diff --git a/core/commands/dag/dag.go b/core/commands/dag/dag.go
index a256213ecd0..eab70aa3332 100644
--- a/core/commands/dag/dag.go
+++ b/core/commands/dag/dag.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ const (
 	statsOptionName           = "stats"
 	fastProvideRootOptionName = "fast-provide-root"
 	fastProvideWaitOptionName = "fast-provide-wait"
+	localOnlyOptionName       = "local-only"
 )
 
 // DagCmd provides a subset of commands for interacting with ipld dag objects
@@ -192,6 +193,9 @@ Note:
   currently present in the blockstore does not represent a complete DAG,
   pinning of that individual root will fail.
 
+  Use --local-only and --pin-roots=false for partial CARs (e.g. from
+  'dag export --local-only').
+
 FAST PROVIDE OPTIMIZATION:
 
 Root CIDs from CAR headers are immediately provided to the DHT in addition
@@ -213,6 +217,7 @@ Specification of CAR formats: https://ipld.io/specs/transport/car/
 	},
 	Options: []cmds.Option{
 		cmds.BoolOption(pinRootsOptionName, "Pin optional roots listed in the .car headers after importing.").WithDefault(true),
+		cmds.BoolOption(localOnlyOptionName, "Import partial CAR without pinning roots (e.g. from dag export --local-only)."),
 		cmds.BoolOption(silentOptionName, "No output."),
 		cmds.BoolOption(statsOptionName, "Output stats."),
 		cmds.BoolOption(fastProvideRootOptionName, "Immediately provide root CIDs to DHT in addition to regular queue, for faster discovery. Default: Import.FastProvideRoot"),
@@ -285,6 +290,7 @@ CAR file follows the CARv1 format: https://ipld.io/specs/transport/car/carv1/
 	},
 	Options: []cmds.Option{
 		cmds.BoolOption(progressOptionName, "p", "Display progress on CLI. Defaults to true when STDERR is a TTY."),
+		cmds.BoolOption(localOnlyOptionName, "If set, only blocks present locally are exported; missing blocks are skipped (partial CAR). Use with --offline for a local-only DAG walk."),
 	},
 	Run: dagExport,
 	PostRun: cmds.PostRunMap{
diff --git a/core/commands/dag/export.go b/core/commands/dag/export.go
index 48223f86083..4967b47ab41 100644
--- a/core/commands/dag/export.go
+++ b/core/commands/dag/export.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package dagcmd
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
@@ -16,7 +17,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/commands/cmdutils"
 	iface "github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/coreiface"
 	gocar "github.com/ipld/go-car/v2"
+	"github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime/datamodel"
+	"github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime/linking"
 	cidlink "github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime/linking/cid"
+	"github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime/traversal"
 	selectorparse "github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime/traversal/selector/parse"
 )
 
@@ -27,6 +31,7 @@ func dagExport(req *cmds.Request, res cmds.ResponseEmitter, env cmds.Environment
 		return err
 	}
 
+	localOnly, _ := req.Options[localOnlyOptionName].(bool)
 	api, err := cmdenv.GetApi(env, req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -51,7 +56,25 @@ func dagExport(req *cmds.Request, res cmds.ResponseEmitter, env cmds.Environment
 		}()
 
 		lsys := cidlink.DefaultLinkSystem()
-		lsys.SetReadStorage(&dagStore{dag: api.Dag(), ctx: req.Context})
+		ds := &dagStore{dag: api.Dag(), ctx: req.Context}
+		if localOnly {
+			lsys.StorageReadOpener = func(lctx linking.LinkContext, lnk datamodel.Link) (io.Reader, error) {
+				cl, ok := lnk.(cidlink.Link)
+				if !ok {
+					return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported link type: %T", lnk)
+				}
+				block, err := ds.dag.Get(lctx.Ctx, cl.Cid)
+				if err != nil {
+					if ipld.IsNotFound(err) {
+						return nil, traversal.SkipMe{}
+					}
+					return nil, fmt.Errorf("local block read failed: %w", err)
+				}
+				return bytes.NewReader(block.RawData()), nil
+			}
+		} else {
+			lsys.SetReadStorage(ds)
+		}
 
