diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 11c43a2..4775ce1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -332,10 +332,11 @@ instead:
          (projectile-find-file)))
 ```
 
-As long as a virtualenv is found in the `projectile-project-root` and
-whose name is in the list `venv-dirlookup-names` it will be
-automatically activated. By default, it's value is `'(".venv", "venv")'`,
-but you can set if however you like to match your naming conventions:
+As long as a virtualenv or a text file with the name of the virtualenv is
+found in the `projectile-project-root` and whose name is in the list
+`venv-dirlookup-names` it will be automatically activated. By default, it's
+value is `'(".venv", "venv")'`, but you can set if however you like to match
+your naming conventions:
 
 ```lisp
 (setq venv-dirlookup-names '(".venv" "pyenv" ".virtual"))
diff --git a/test/virtualenvwrapper-test.el b/test/virtualenvwrapper-test.el
index fc98565..ce7ff0a 100644
--- a/test/virtualenvwrapper-test.el
+++ b/test/virtualenvwrapper-test.el
@@ -245,3 +245,21 @@
           (s-concat (venv-name-to-dir venv-tmp-env) ".project"))
         (venv-workon venv-tmp-env)
         (should (not (equal default-directory temp-dir)))))))
+
+(ert-deftest venv-projectile-auto-workon-works-with-text-file ()
+  (with-temp-env
+   venv-tmp-env
+   ;; the reason for setting a bogus venv-location here is that the
+   ;; venv-location shouldn't matter, projectile-auto-workon should happen
+   ;; indepedent of it's being set or not
+   (let* ((venv-location "bogus")
+          ;; Create a file in the projectile-project-root with
+          ;; the text content of the venv to be activated
+          (venv-tmp-text-file (make-temp-file "venv" nil nil venv-tmp-env))
+          (venv-tmp-text-name (file-name-nondirectory venv-tmp-text-file)))
+     (noflet ((projectile-project-root () temporary-file-directory))
+       (setq venv-dirlookup-names (list venv-tmp-text-name))
+       (venv-deactivate)
+       (venv-projectile-auto-workon)
+       (assert-venv-activated)
+       (delete-file venv-tmp-text-file)))))
diff --git a/virtualenvwrapper.el b/virtualenvwrapper.el
index 5fafb90..4ceab49 100644
--- a/virtualenvwrapper.el
+++ b/virtualenvwrapper.el
@@ -114,8 +114,15 @@ Set your common venvs names in `venv-dirlookup-names'"
                 (--map (concat (projectile-project-root) it)
                         venv-dirlookup-names))))
     (when path
-      (setq venv-current-name path) ;; there's really nothing that feels good to do here ;_;
-      (venv--activate-dir path))))
+      ;; If the PATH is a regular and readable file, read the first
+      ;; string in this file and use it to active the virtualenv.
+      (if (and path (file-regular-p path) (file-readable-p path))
+          (with-temp-buffer
+            (insert-file-contents path)
+            (venv-workon (car (split-string (buffer-string) "\n" t))))
+        ;; PATH is not a file, assume it's a virtualenv directory and activate it
+        (setq venv-current-name path) ;; there's really nothing that feels good to do here ;_;
+        (venv--activate-dir path)))))
 
 
 ;; internal utility functions