diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1950951..ff6da6d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -82,6 +82,13 @@ You also have a special `all` namespace to interact with all the bin namespaces:
 $ composer bin all update
 ```
 
+You can use the `root` namespace to run a command from the project root
+without forwarding it to bin namespaces:
+
+```bash
+$ composer bin root update
+```
+
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -146,6 +153,10 @@ to _all_ bin directories.
 
 This is a replacement for the tasks shown in section [Auto-installation](#auto-installation).
 
+If you need to skip forwarding for a single command invocation, run the command
+via `composer bin root ...` to force
+execution in the root project without forwarding.
+
 
 ## Tips & Tricks
 
diff --git a/e2e/scenario14/README.md b/e2e/scenario14/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80f0e1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/scenario14/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Check that `composer bin root` executes commands in root without forwarding.
diff --git a/e2e/scenario14/composer.json b/e2e/scenario14/composer.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1cc737
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/scenario14/composer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+    "repositories": [
+        {
+            "type": "path",
+            "url": "../../"
+        }
+    ],
+    "require-dev": {
+        "bamarni/composer-bin-plugin": "dev-master"
+    },
+    "config": {
+        "allow-plugins": {
+            "bamarni/composer-bin-plugin": true
+        }
+    },
+    "extra": {
+        "bamarni-bin": {
+            "bin-links": false,
+            "forward-command": true
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/e2e/scenario14/expected.txt b/e2e/scenario14/expected.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6608447
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/scenario14/expected.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+[bamarni-bin] Checking namespace /path/to/project/e2e/scenario14
+Loading composer repositories with package information
+Updating dependencies
+Nothing to modify in lock file
+Writing lock file
+Installing dependencies from lock file (including require-dev)
+Nothing to install, update or remove
+Generating autoload files
diff --git a/e2e/scenario14/script.sh b/e2e/scenario14/script.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c0dd928
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/scenario14/script.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+
+# Set env variables in order to experience a behaviour closer to what happens
+# in the CI locally. It should not hurt to set those in the CI as the CI should
+# contain those values.
+export CI=1
+export COMPOSER_NO_INTERACTION=1
+
+readonly ORIGINAL_WORKING_DIR=$(pwd)
+
+trap "cd ${ORIGINAL_WORKING_DIR}" err exit
+
+# Change to script directory
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+
+# Ensure we have a clean state
+rm -rf actual.txt || true
+rm -rf composer.lock || true
+rm -rf vendor || true
+rm -rf vendor-bin/*/composer.lock || true
+rm -rf vendor-bin/*/vendor || true
+
+# Install the plugin once.
+composer update --no-audit > /dev/null
+
+# Actual command to execute the test itself
+composer bin root update --no-audit 2>&1 | tee > actual.txt
diff --git a/e2e/scenario14/vendor-bin/ns1/composer.json b/e2e/scenario14/vendor-bin/ns1/composer.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c63c08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/scenario14/vendor-bin/ns1/composer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+{
+}
diff --git a/src/BamarniBinPlugin.php b/src/BamarniBinPlugin.php
index 19e36e0..6e388cc 100644
--- a/src/BamarniBinPlugin.php
+++ b/src/BamarniBinPlugin.php
@@ -131,9 +131,17 @@ private function onEvent(
             }
         }
 
-        if ($config->isCommandForwarded()
-            && in_array($commandName, self::FORWARDED_COMMANDS, true)
-        ) {
+        if (!in_array($commandName, self::FORWARDED_COMMANDS, true)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if (CommandForwardingContext::isCommandForwardingDisabled()) {
+            $this->logger->logDebug('Command forwarding is disabled in this process context.');
+
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ($config->isCommandForwarded()) {
             return $this->onForwardedCommand($input, $output);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/Command/BinCommand.php b/src/Command/BinCommand.php