 		// Uncomment the following to support CARv2 output.
 		/*
@@ -194,7 +217,7 @@ func cidFromBinString(key string) (cid.Cid, error) {
 		return cid.Undef, fmt.Errorf("dagStore: key was not a cid: %w", err)
 	}
 	if l != len(key) {
-		return cid.Undef, fmt.Errorf("dagSore: key was not a cid: had %d bytes leftover", len(key)-l)
+		return cid.Undef, fmt.Errorf("dagStore: key was not a cid: had %d bytes leftover", len(key)-l)
 	}
 	return k, nil
 }
diff --git a/core/commands/dag/import.go b/core/commands/dag/import.go
index 032b9e52a6c..fde3e9157f8 100644
--- a/core/commands/dag/import.go
+++ b/core/commands/dag/import.go
@@ -49,7 +49,11 @@ func dagImport(req *cmds.Request, res cmds.ResponseEmitter, env cmds.Environment
 	}
 
 	doPinRoots, _ := req.Options[pinRootsOptionName].(bool)
+	localOnly, _ := req.Options[localOnlyOptionName].(bool)
 
+	if doPinRoots && localOnly {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot pass both --%s and --%s", pinRootsOptionName, localOnlyOptionName)
+	}
 	fastProvideRoot, fastProvideRootSet := req.Options[fastProvideRootOptionName].(bool)
 	fastProvideWait, fastProvideWaitSet := req.Options[fastProvideWaitOptionName].(bool)
 
