new
+
+      # Note: There is an issue in resolving gem dependency.
+      # This block resolves that issue partially.
+      # But this will still fail for the gems which don't have the .gemspec file.
+      # TODO: Find the solution to resolve gem dependencies that work for the unpackaged gems which don't have the .gemspec file.
+      list_managed_gems.each do |spec|
+        unless Dir["#{spec.gem_dir}/*.gemspec"].empty?
+          managed_gem_set.add_vendor_gem(spec.name, spec.gem_dir)
+        end
+      end
+
+      # TODO: Next two lines merge our managed gems with the other gems available
+      # in our "local universe" - which may be the system, or it could be in a Bundler microcosm,
+      # or rbenv, etc. Do we want to merge that, though?
+      distrib_gem_set = Gem::Resolver::CurrentSet.new
+      installed_gem_set = Gem::Resolver.compose_sets(managed_gem_set, distrib_gem_set)
+
+      # So, given what we need, and what we have available, what activations are needed?
+      resolver = Gem::Resolver.new(gem_deps, installed_gem_set)
+
+      begin
+        solution = resolver.resolve
+      rescue Gem::UnsatisfiableDependencyError => gem_ex
+        # If you broke your install, or downgraded to a plugin with a bad gemspec, you could get here.
+        ex = Inspec::GemDependencyLoadError.new(gem_ex.message)
+        raise ex
+      end
+      solution.each do |activation_request|
+        next if activation_request.full_spec.activated?
+
+        activation_request.full_spec.activate
+        # TODO: If we are under Bundler, inform it that we loaded a gem
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/inspec/errors.rb b/lib/inspec/errors.rb
index 803e7a80e..d271850f5 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/errors.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/errors.rb
@@ -15,4 +15,11 @@ module Inspec
   class ConfigError::Invalid < ConfigError; end
 
   class UserInteractionRequired < Error; end
+
+  class GemDependencyLoadError < Error; end
+
+  class GemDependencyInstallError < Error
+    attr_accessor :gem_name
+    attr_accessor :version
+  end
 end
diff --git a/lib/inspec/metadata.rb b/lib/inspec/metadata.rb
index 934237239..50fc2f533 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/metadata.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/metadata.rb
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ module Inspec
       params[:depends] || []
     end
 
+    def gem_dependencies
+      params[:gem_dependencies] || []
+    end
+
     def supports(sth, version = nil)
       # Ignore supports with metadata.rb. This file is legacy and the way it
       # it handles `supports` deprecated. A deprecation warning will be printed
@@ -109,6 +113,33 @@ module Inspec
         warnings.push("License '#{params[:license]}' needs to be in SPDX format or marked as 'Proprietary'. See https://spdx.org/licenses/.")
       end
 
+      # If gem_dependencies is set, it must be an array of hashes with keys name and optional version
+      unless params[:gem_dependencies].nil?
+        list = params[:gem_dependencies]
+        if list.is_a?(Array) && list.all? { |e| e.is_a? Hash }
+          list.each do |entry|
+            errors.push("gem_dependencies entries must all have a 'name' field") unless entry.key?(:name)
+            if entry[:version]
+              orig = entry[:version]
+              begin
+                # Split on commas as we may have a complex dep
+                orig.split(",").map { |c| Gem::Requirement.parse(c) }
+              rescue Gem::Requirement::BadRequirementError
+                errors.push "Unparseable gem dependency '#{orig}' for #{entry[:name]}"
+              rescue Inspec::GemDependencyInstallError => e
+                errors.push e.message
+              end
+            end
+            extra = (entry.keys - %i{name version})
+            unless extra.empty?
+              warnings.push "Unknown gem_dependencies key(s) #{extra.join(",")} seen for entry '#{entry[:name]}'"
+            end
+          end
+        else
+          errors.push("gem_dependencies must be a List of Hashes")
+        end
+      end
+
       [errors, warnings]
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/inspec/profile.rb b/lib/inspec/profile.rb
index 6810479cc..81dc54cff 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/profile.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/profile.rb
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ require "inspec/dependencies/cache"
 require "inspec/dependencies/lockfile"
 require "inspec/dependencies/dependency_set"
 require "inspec/utils/json_profile_summary"
+require "inspec/dependency_loader"
+require "inspec/dependency_installer"
 
 module Inspec
   class Profile
@@ -378,6 +380,66 @@ module Inspec
       @runner_context
     end
 
