1 files changed, 16 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/docs/programming-guide.md b/docs/programming-guide.md
index 118701549a..4e4af76316 100644
--- a/docs/programming-guide.md
+++ b/docs/programming-guide.md
@@ -173,8 +173,11 @@ in-process.
 In the Spark shell, a special interpreter-aware SparkContext is already created for you, in the
 variable called `sc`. Making your own SparkContext will not work. You can set which master the
 context connects to using the `--master` argument, and you can add JARs to the classpath
-by passing a comma-separated list to the `--jars` argument.
-For example, to run `bin/spark-shell` on exactly four cores, use:
+by passing a comma-separated list to the `--jars` argument. You can also add dependencies 
+(e.g. Spark Packages) to your shell session by supplying a comma-separated list of maven coordinates 
+to the `--packages` argument. Any additional repositories where dependencies might exist (e.g. SonaType)
+can be passed to the `--repositories` argument. For example, to run `bin/spark-shell` on exactly
+four cores, use:
 
 {% highlight bash %}
 $ ./bin/spark-shell --master local[4]
@@ -186,6 +189,12 @@ Or, to also add `code.jar` to its classpath, use:
 $ ./bin/spark-shell --master local[4] --jars code.jar
 {% endhighlight %}
 
+To include a dependency using maven coordinates:
+
+{% highlight bash %}
+$ ./bin/spark-shell --master local[4] --packages "org.example:example:0.1"
+{% endhighlight %}
+
 For a complete list of options, run `spark-shell --help`. Behind the scenes,
 `spark-shell` invokes the more general [`spark-submit` script](submitting-applications.html).
 
@@ -196,7 +205,11 @@ For a complete list of options, run `spark-shell --help`. Behind the scenes,
 In the PySpark shell, a special interpreter-aware SparkContext is already created for you, in the
 variable called `sc`. Making your own SparkContext will not work. You can set which master the
 context connects to using the `--master` argument, and you can add Python .zip, .egg or .py files
-to the runtime path by passing a comma-separated list to `--py-files`.
+to the runtime path by passing a comma-separated list to `--py-files`. You can also add dependencies
+(e.g. Spark Packages) to your shell session by supplying a comma-separated list of maven coordinates
+to the `--packages` argument. Any additional repositories where dependencies might exist (e.g. SonaType)
+can be passed to the `--repositories` argument. Any python dependencies a Spark Package has (listed in 
+the requirements.txt of that package) must be manually installed using pip when necessary.
 For example, to run `bin/pyspark` on exactly four cores, use:
 
 {% highlight bash %}