diff --git a/emissary b/emissary
index 660b6cb274..13de150c5e 100755
--- a/emissary
+++ b/emissary
@@ -24,6 +24,20 @@ if [ "${DEBUG}" == "true" ]; then
   DEBUG_OPTS="-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=y,address=${DEBUG_PORT}"
 fi
 
+# Turn on metrics by prepending either of the
+# following to the command line before ./emissary:
+# METRICS_PORT=someport
+# or
+# METRICS=true
+if [ "${METRICS_PORT}x" != "x" ]; then
+  METRICS=true
+else
+  METRICS_PORT=9100
+fi
+if [ "${METRICS}" == "true" ]; then
+  export JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS="-javaagent:src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent-1.5.0.jar=${METRICS_PORT}:src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent.yaml"
+fi
+
 # Turn on picocli argument parsing debugging and an echo of the command line
 # CMD_DEBUG=true ./emissary <command> <args>
 # see Emissary.java for where it is used
diff --git a/src/assembly/dist.xml b/src/assembly/dist.xml
index e578aca205..a77e6d2c41 100644
--- a/src/assembly/dist.xml
+++ b/src/assembly/dist.xml
@@ -37,5 +37,13 @@
         <include>emissary-knight.png</include>
       </includes>
     </fileSet>
+    <fileSet>
+      <directory>${project.basedir}</directory>
+      <outputDirectory></outputDirectory>
+      <includes>
+        <include>src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent.yaml</include>
+        <include>src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent-1.5.0.jar</include>
+      </includes>
+    </fileSet>
   </fileSets>
 </assembly>
diff --git a/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent-1.5.0.jar b/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent-1.5.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..02dc00d912
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent-1.5.0.jar differ
diff --git a/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent.yaml b/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c178f3afc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/agents/jmx_prometheus_javaagent.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# https://prometheus.github.io/jmx_exporter/1.5.0/java-agent/http-mode/#basic-yaml-configuration
+rules:
+  - pattern: ".*"