diff --git a/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.mod b/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.mod
index 154def8bb50..9f6fefd5f84 100644
--- a/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.mod
+++ b/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.mod
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/ipfs/go-peertaskqueue v0.8.3 // indirect
 	github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3 // indirect
 	github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3 // indirect
-	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0 // indirect
+	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070 // indirect
 	github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.22.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ipshipyard/p2p-forge v0.7.0 // indirect
diff --git a/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.sum b/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.sum
index fe4f15b4ee7..6c7acb70cb8 100644
--- a/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.sum
+++ b/docs/examples/kubo-as-a-library/go.sum
@@ -422,8 +422,8 @@ github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3 h1:Z/jXNAReQFtCYyn7bsv/ZqUwS6E7iIcSpJ2CuzCvnrc=
 github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3/go.mod h1:QW8vSKkwYvWFwIZQLGQXdkt9Ud76eQXRQ9Ao2H+cA1o=
 github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3 h1:c8sJjuGNkxXAQH75P+f5ngPda/9T+DrboVA0TcDGvGI=
 github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3/go.mod h1:2Jlc7DoEwr12W+7l8Hr6C7XF4NHST3gIkqSArLhGSxU=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0 h1:LWe0vmN/QcQmUU4tr34W5Nv5mNraW+G6jfN2s+ndBco=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0/go.mod h1:RqFGWN9ifcXVmCrTAVnfnxiWZk1+jIx67SYhenlmL34=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070 h1:aUJhNVqQZV3PhxQX/BPAkurYnsxBmMLx2a7YPsgd5NU=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070/go.mod h1:eN3661vGFqfxzIfPLrCQIdKcY9iIOCgZON1CedVtvwk=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0 h1:hpuvQjCSVSLnTnHXn+QAMR0mLmb1gA6wl10LExo2Ts0=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0/go.mod h1:rD3Zg+zub9ZnxcLwfol/OTQRVjaLzXypgy4UqHQvilM=
 github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.11.0/go.mod h1:+WIAkokurHmZ/KwzDOMUuoeJgaRQktHtEaLglS3ZeV8=
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index ce8499eaec1..711730d48dd 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/ipfs/go-metrics-prometheus v0.1.0
 	github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3
 	github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3
-	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0
+	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070
 	github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0
 	github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.22.0
 	github.com/ipshipyard/p2p-forge v0.7.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 85fe6f8839a..221d5e48083 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -464,8 +464,8 @@ github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3 h1:Z/jXNAReQFtCYyn7bsv/ZqUwS6E7iIcSpJ2CuzCvnrc=
 github.com/ipfs/go-test v0.2.3/go.mod h1:QW8vSKkwYvWFwIZQLGQXdkt9Ud76eQXRQ9Ao2H+cA1o=
 github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3 h1:c8sJjuGNkxXAQH75P+f5ngPda/9T+DrboVA0TcDGvGI=
 github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3/go.mod h1:2Jlc7DoEwr12W+7l8Hr6C7XF4NHST3gIkqSArLhGSxU=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0 h1:LWe0vmN/QcQmUU4tr34W5Nv5mNraW+G6jfN2s+ndBco=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0/go.mod h1:RqFGWN9ifcXVmCrTAVnfnxiWZk1+jIx67SYhenlmL34=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070 h1:aUJhNVqQZV3PhxQX/BPAkurYnsxBmMLx2a7YPsgd5NU=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070/go.mod h1:eN3661vGFqfxzIfPLrCQIdKcY9iIOCgZON1CedVtvwk=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0 h1:hpuvQjCSVSLnTnHXn+QAMR0mLmb1gA6wl10LExo2Ts0=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0/go.mod h1:rD3Zg+zub9ZnxcLwfol/OTQRVjaLzXypgy4UqHQvilM=
 github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.11.0/go.mod h1:+WIAkokurHmZ/KwzDOMUuoeJgaRQktHtEaLglS3ZeV8=
diff --git a/test/cli/dag_test.go b/test/cli/dag_test.go
index 38457318a0c..a834767ba20 100644
--- a/test/cli/dag_test.go
+++ b/test/cli/dag_test.go
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 package cli
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -305,3 +310,153 @@ func TestDagImportFastProvide(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Contains(t, daemonLog, "fast-provide-root: skipped")
 	})
 }
+
+// dagRefs returns root plus recursive ref CIDs from "ipfs refs -r --unique root".
+func dagRefs(node *harness.Node, root string) []string {
+	refsRes := node.IPFS("refs", "-r", "--unique", root)
+	refs := []string{root}
+	for _, line := range testutils.SplitLines(strings.TrimSpace(refsRes.Stdout.String())) {
+		if line != "" {
+			refs = append(refs, line)
+		}
+	}
+	return refs
+}
+
+func parseImportedBlockCount(stdout string) int {
+	var n int
+	for _, line := range testutils.SplitLines(stdout) {
+		if _, err := fmt.Sscanf(line, "Imported %d blocks", &n); err == nil {
+			return n
+		}
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+func TestDagExportLocalOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	node := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer node.StopDaemon()
+
+	root := node.IPFSAddDeterministic("300KiB", "dag-export-local-only", "--raw-leaves")
+	refs := dagRefs(node, root)
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(refs), 2, "need at least root and one child block")
+
+	fullCarPath := filepath.Join(node.Dir, "full.car")
+	require.NoError(t, node.IPFSDagExport(root, fullCarPath))
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("pin", "rm", root).ExitCode())
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("block", "rm", refs[1]).ExitCode())
+
+	// Export --offline should fail; discard output (no file needed).
+	res := node.Runner.Run(harness.RunRequest{
+		Path:    node.IPFSBin,
+		Args:    []string{"dag", "export", "--offline", root},
+		CmdOpts: []harness.CmdOpt{harness.RunWithStdout(io.Discard)},
+	})
+	require.NotEqual(t, 0, res.ExitCode(), "export --offline without --local-only should fail when a block is missing")
+	require.Contains(t, res.Stderr.String(), "block was not found locally")
+
+	partialCarPath := filepath.Join(node.Dir, "partial.car")
+	require.NoError(t, node.IPFSDagExport(root, partialCarPath, "--local-only", "--offline"))
+
+	nodeFull := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer nodeFull.StopDaemon()
+	fullCAR, err := os.Open(fullCarPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer fullCAR.Close()
+	fullRes := nodeFull.Runner.Run(harness.RunRequest{
+		Path:    nodeFull.IPFSBin,
+		Args:    []string{"dag", "import", "--pin-roots=false", "--stats"},
+		CmdOpts: []harness.CmdOpt{harness.RunWithStdin(fullCAR)},
+	})
+	require.Equal(t, 0, fullRes.ExitCode())
+	fullCount := parseImportedBlockCount(fullRes.Stdout.String())
+	require.Greater(t, fullCount, 0, "expected 'Imported N blocks' in output: %s", fullRes.Stdout.String())
+
+	nodePartial := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer nodePartial.StopDaemon()
+	partialCAR, err := os.Open(partialCarPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer partialCAR.Close()
+	partialRes := nodePartial.Runner.Run(harness.RunRequest{
+		Path:    nodePartial.IPFSBin,
+		Args:    []string{"dag", "import", "--pin-roots=false", "--stats"},
+		CmdOpts: []harness.CmdOpt{harness.RunWithStdin(partialCAR)},
+	})
+	require.Equal(t, 0, partialRes.ExitCode())
+	partialCount := parseImportedBlockCount(partialRes.Stdout.String())
+	require.Greater(t, partialCount, 0, "expected 'Imported N blocks' in output: %s", partialRes.Stdout.String())
+
+	require.Less(t, partialCount, fullCount, "partial CAR should have fewer blocks than full DAG")
+}
+
+func TestDagExportLocalOnlyRequiresOffline(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	node := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer node.StopDaemon()
+
+	root := node.IPFSAddDeterministic("300KiB", "dag-local-only-requires-offline", "--raw-leaves")
+	refs := dagRefs(node, root)
+
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(refs), 2)
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("pin", "rm", root).ExitCode())
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("block", "rm", refs[1]).ExitCode())
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, node.IPFSBin, "dag", "export", "--local-only", root)
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "IPFS_PATH="+node.Dir)
+	cmd.Stdout = io.Discard
+
+	err := cmd.Run()
+
+	require.Error(t, err) // command should fail
+}
+
+func TestDagImportPartialCAR(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	node := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer node.StopDaemon()
+
+	root := node.IPFSAddDeterministic("300KiB", "dag-import-partial", "--raw-leaves")
+	refs := dagRefs(node, root)
+	require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(refs), 2)
+
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("pin", "rm", root).ExitCode())
+	require.Equal(t, 0, node.RunIPFS("block", "rm", refs[1]).ExitCode())
+
+	partialCarPath := filepath.Join(node.Dir, "partial.car")
+	require.NoError(t, node.IPFSDagExport(root, partialCarPath, "--local-only", "--offline"))
+
+	imp := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer imp.StopDaemon()
+	partialCAR, err := os.Open(partialCarPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer partialCAR.Close()
+	require.NoError(t, imp.IPFSDagImport(partialCAR, root))
+}
+func TestDagImportLocalOnlyPinRootsConflict(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	node := harness.NewT(t).NewNode().Init().StartDaemon()
+	defer node.StopDaemon()
+
+	r, err := os.Open(fixtureFile)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer r.Close()
+
+	res := node.Runner.Run(harness.RunRequest{
+		Path:    node.IPFSBin,
+		Args:    []string{"dag", "import", "--local-only", "--pin-roots"},
+		CmdOpts: []harness.CmdOpt{harness.RunWithStdin(r)},
+	})
+
+	require.Equal(t, 1, res.ExitCode())
+	require.Error(t, res.Err)
+
+	errOutput := res.Stderr.String()
+
+	require.Contains(t, errOutput, "cannot pass both")
+	require.Contains(t, errOutput, "pin-roots")
+	require.Contains(t, errOutput, "local-only")
+}
diff --git a/test/cli/harness/ipfs.go b/test/cli/harness/ipfs.go
index d7470b4e764..637b316867b 100644
--- a/test/cli/harness/ipfs.go
+++ b/test/cli/harness/ipfs.go
@@ -162,17 +162,19 @@ func (n *Node) IPFSDagImport(content io.Reader, cid string, args ...string) erro
 }
 