index 69c4aa9..30119e1 100644
--- a/src/Command/BinCommand.php
+++ b/src/Command/BinCommand.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Config\ConfigFactory;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\ApplicationFactory\FreshInstanceApplicationFactory;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Input\BinInputFactory;
+use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\CommandForwardingContext;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Logger;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\ApplicationFactory\NamespaceApplicationFactory;
 use Composer\Command\BaseCommand;
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@
 class BinCommand extends BaseCommand
 {
     private const ALL_NAMESPACES = 'all';
+    private const ROOT_NAMESPACE = 'root';
 
     private const NAMESPACE_ARG = 'namespace';
 
@@ -127,14 +129,23 @@ public function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
             $input
         );
 
+        if (self::ROOT_NAMESPACE === $namespace) {
+            return $this->executeInNamespace(
+                $currentWorkingDir,
+                $currentWorkingDir,
+                $binInput,
+                $output,
+                true
+            );
+        }
+
         return (self::ALL_NAMESPACES !== $namespace)
             ? $this->executeInNamespace(
                 $currentWorkingDir,
                 $vendorRoot.'/'.$namespace,
                 $binInput,
                 $output
-            )
-            : $this->executeAllNamespaces(
+            ) : $this->executeAllNamespaces(
                 $currentWorkingDir,
                 $vendorRoot,
                 $binInput,
@@ -184,7 +195,8 @@ private function executeInNamespace(
         string $originalWorkingDir,
         string $namespace,
         InputInterface $input,
-        OutputInterface $output
+        OutputInterface $output,
+        bool $disableCommandForwarding = false
     ): int {
         $this->logger->logStandard(
             sprintf(
@@ -216,9 +228,25 @@ private function executeInNamespace(
             $this->getApplication()
         );
 
+        $previousCommandForwardingDisabled = CommandForwardingContext::isCommandForwardingDisabled();
+
+        if ($disableCommandForwarding) {
+            CommandForwardingContext::setCommandForwardingDisabled(true);
+        }
+
         // It is important to clean up the state either for follow-up plugins
         // or for example the execution in the next namespace.
-        $cleanUp = function () use ($originalWorkingDir): void {
+        $cleanUp = function () use (
+            $originalWorkingDir,
+            $disableCommandForwarding,
+            $previousCommandForwardingDisabled
+        ): void {
+            if ($disableCommandForwarding) {
+                CommandForwardingContext::setCommandForwardingDisabled(
+                    $previousCommandForwardingDisabled
+                );
+            }
+
             $this->chdir($originalWorkingDir);
             $this->resetComposers();
         };
diff --git a/src/CommandForwardingContext.php b/src/CommandForwardingContext.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1dfdef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/CommandForwardingContext.php
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Bamarni\Composer\Bin;
+
+final class CommandForwardingContext
+{
+    /**
+     * @var bool
+     */
+    private static $commandForwardingDisabled = false;
+
+    public static function setCommandForwardingDisabled(bool $value): void
+    {
+        self::$commandForwardingDisabled = $value;
+    }
+
+    public static function isCommandForwardingDisabled(): bool
+    {
+        return self::$commandForwardingDisabled;
+    }
+
+    private function __construct()
+    {
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/BamarniBinPluginTest.php b/tests/BamarniBinPluginTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a0d6bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/BamarniBinPluginTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Tests;
+
+use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\BamarniBinPlugin;
+use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\CommandForwardingContext;
+use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Config\Config;
+use Composer\Composer;
+use Composer\IO\ConsoleIO;
+use Composer\Package\PackageInterface;
+use Composer\Plugin\CommandEvent;
