diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/exp.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/exp.go
index ff698878d..aa5a40b38 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/exp.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/exp.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"time"
 
+	"cuelang.org/go/cue/ast"
 	"cuelang.org/go/cue/build"
 	"cuelang.org/go/cue/cuecontext"
 	"cuelang.org/go/cue/load"
@@ -85,6 +86,8 @@ To ensure that the resulting Go code works, any imported CUE packages or
 referenced CUE definitions are transitively generated as well.
 Code is generated in each CUE package directory at cue_types_${pkgname}_gen.go,
 where the package name is omitted from the filename if it is implied by the import path.
+The --outfile flag can be used to write the output for a single CUE package to a specific file,
+or to stdout when set to "-".
 
 Generated Go type and field names may differ from the original CUE names by default.
 For instance, an exported definition "#foo" becomes "Foo",
@@ -124,13 +127,47 @@ The default is "zero", representing a missing field as the zero value.
 `[1:],
 		RunE: mkRunE(c, runExpGenGoTypes),
 	}
+	cmd.Flags().StringP(string(flagOutFile), "o", "", "generate one Go file for a single CUE package")
 
 	return cmd
 }
 
 func runExpGenGoTypes(cmd *Command, args []string) error {
+	outFile := flagOutFile.String(cmd)
 	insts := load.Instances(args, &load.Config{})
-	return gotypes.Generate(cmd.ctx, insts...)
+	writeFile := defaultGenGoTypesWrite
+	if outFile != "" {
+		if len(insts) != 1 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("--outfile only allows for one package to be specified")
+		}
+		writeFile = func(_ *build.Instance, data []byte) error {
+			if outFile == "-" {
+				_, err := os.Stdout.Write(data)
+				return err
+			}
+			return os.WriteFile(outFile, data, 0o666)
+		}
+	}
+	return gotypes.Generate(cmd.ctx, writeFile, insts...)
+}
+
+// defaultGenGoTypesWrite writes each instance's generated Go source to its default filename.
+//
+// The generated file is named after the CUE package, not the generated Go package,
+// as we can have multiple CUE packages in one directory all generating to one Go package.
+// To keep the filename short for common cases, if we are generating a CUE package
+// whose package name is implied from its import path, omit the package name element.
+func defaultGenGoTypesWrite(inst *build.Instance, data []byte) error {
+	basename := "cue_types_gen.go"
+	ip := ast.ParseImportPath(inst.ImportPath)
+	ip1 := ip
+	ip1.Qualifier = ""
+	ip1.ExplicitQualifier = false
+	ip1 = ast.ParseImportPath(ip1.String())
+	if ip.Qualifier != ip1.Qualifier {
+		basename = fmt.Sprintf("cue_types_%s_gen.go", inst.PkgName)
+	}
+	return os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inst.Dir, basename), data, 0o666)
 }
 
 func newExpWritefsCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/exp_gengotypes_outfile.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/exp_gengotypes_outfile.txtar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..00b5e4cbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/exp_gengotypes_outfile.txtar
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+exec cue exp gengotypes --outfile cue_types.go ./pkg1
+cmp cue_types.go cue_types.go.golden
+! exists pkg1/cue_types_gen.go
+
+# -o shorthand works too.
+exec cue exp gengotypes -o cue_types2.go ./pkg1
+cmp cue_types2.go cue_types.go.golden
+
+# stdout works too.
+exec cue exp gengotypes --outfile - ./pkg1
+cmp stdout cue_types.go.golden
+
+# Multiple packages are not allowed with --outfile.
+! exec cue exp gengotypes --outfile out.go ./...
+stderr 'only allows for one package'
+
+-- cue.mod/module.cue --
+module: "foo.test/root"
+language: version: "v0.13.0"
+-- pkg1/pkg1.cue --
+package pkg1
+
+#Foo: int
+#Bar: string
+-- pkg2/pkg2.cue --
+package pkg2
+
+#Baz: bool
+-- cue_types.go.golden --
+// Code generated by "cue exp gengotypes"; DO NOT EDIT.
+
+package pkg1
+
+type Foo int64
+
+type Bar string
diff --git a/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go b/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
index 994a6a178..1cb0a2333 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 	gotoken "go/token"
 	"maps"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"slices"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -38,9 +37,14 @@ import (
 	"cuelang.org/go/cue/build"
 )
 
+// WriteFunc is a function that writes the generated Go source for an instance.
+type WriteFunc func(inst *build.Instance, data []byte) error
+
 // Generate produces Go type definitions from exported CUE definitions.
 // See the help text for `cue help exp gengotypes`.
-func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
+//
+// writeFile is called to write the formatted Go source for each instance.
+func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, writeFile WriteFunc, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 	// record which package instances have already been generated
 	instDone := make(map[*build.Instance]bool)
 
@@ -163,21 +167,6 @@ func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 			printf("\n\n")
 		}
 
-		// The generated file is named after the CUE package, not the generated Go package,
-		// as we can have multiple CUE packages in one directory all generating to one Go package.
-		// To keep the filename short for common cases, if we are generating a CUE package
-		// whose package name is implied from its import path, omit the package name element.
-		basename := "cue_types_gen.go"
-		ip := ast.ParseImportPath(inst.ImportPath)
-		ip1 := ip
-		ip1.Qualifier = ""
-		ip1.ExplicitQualifier = false
-		ip1 = ast.ParseImportPath(ip1.String())
-		if ip.Qualifier != ip1.Qualifier {
-			basename = fmt.Sprintf("cue_types_%s_gen.go", inst.PkgName)
-		}
-		outpath := filepath.Join(inst.Dir, basename)
-
 		formatted, err := goformat.Source(buf)
 		if err != nil {
 			// Showing the generated Go code helps debug where the syntax error is.
@@ -187,10 +176,10 @@ func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 			for i, line := range lines {
 				withLineNums = fmt.Appendf(withLineNums, "% 4d: %s\n", i+1, line)
 			}
-			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "-- %s --\n%s\n--\n", filepath.ToSlash(outpath), withLineNums)
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "-- %s --\n%s\n--\n", inst.ImportPath, withLineNums)
 			return err
 		}
-		if err := os.WriteFile(outpath, formatted, 0o666); err != nil {
+		if err := writeFile(inst, formatted); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}