+    def collect_gem_dependencies(profile_context)
+      gem_dependencies = []
+      all_profiles = []
+      profile_context.dependencies.list.values.each do |requirement|
+        all_profiles << requirement.profile
+      end
+      all_profiles << self
+      all_profiles.each do |profile|
+        gem_dependencies << profile.metadata.gem_dependencies unless profile.metadata.gem_dependencies.empty?
+      end
+      gem_dependencies.flatten.uniq
+    end
+
+    # Loads the required gems specified in the Profile's metadata file from default inspec gems path i.e. ~/.inspec/gems
+    # else installs and loads them.
+    def load_gem_dependencies
+      gem_dependencies = collect_gem_dependencies(load_libraries)
+      gem_dependencies.each do |gem_data|
+        dependency_loader = DependencyLoader.new
+        if dependency_loader.gem_version_installed?(gem_data[:name], gem_data[:version]) ||
+            dependency_loader.gem_installed?(gem_data[:name])
+          load_gem_dependency(gem_data)
+        else
+          if Inspec::Config.cached[:auto_install_gems]
+            install_gem_dependency(gem_data)
+            load_gem_dependency(gem_data)
+          else
+            ui = Inspec::UI.new
+            gem_dependencies.each { |gem_dependency| ui.list_item("#{gem_dependency[:name]} #{gem_dependency[:version]}") }
+            choice = ui.prompt.select("Would you like to install profile gem dependencies listed above?", %w{Yes No})
+            if choice == "Yes"
+              Inspec::Config.cached[:auto_install_gems] = true
+              load_gem_dependencies
+            else
+              ui.error "Unable to resolve above listed profile gem dependencies."
+              Inspec::UI.new.exit(:gem_dependency_load_error)
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Requires gem_data as argument.
+    # gem_dta example: { name: "gem_name", version: "0.0.1"}
+    def load_gem_dependency(gem_data)
+      dependency_loader = DependencyLoader.new(nil, [gem_data])
+      dependency_loader.load
+    rescue Inspec::GemDependencyLoadError => e
+      raise e.message
+    end
+
+    # Requires gem_data as argument.
+    # gem_dta example: { name: "gem_name", version: "0.0.1"}
+    def install_gem_dependency(gem_data)
+      gem_dependency = DependencyInstaller.new(nil, [gem_data])
+      gem_dependency.install
+    rescue Inspec::GemDependencyInstallError => e
+      raise e.message
+    end
+
     def to_s
       "Inspec::Profile<#{name}>"
     end
@@ -774,6 +836,7 @@ module Inspec
     end
 
     def load_checks_params(params)
+      load_gem_dependencies
       load_libraries
       tests = collect_tests
       params[:controls] = controls = {}
diff --git a/lib/inspec/runner.rb b/lib/inspec/runner.rb
index aac0d6d73..5faaa4325 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/runner.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/runner.rb
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ module Inspec
 
         write_lockfile(profile) if @create_lockfile
         profile.locked_dependencies
+        profile.load_gem_dependencies
         profile_context = profile.load_libraries
 