+use Composer\Plugin\PluginEvents;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Helper\HelperSet;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\ArgvInput;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\NullOutput;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;
+
+/**
+ * @covers \Bamarni\Composer\Bin\BamarniBinPlugin
+ */
+final class BamarniBinPluginTest extends TestCase
+{
+    protected function tearDown(): void
+    {
+        CommandForwardingContext::setCommandForwardingDisabled(false);
+    }
+
+    public function test_it_does_not_forward_commands_when_the_context_disables_forwarding(): void
+    {
+        CommandForwardingContext::setCommandForwardingDisabled(true);
+
+        $input = new ArgvInput(['composer', 'update']);
+
+        $plugin = new BamarniBinPluginSpy();
+        $plugin->activate(
+            $this->createComposer(true),
+            self::createConsoleIO($input)
+        );
+
+        $event = new CommandEvent(
+            PluginEvents::COMMAND,
+            'update',
+            $input,
+            new NullOutput()
+        );
+
+        self::assertTrue($plugin->onCommandEvent($event));
+        self::assertSame(0, $plugin->forwardedCommandCount);
+    }
+
+    public function test_it_keeps_forwarding_commands_when_the_context_allows_forwarding(): void
+    {
+        $input = new ArgvInput(['composer', 'update']);
+
+        $plugin = new BamarniBinPluginSpy();
+        $plugin->activate(
+            $this->createComposer(true),
+            self::createConsoleIO($input)
+        );
+
+        $event = new CommandEvent(
+            PluginEvents::COMMAND,
+            'update',
+            $input,
+            new NullOutput()
+        );
+
+        self::assertTrue($plugin->onCommandEvent($event));
+        self::assertSame(1, $plugin->forwardedCommandCount);
+    }
+
+    private static function createConsoleIO(InputInterface $input): ConsoleIO
+    {
+        return new ConsoleIO(
+            $input,
+            new NullOutput(),
+            new HelperSet()
+        );
+    }
+
+    private function createComposer(bool $forwardCommand): Composer
+    {
+        $package = $this->createMock(PackageInterface::class);
+        $package
+            ->method('getExtra')
+            ->willReturn([
+                Config::EXTRA_CONFIG_KEY => [
+                    Config::BIN_LINKS_ENABLED => false,
+                    Config::FORWARD_COMMAND => $forwardCommand,
+                    Config::TARGET_DIRECTORY => 'vendor-bin',
+                ],
+            ]);
+
+        $composer = $this->createMock(Composer::class);
+        $composer->method('getPackage')->willReturn($package);
+
+        return $composer;
+    }
+}
+
+final class BamarniBinPluginSpy extends BamarniBinPlugin
+{
+    /**
+     * @var int
+     */
+    public $forwardedCommandCount = 0;
+
+    protected function onForwardedCommand(
+        InputInterface $input,
+        OutputInterface $output
+    ): bool {
+        ++$this->forwardedCommandCount;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Command/BinCommandTest.php b/tests/Command/BinCommandTest.php
index b47f8ae..d1d193d 100644
--- a/tests/Command/BinCommandTest.php
+++ b/tests/Command/BinCommandTest.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 namespace Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Tests\Command;
 
+use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\CommandForwardingContext;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Command\BinCommand;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Tests\Fixtures\MyTestCommand;
 use Bamarni\Composer\Bin\Tests\Fixtures\ReuseApplicationFactory;
@@ -126,6 +127,25 @@ public function test_the_all_namespace_can_be_called(): void
         $this->assertNoMoreDataFound();
     }
 
+    public function test_the_root_namespace_can_be_called(): void
+    {
+        self::assertFalse(CommandForwardingContext::isCommandForwardingDisabled());
+
+        $input = new StringInput('bin root mytest');
+        $output = new NullOutput();
+
+        $this->application->doRun($input, $output);
+
+        $this->assertHasAccessToComposer();
+        $this->assertDataSetRecordedIs(
+            $this->tmpDir.'/vendor/bin',
+            $this->tmpDir,
+            $this->tmpDir.'/vendor'
+        );
+        $this->assertNoMoreDataFound();
+        self::assertFalse(CommandForwardingContext::isCommandForwardingDisabled());
+    }
+
     public function test_a_command_can_be_executed_in_each_namespace_via_the_all_namespace(): void
     {
         $namespaces = ['namespace1', 'namespace2'];