diff --git a/lib/results.js b/lib/results.js
index 0531a101..cfe6c022 100644
--- a/lib/results.js
+++ b/lib/results.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ function Results () {
     this.count = 0;
     this.fail = 0;
     this.pass = 0;
+    this.todo = 0;
     this._stream = through();
     this.tests = [];
     this._only = null;
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ Results.prototype._watch = function (t) {
         write(encodeResult(res, self.count + 1));
         self.count ++;
 
-        if (res.ok) self.pass ++
+        if (res.ok || res.todo) self.pass ++
         else {
             self.fail ++;
             self.emit('fail');
@@ -125,9 +126,10 @@ Results.prototype.close = function () {
 
     write('\n1..' + self.count + '\n');
     write('# tests ' + self.count + '\n');
-    write('# pass  ' + self.pass + '\n');
-    if (self.fail) write('# fail  ' + self.fail + '\n')
-    else write('\n# ok\n')
+    write('# pass  ' + (self.pass + self.todo) + '\n');
+    if (self.todo) write('# todo  ' + self.todo + '\n');
+    if (self.fail) write('# fail  ' + self.fail + '\n');
+    else write('\n# ok\n');
 
     self._stream.queue(null);
 };
diff --git a/lib/test.js b/lib/test.js
index 93ddbf68..d594ba46 100644
--- a/lib/test.js
+++ b/lib/test.js
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ function Test (name_, opts_, cb_) {
     this.assertCount = 0;
     this.pendingCount = 0;
     this._skip = args.opts.skip || false;
+    this._todo = args.opts.todo || false;
     this._timeout = args.opts.timeout;
     this._plan = undefined;
     this._cb = args.cb;
@@ -203,12 +204,13 @@ Test.prototype._assert = function assert (ok, opts) {
     var extra = opts.extra || {};
 
     var res = {
-        id : self.assertCount ++,
-        ok : Boolean(ok),
-        skip : defined(extra.skip, opts.skip),
-        name : defined(extra.message, opts.message, '(unnamed assert)'),
-        operator : defined(extra.operator, opts.operator),
-        objectPrintDepth : self._objectPrintDepth
+        id: self.assertCount++,
+        ok: Boolean(ok),
+        skip: defined(extra.skip, opts.skip),
+        todo: defined(extra.todo, opts.todo, self._todo),
+        name: defined(extra.message, opts.message, '(unnamed assert)'),
+        operator: defined(extra.operator, opts.operator),
+        objectPrintDepth: self._objectPrintDepth
     };
     if (has(opts, 'actual') || has(extra, 'actual')) {
         res.actual = defined(extra.actual, opts.actual);
@@ -218,7 +220,7 @@ Test.prototype._assert = function assert (ok, opts) {
     }
     this._ok = Boolean(this._ok && ok);
 
-    if (!ok) {
+    if (!ok && !res.todo) {
         res.error = defined(extra.error, opts.error, new Error(res.name));
     }
 
diff --git a/readme.markdown b/readme.markdown
index 9cb5492e..3306790c 100644
--- a/readme.markdown
+++ b/readme.markdown
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ Available `opts` options are:
 - opts.skip = true/false. See test.skip.
 - opts.timeout = 500. Set a timeout for the test, after which it will fail. See test.timeoutAfter.
 - opts.objectPrintDepth = 5. Configure max depth of expected / actual object printing. Environmental variable `NODE_TAPE_OBJECT_PRINT_DEPTH` can set the desired default depth for all tests; locally-set values will take precedence.
+- opts.todo = true/false. Test will be allowed to fail.
 
 If you forget to `t.plan()` out how many assertions you are going to run and you
 don't call `t.end()` explicitly, your test will hang.
diff --git a/test/todo.js b/test/todo.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..907eaeec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/todo.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+var tap = require('tap');
+var tape = require('../');
+var concat = require('concat-stream');
+
+var common = require('./common');
+var stripFullStack = common.stripFullStack;
+
+tap.test('tape todo test', function (assert) {
+    var test = tape.createHarness({ exit: false });
+    assert.plan(1);
+
+    test.createStream().pipe(concat(function (body) {
+        assert.equal(
+            stripFullStack(body.toString('utf8')),
+            'TAP version 13\n'
+            + '# success\n'
+            + 'ok 1 this test runs\n'
+            + '# failure\n'
+            + 'not ok 2 should never happen # TODO\n'
+            + '  ---\n'
+            + '    operator: fail\n'
+            + '    at: Test.<anonymous> ($TEST/todo.js:$LINE:$COL)\n'
+            + '  ...\n'
+            + '\n'
+            + '1..2\n'
+            + '# tests 2\n'
+            + '# pass  2\n'
+            + '\n'
+            + '# ok\n'
+        )
+    }));
+
+    test('success', function (t) {
+        t.equal(true, true, 'this test runs');
+        t.end();
+    });
+
+    test('failure', { todo: true }, function (t) {
+        t.fail('should never happen');
+        t.end();
+    });
+});