diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go b/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
index 7ed3a1d7..ea3c77b5 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ func TestModifyContext(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// there should now be two contexts
 	if len(startingConfig.Contexts) != len(expectedCtx) {
-		t.Fatalf("unexpected nuber of contexts, expecting %v, but found %v", len(expectedCtx), len(startingConfig.Contexts))
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected number of contexts, expecting %v, but found %v", len(expectedCtx), len(startingConfig.Contexts))
 	}
 
 	for key := range startingConfig.Contexts {
diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/config.go b/tools/clientcmd/config.go
index 5f1660bf..a7eae66b 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/config.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/config.go
@@ -83,10 +83,13 @@ func (o *PathOptions) GetEnvVarFiles() []string {
 }
 
 func (o *PathOptions) GetLoadingPrecedence() []string {
+	if o.IsExplicitFile() {
+		return []string{o.GetExplicitFile()}
+	}
+
 	if envVarFiles := o.GetEnvVarFiles(); len(envVarFiles) > 0 {
 		return envVarFiles
 	}
-
 	return []string{o.GlobalFile}
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/loader.go b/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
index b0672291..901ed50c 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
@@ -304,6 +304,10 @@ func (rules *ClientConfigLoadingRules) Migrate() error {
 
 // GetLoadingPrecedence implements ConfigAccess
 func (rules *ClientConfigLoadingRules) GetLoadingPrecedence() []string {
+	if len(rules.ExplicitPath) > 0 {
+		return []string{rules.ExplicitPath}
+	}
+
 	return rules.Precedence
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/loader_test.go b/tools/clientcmd/loader_test.go
index e5f09c20..1e770e67 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/loader_test.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/loader_test.go
@@ -865,3 +865,46 @@ func TestDeduplicate(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestLoadingGetLoadingPrecedence(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := map[string]struct {
+		rules      *ClientConfigLoadingRules
+		env        string
+		precedence []string
+	}{
+		"default": {
+			precedence: []string{filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".kube/config")},
+		},
+		"explicit": {
+			rules: &ClientConfigLoadingRules{
+				ExplicitPath: "/explicit/kubeconfig",
+			},
+			precedence: []string{"/explicit/kubeconfig"},
+		},
+		"envvar-single": {
+			env:        "/env/kubeconfig",
+			precedence: []string{"/env/kubeconfig"},
+		},
+		"envvar-multiple": {
+			env:        "/env/kubeconfig:/other/kubeconfig",
+			precedence: []string{"/env/kubeconfig", "/other/kubeconfig"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	kubeconfig := os.Getenv("KUBECONFIG")
+	defer os.Setenv("KUBECONFIG", kubeconfig)
+
+	for name, test := range testCases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			os.Setenv("KUBECONFIG", test.env)
+			rules := test.rules
+			if rules == nil {
+				rules = NewDefaultClientConfigLoadingRules()
+			}
+			actual := rules.GetLoadingPrecedence()
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, test.precedence) {
+				t.Errorf("expect %v, got %v", test.precedence, actual)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}