diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/README.md
index 238fa51dbc710..42b0a435242e1 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/README.md
@@ -341,6 +341,16 @@ testingStage.addApplication(new MyApplication2(this, 'MyApp2', {
 }));
 ```
 
+Even more, adding a manual approval action or reserving space for some extra sequential actions 
+between 'Prepare' and 'Execute' ChangeSet actions is possible.
+
+```ts
+  pipeline.addApplicationStage(new MyApplication(this, 'Production'), {
+    manualApprovals: true,
+    extraRunOrderSpace: 1,
+  });
+```
+
 ## Adding validations to the pipeline
 
 You can add any type of CodePipeline Action to the pipeline in order to validate
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/lib/stage.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/lib/stage.ts
index 3f93c28808075..c7b090b3f8d02 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/lib/stage.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/lib/stage.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ export class CdkStage extends CoreConstruct {
    */
   public addApplication(appStage: Stage, options: AddStageOptions = {}) {
     const asm = appStage.synth();
+    const extraRunOrderSpace = options.extraRunOrderSpace ?? 0;
 
     if (asm.stacks.length === 0) {
       // If we don't check here, a more puzzling "stage contains no actions"
@@ -88,8 +89,8 @@ export class CdkStage extends CoreConstruct {
       stack => stack.dependencies.map(d => d.id));
 
     for (const stacks of sortedTranches) {
-      const runOrder = this.nextSequentialRunOrder(2); // We need 2 actions
-      let executeRunOrder = runOrder + 1;
+      const runOrder = this.nextSequentialRunOrder(extraRunOrderSpace + 2); // 2 actions for Prepare/Execute ChangeSet
+      let executeRunOrder = runOrder + extraRunOrderSpace + 1;
 
       // If we need to insert a manual approval action, then what's the executeRunOrder
       // now is where we add a manual approval step, and we allocate 1 more runOrder
@@ -371,6 +372,15 @@ export interface AddStageOptions {
    * @default false
    */
   readonly manualApprovals?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Add room for extra actions
+   *
+   * You can use this to make extra room in the runOrder sequence between the
+   * changeset 'prepare' and 'execute' actions and insert your own actions there.
+   *
+   * @default 0
+   */
+  readonly extraRunOrderSpace?: number;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/test/stack-ordering.test.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/test/stack-ordering.test.ts
index ddd38e7a3a9c2..fcfede261208a 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/test/stack-ordering.test.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/pipelines/test/stack-ordering.test.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,37 @@ test('manual approval is inserted in correct location', () => {
   });
 });
 
+test('extra space for sequential intermediary actions is reserved', () => {
+  // WHEN
+  pipeline.addApplicationStage(new TwoStackApp(app, 'MyApp'), {
+    extraRunOrderSpace: 1,
+  });
+
+  // THEN
+  expect(pipelineStack).toHaveResourceLike('AWS::CodePipeline::Pipeline', {
+    Stages: arrayWith({
+      Name: 'MyApp',
+      Actions: sortedByRunOrder([
+        objectLike({
+          Name: 'Stack1.Prepare',
+          RunOrder: 1,
+        }),
+        objectLike({
+          Name: 'Stack1.Deploy',
+          RunOrder: 3,
+        }),
+        objectLike({
+          Name: 'Stack2.Prepare',
+          RunOrder: 4,
+        }),
+        objectLike({
+          Name: 'Stack2.Deploy',
+          RunOrder: 6,
+        }),
+      ]),
+    }),
+  });
+});
 
 class TwoStackApp extends Stage {
   constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: StageProps) {