         profile_context.dependencies.list.values.each do |requirement|
diff --git a/lib/inspec/ui.rb b/lib/inspec/ui.rb
index 7a240f93f..65e073332 100644
--- a/lib/inspec/ui.rb
+++ b/lib/inspec/ui.rb
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ module Inspec
     EXIT_USAGE_ERROR = 1
     EXIT_PLUGIN_ERROR = 2
     EXIT_FATAL_DEPRECATION = 3
+    EXIT_GEM_DEPENDENCY_LOAD_ERROR = 4
     EXIT_LICENSE_NOT_ACCEPTED = 172
     EXIT_FAILED_TESTS = 100
     EXIT_SKIPPED_TESTS = 101
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/README.md b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2aee95cbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Example InSpec Profile
+
+This example shows the implementation of an InSpec profile.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cc2a1fa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# copyright: 2018, The Authors
+# you add controls here
+include_controls "profile-with-gem-dependency"
+
+control "tmp-1.1" do                        # A unique ID for this control
+  describe file('/') do
+    it { should be_directory }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/inspec.yml b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/inspec.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f688de357
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/inspec.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+name: profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency
+title: InSpec Profile
+maintainer: The Authors
+copyright: The Authors
+copyright_email: you@example.com
+license: Apache-2.0
+summary: An InSpec Compliance Profile
+version: 0.1.0
+supports:
+  platform: os
+depends:
+  - name: profile-with-gem-dependency
+    path: ../profile-with-gem-dependency
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/libraries/.gitkeep b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency/libraries/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1940ac07c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/controls/example.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+require "money"
+
+control "tmp-1.0" do
+  Money.rounding_mode = BigDecimal::ROUND_HALF_UP
+  m = Money.from_cents(1000, "USD")
+  cents = m.cents
+
+  describe cents do
+    it { should eq 1000 }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/inspec.yml b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/inspec.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dcfd9dbbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/inspec.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+name: profile-with-gem-dependency
+title: InSpec Profile
+maintainer: The Authors
+copyright: The Authors
+copyright_email: you@example.com
+license: Apache-2.0
+summary: An InSpec Compliance Profile
+version: 0.1.0
+supports:
+  platform: os
+gem_dependencies:
+- name: money
+  version: ">= 6.16.0"
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/libraries/.gitkeep b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-gem-dependency/libraries/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/controls/example.rb b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/controls/example.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5b2901de4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/controls/example.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# copyright: 2018, The Authors
+
+title "sample section"
+
+# you can also use plain tests
+describe file("/tmp") do
+  it { should be_directory }
+end
+
+# you add controls here
+control "tmp-1.0" do                        # A unique ID for this control
+  impact 0.7                                # The criticality, if this control fails.
+  title "Create /tmp directory"             # A human-readable title
+  desc "An optional description..."
+  describe file("/tmp") do                  # The actual test
+    it { should be_directory }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/inspec.yml b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/inspec.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b0e0b9e6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/profiles/profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency/inspec.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+name: profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency
+title: InSpec Profile
+maintainer: The Authors
+copyright: The Authors
+copyright_email: you@example.com
+license: Apache-2.0
+summary: An InSpec Compliance Profile
+version: 0.1.0
+supports:
+  platform: os
+gem_dependencies:
+  name: "mongo"
+  version: "+ 2.3.12"
diff --git a/test/functional/profile_gem_dependency_test.rb b/test/functional/profile_gem_dependency_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f015cdd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/functional/profile_gem_dependency_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+require "functional/helper"
+
+describe "profile with gem dependencies" do
+  include FunctionalHelper
+  let(:gem_dependency_profiles_path) { File.join(profile_path, "profile-with-gem-dependency") }
+  let(:config_dir_path) { File.expand_path "test/fixtures/config_dirs" }
+  let(:depdent_profile_gem_dependency) { File.join(profile_path, "profile-with-dependent-gem-dependency") }
