diff --git a/doc/advanced-compare-file-text.md b/doc/advanced-compare-file-text.md
index 67cf913e..cd817374 100644
--- a/doc/advanced-compare-file-text.md
+++ b/doc/advanced-compare-file-text.md
@@ -40,11 +40,20 @@ If this feature is disabled by default in a configuration file, add `--compare-f
 
 Note that the feature will be automatically disabled, regardless of configuration or command line options, if catalogs are being pulled from PuppetDB or a Puppet server.
 
-### `--compare-file-text=force`
+### `--compare-file-text=soft` and `--compare-file-text=force`
 
-To force the option to be on even in situations when it would be auto-disabled, set the command line argument `--compare-file-text=force`. When the Puppet source code is available, e.g. when compiling a catalog with `--catalog-only`, this will adjust the resulting catalog.
+To enable the addition of generated "file" resources with content in each generated catalog, set the command line argument `--compare-file-text=soft` or `--compare-file-text=force`. When the Puppet source code is available, e.g. when compiling a catalog with `--catalog-only`, this will still adjust the resources in the resulting catalog.
 
-If the Puppet source code is not available, forcing the feature on anyway may end up causing an exception. Use this option at your own risk.
+With this option set to `force`, if a file that is referenced cannot be resolved, an exception will raised. When set to `soft` no exception will be raised.
+
+If the Puppet source code is not available, either of these options may end up causing the program to malfunction. Use these options at your own risk.
+
+The configuration file equivalents of these options are:
+
+```ruby
+settings[:compare_file_text] = :soft
+settings[:compare_file_text] = :force
+```
 
 ### `--compare-file-text-ignore-tags`
 
diff --git a/lib/octocatalog-diff/catalog-util/fileresources.rb b/lib/octocatalog-diff/catalog-util/fileresources.rb
index 0c8b24f9..b6ec7564 100644
--- a/lib/octocatalog-diff/catalog-util/fileresources.rb
+++ b/lib/octocatalog-diff/catalog-util/fileresources.rb
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ def self.convert_file_resources(obj, environment = 'production')
           obj.compilation_dir,
           environment,
           obj.options[:compare_file_text_ignore_tags],
-          obj.options[:tag]
+          should_raise_notfound?(obj)
         )
         begin
           obj.catalog_json = ::JSON.generate(obj.catalog)
@@ -30,6 +30,16 @@ def self.convert_file_resources(obj, environment = 'production')
         end
       end
 
+      # Internal method: Based on parameters, determine whether a "not found" for a file that fails
+      # to be located should result in an exception.
+      # @param obj [OctocatalogDiff::Catalog] Catalog object
+      # @return [Bool] Whether to raise if not found
+      def self.should_raise_notfound?(obj)
+        return true if obj.options[:compare_file_text] == :force
+        return false if obj.options[:compare_file_text] == :soft
+        obj.options[:tag] != 'from'
+      end
+
       # Internal method: Locate a file that is referenced at puppet:///modules/xxx/yyy using the
       # module path that is specified within the environment.conf file (assuming the default 'modules'
       # directory doesn't exist or the module isn't found in there). If the file can't be found then
@@ -80,8 +90,8 @@ def self.module_path(dir)
       # @param compilation_dir [String] Compilation directory
       # @param environment [String] Environment
       # @param ignore_tags [Array<String>] Tags that exempt a resource from conversion
-      # @param to_from_tag [String] Either "to" or "from" for catalog type
-      def self._convert_file_resources(resources, compilation_dir, environment, ignore_tags, to_from_tag)
+      # @param raise_notfound [Bool] Whether to raise if a file could not be found
+      def self._convert_file_resources(resources, compilation_dir, environment, ignore_tags, raise_notfound)
         # Calculate compilation directory. There is not explicit error checking here because
         # there is on-demand, explicit error checking for each file within the modification loop.
         return unless compilation_dir.is_a?(String) && compilation_dir != ''
@@ -113,7 +123,7 @@ def self._convert_file_resources(resources, compilation_dir, environment, ignore
               # We are not handling recursive file installs from a directory or anything else.
               # However, the fact that we found *something* at this location indicates that the catalog
               # is probably correct. Hence, the very general .exist? check.
-            elsif to_from_tag == 'from'
+            elsif !raise_notfound
               # Don't raise an exception for an invalid source in the "from"
               # catalog, because the developer may be fixing this in the "to"
               # catalog. If it's broken in the "to" catalog as well, the
diff --git a/lib/octocatalog-diff/cli/options/compare_file_text.rb b/lib/octocatalog-diff/cli/options/compare_file_text.rb
index b1892095..9b6ce214 100644
--- a/lib/octocatalog-diff/cli/options/compare_file_text.rb
+++ b/lib/octocatalog-diff/cli/options/compare_file_text.rb
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@
 #
 # File text comparison will be auto-disabled in circumstances other than compiling and
 # comparing two catalogs. To force file text comparison to be enabled at other times,
-# set --compare-file-text=force. This allows the content of the file to be substituted
-# in to --catalog-only compilations, for example.
+# set --compare-file-text=force or --compare-file-text=soft. These options allow
+# the content of the file to be substituted in to --catalog-only compilations, for example.
+# 'force' will raise an exception if the underlying file can't be found; 'soft' won't.
 #
 # @param parser [OptionParser object] The OptionParser argument
 # @param options [Hash] Options hash being constructed; this is modified in this method.
@@ -20,10 +21,10 @@
   has_weight 210
 