+  let(:ruby_abi_version) { RbConfig::CONFIG["ruby_version"] }
+  let(:illformatted_gem_dependncy) { File.join(profile_path, "profile-with-illformed-gem-depedency") }
+
+  def reset_globals
+    ENV["HOME"] = Dir.home
+  end
+
+  before(:each) do
+    reset_globals
+    ENV["HOME"] = File.join(config_dir_path, "profile_gems")
+  end
+
+  after do
+    reset_globals
+
+    if config_dir_path
+      Dir.glob(File.join(config_dir_path, "profile_gems")).each do |path|
+        next if path.end_with? ".gitkeep"
+
+        FileUtils.rm_rf(path)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it "installs the gem dependencies and load them if --auto-install-gems is provided." do
+    out = inspec_with_env("exec #{gem_dependency_profiles_path} --no-create-lockfile --auto-install-gems")
+    _(out.stderr).must_equal ""
+    _(File.directory?(File.join(config_dir_path, "profile_gems", ".inspec/gems/#{ruby_abi_version}/gems"))).must_equal true
+    assert_exit_code 0, out
+  end
+
+  it "installs the gem dependencies in dendent profile and load them if --auto-install-gems is provided." do
+    out = inspec_with_env("exec #{depdent_profile_gem_dependency} --no-create-lockfile --auto-install-gems")
+    _(out.stderr).must_equal ""
+    _(File.directory?(File.join(config_dir_path, "profile_gems", ".inspec/gems/#{ruby_abi_version}/gems"))).must_equal true
+    assert_exit_code 0, out
+  end
+
+  it "raises error for illformated gem dependencies found in the meta data file" do
+    out = inspec_with_env("exec #{illformatted_gem_dependncy} --no-create-lockfile --auto-install-gems")
+    _(out.stderr).must_include "Unparseable gem dependency '[\"+ 2.3.12\"]' for 'mongo'"
+    assert_exit_code 1, out
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/unit/dependency_loader_test.rb b/test/unit/dependency_loader_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dda30c4e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/dependency_loader_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+require "helper"
+require "inspec/dependency_loader"
+
+describe "dependency_loader" do
+  let(:config_dir_path) { File.expand_path "test/fixtures/config_dirs" }
+  let(:gem_list) { [{ name: "inspec-test-fixture", version: "0.1.0" }] }
+
+  def reset_globals
+    ENV["HOME"] = Dir.home
+  end
+
+  before(:each) do
+    reset_globals
+    ENV["HOME"] = File.join(config_dir_path, "test-fixture-1-float/gems/2.7.0")
+  end
+
+  after(:each) do
+    reset_globals
+  end
+
+  let(:gem_path) { [ENV["HOME"]] }
+  let(:dependency_loader) { Inspec::DependencyLoader.new(gem_path, gem_list) }
+
+  describe "load" do
+    it "loads the gem dependency if already installed on the given gem path." do
+      result = dependency_loader.load
+      _(result).must_equal gem_list
+    end
+
+    it "raises error if the gem dependency not exist on the given gem path." do
+      dependency_loader.gem_list = [{ name: "test_gem", version: "0.0.1" }]
+      err = _ { dependency_loader.load }.must_raise Inspec::GemDependencyLoadError
+      _(err.message).must_equal "Unable to resolve dependency: user requested \'test_gem (= 0.0.1)\'"
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "gem_installed?" do
+    it "returns the list of gems installed if gem already installed" do
+      result = dependency_loader.gem_installed?("inspec-test-fixture")
+      _(result).must_equal true
+    end
+
+    it "returns nil if specified gem is not already installed." do
+      result = dependency_loader.gem_installed?("test_gem")
+      _(result).must_equal false
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "gem_version_installed?" do
+    it "returns the list of gems installed if gem with specified version is already installed" do
+      result = dependency_loader.gem_version_installed?("inspec-test-fixture", "0.1.0")
+      _(result).must_equal true
+    end
+
+    it "returns nil if gem with specified version is not already installed." do
+      result = dependency_loader.gem_version_installed?("test_gem", "0.0.1")
+      _(result).must_equal false
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/unit/profiles/metadata_test.rb b/test/unit/profiles/metadata_test.rb
index 47921a824..249af2a14 100644
--- a/test/unit/profiles/metadata_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/profiles/metadata_test.rb
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ describe "metadata with supported operating systems" do
         url: "https://artifactory.com/artifactory/example-repo-local/inspec/0.4.1.tar.gz"
         username: <%= ENV['USERNAME'] %>
         password: <%= ENV['API_KEY'] %>
+      gem_dependencies:
+        - name: "test"
+          version: "1.0.0"
 EOF
       ENV["USERNAME"] = "dummy_user"
       ENV["API_KEY"] = "dummy_pass"
@@ -48,6 +51,8 @@ EOF
       _(res.params[:depends][0][:url]).must_equal "https://artifactory.com/artifactory/example-repo-local/inspec/0.4.1.tar.gz"
       _(res.params[:depends][0][:username]).must_equal "dummy_user"
       _(res.params[:depends][0][:password]).must_equal "dummy_pass"
+      _(res.params[:gem_dependencies][0][:name]).must_equal "test"
+      _(res.params[:gem_dependencies][0][:version]).must_equal "1.0.0"
     end
 
     it "finalizes a loaded metadata via Profile ID" do
@@ -253,3 +258,112 @@ EOF
     end
   end
 end
+
+describe "metadata validation" do
+  let(:logger) { Minitest::Mock.new }
+  let(:empty_options) { {} }
+  let(:backend) { MockLoader.new(:ubuntu).backend }
+
+  def gem_dep_check(gem_deps)
+    data = <<~EOF
+name: dummy
+title: InSpec Profile
+version: 0.1.0
+maintainer: human@example.com
+summary: A test profile
+description: A test profile
+copyright: The Authors
+copyright_email: you@example.com
+license: Apache-2.0
+#{gem_deps}
+    EOF
+    md = Inspec::Metadata.from_yaml("mock", data, nil)
+    Inspec::Metadata.finalize(md, "mock", empty_options)
+    md.valid
+  end
+
+  it "validates a well-formed but versionless gem dep" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: money
+  - name: ordinal_array
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err).must_be_empty
+    _(wrn).must_be_empty
+  end
+
+  it "validates a complex versioned gem dep" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: money
+    version: "~>6.10, >= 5.0.0"
+  - name: ordinal_array
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err).must_be_empty
+    _(wrn).must_be_empty
+  end
+
+  it "invalidates a malformed gem_dependencies section that is not an array" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  name: "test"
+  version: "1.0.0"
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err.count).must_equal 1
+    _(err[0]).must_match(/gem_dependencies must be a List of Hashes/)
+    _(wrn).must_be_empty
+  end
+
+  it "invalidates a malformed gem_dependencies section that is not an array of hashes" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - A
+  - B
+  - C
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err.count).must_equal 1
+    _(err[0]).must_match(/gem_dependencies must be a List of Hashes/)
+    _(wrn).must_be_empty
+  end
+
+  it "invalidates a malformed gem_dependencies section that is missing the name key" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - potAto: potAHto
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err.count).must_equal 1
+    _(err[0]).must_match(/gem_dependencies entries must all have a 'name' field/)
+    _(wrn.count).must_equal 1
+    _(wrn[0]).must_match(/Unknown gem_dependencies key\(s\) potAto seen for entry ''/)
+  end
+
+  it "invalidates a malformed gem_dependencies section that has a malformed version constraint" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: money
+    version: lots
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(err.count).must_equal 1
+    _(err[0]).must_match(/Unparseable gem dependency 'lots' for money/)
+    _(wrn).must_be_empty
+  end
+
+  it "invalidates a malformed gem_dependencies section that has extra keys" do
+    data = <<~EOF
+gem_dependencies:
+  - name: money
+    versi0n: " >= 0"
+    EOF
+    err, wrn = gem_dep_check(data)
+    _(wrn.count).must_equal 1
+    _(wrn[0]).must_match(/Unknown gem_dependencies key\(s\) versi0n seen for entry 'money'/)
+    _(err).must_be_empty
+  end
+end
+