   def parse(parser, options)
-    parser.on('--[no-]compare-file-text[=force]', 'Compare text, not source location, of file resources') do |x|
-      if x == 'force'
-        options[:compare_file_text] = :force
-      elsif [true, false].include? x
+    parser.on('--[no-]compare-file-text[=force|soft]', 'Compare text, not source location, of file resources') do |x|
+      if x == 'force' || x == 'soft'
+        options[:compare_file_text] = x.to_sym
+      elsif x == true || x == false
         options[:compare_file_text] = x
       else
         raise OptionParser::NeedlessArgument("needless argument: --compare-file-text=#{x}")
diff --git a/lib/octocatalog-diff/util/catalogs.rb b/lib/octocatalog-diff/util/catalogs.rb
index 43d93877..50100353 100644
--- a/lib/octocatalog-diff/util/catalogs.rb
+++ b/lib/octocatalog-diff/util/catalogs.rb
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def build_catalog_parallelizer
           result.each do |_key, builder_obj|
             next if builder_obj.convert_file_resources(true)
 
-            if @options[:compare_file_text] == :force
+            if @options[:compare_file_text] == :force || @options[:compare_file_text] == :soft
               @logger.debug "--compare-file-text is force-enabled even though it is not supported by #{builder_obj.builder}"
               next
             end
diff --git a/spec/octocatalog-diff/integration/convert_file_resources_spec.rb b/spec/octocatalog-diff/integration/convert_file_resources_spec.rb
index b3cd50d1..5ab8c2c0 100644
--- a/spec/octocatalog-diff/integration/convert_file_resources_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/octocatalog-diff/integration/convert_file_resources_spec.rb
@@ -212,6 +212,47 @@
     end
   end
 
+  context 'with option force-enabled and broken reference in catalog-only' do
+    it 'should fail' do
+      result = OctocatalogDiff::Integration.integration_cli(
+        [
+          '--fact-file', OctocatalogDiff::Spec.fixture_path('facts/facts.yaml'),
+          '--catalog-only',
+          '-n', 'rspec-node.github.net',
+          '--compare-file-text=force',
+          '--basedir', OctocatalogDiff::Spec.fixture_path('repos/convert-resources/broken'),
+          '--puppet-binary', OctocatalogDiff::Spec::PUPPET_BINARY,
+          '--debug'
+        ]
+      )
+      expect(result[:exitcode]).to eq(1)
+      expect(result[:stderr]).to match(%r{Unable to resolve source=>'puppet:///modules/test/foo-new' in File\[/tmp/foo1\] \(modules/test/manifests/init.pp:\d+\)}) # rubocop:disable Metrics/LineLength
+    end
+  end
+
+  context 'with option force-enabled to "from" and broken reference in catalog-only' do
+    it 'should not fail' do
+      result = OctocatalogDiff::Integration.integration_cli(
+        [
+          '--fact-file', OctocatalogDiff::Spec.fixture_path('facts/facts.yaml'),
+          '--catalog-only',
+          '-n', 'rspec-node.github.net',
+          '--compare-file-text=soft',
+          '--basedir', OctocatalogDiff::Spec.fixture_path('repos/convert-resources/broken'),
+          '--puppet-binary', OctocatalogDiff::Spec::PUPPET_BINARY,
+          '--debug'
+        ]
+      )
+      expect(result[:exitcode]).to eq(0), OctocatalogDiff::Integration.format_exception(result)
+      catalog = OctocatalogDiff::Catalog::JSON.new(json: result[:stdout])
+      resource = catalog.resource(type: 'File', title: '/tmp/foo1')
+      expect(resource).to be_a_kind_of(Hash)
+      expect(resource['parameters']).to be_a_kind_of(Hash)
+      expect(resource['parameters']['source']).to eq('puppet:///modules/test/foo-new')
+      expect(resource['parameters']['content']).to be nil
+    end
+  end
+
   context 'with broken reference in to-catalog' do
     it 'should fail' do
       result = OctocatalogDiff::Integration.integration(
@@ -223,7 +264,7 @@
           '--compare-file-text'
         ]
       )
-      expect(result[:exitcode]).to eq(-1)
+      expect(result[:exitcode]).to eq(-1), OctocatalogDiff::Integration.format_exception(result)
       expect(result[:exception]).to be_a_kind_of(OctocatalogDiff::Errors::CatalogError)
       expect(result[:exception].message).to match(%r{\AUnable to resolve source=>'puppet:///modules/test/foo-new' in File\[/tmp/foo1\] \(modules/test/manifests/init.pp:\d+\)\z}) # rubocop:disable Metrics/LineLength
     end
diff --git a/spec/octocatalog-diff/tests/cli/options/compare_file_text_spec.rb b/spec/octocatalog-diff/tests/cli/options/compare_file_text_spec.rb
index 9ecd6894..a2eefcb6 100644
--- a/spec/octocatalog-diff/tests/cli/options/compare_file_text_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/octocatalog-diff/tests/cli/options/compare_file_text_spec.rb
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@
       expect(result[:compare_file_text]).to eq(:force)
     end
 
+    it 'should set options[:compare_file_text] to :soft when --compare-file-text is set to soft' do
+      result = run_optparse(['--compare-file-text=soft'])
+      expect(result[:compare_file_text]).to eq(:soft)
+    end
+
     it 'should set options[:compare_file_text] to false when --no-compare-file-text is set' do
       result = run_optparse(['--no-compare-file-text'])
       expect(result[:compare_file_text]).to eq(false)