 // IPFSDagExport exports a DAG rooted at cid to a CAR file at carPath.
-func (n *Node) IPFSDagExport(cid string, carPath string) error {
-	log.Debugf("node %d dag export of %s to %q", n.ID, cid, carPath)
+func (n *Node) IPFSDagExport(cid string, carPath string, args ...string) error {
+	log.Debugf("node %d dag export of %s to %q with args: %v", n.ID, cid, carPath, args)
 	car, err := os.Create(carPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	defer car.Close()
 
+	fullArgs := append([]string{"dag", "export"}, args...)
+	fullArgs = append(fullArgs, cid)
 	res := n.Runner.MustRun(RunRequest{
 		Path:    n.IPFSBin,
-		Args:    []string{"dag", "export", cid},
+		Args:    fullArgs,
 		CmdOpts: []CmdOpt{RunWithStdout(car)},
 	})
 	return res.Err
diff --git a/test/dependencies/go.mod b/test/dependencies/go.mod
index 8bfa80cc98f..9a9fa579f26 100644
--- a/test/dependencies/go.mod
+++ b/test/dependencies/go.mod
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/ipfs/go-metrics-interface v0.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ipfs/go-unixfsnode v1.10.3 // indirect
 	github.com/ipfs/kubo v0.31.0 // indirect
-	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0 // indirect
+	github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070 // indirect
 	github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.22.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ipshipyard/p2p-forge v0.7.0 // indirect
diff --git a/test/dependencies/go.sum b/test/dependencies/go.sum
index b0fb90e97ab..5d950c9d9bd 100644
--- a/test/dependencies/go.sum
+++ b/test/dependencies/go.sum
@@ -500,8 +500,8 @@ github.com/ipfs/iptb v1.4.1 h1:faXd3TKGPswbHyZecqqg6UfbES7RDjTKQb+6VFPKDUo=
 github.com/ipfs/iptb v1.4.1/go.mod h1:nTsBMtVYFEu0FjC5DgrErnABm3OG9ruXkFXGJoTV5OA=
 github.com/ipfs/iptb-plugins v0.5.1 h1:11PNTNEt2+SFxjUcO5qpyCTXqDj6T8Tx9pU/G4ytCIQ=
 github.com/ipfs/iptb-plugins v0.5.1/go.mod h1:mscJAjRnu4g16QK6oUBn9RGpcp8ueJmLfmPxIG/At78=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0 h1:LWe0vmN/QcQmUU4tr34W5Nv5mNraW+G6jfN2s+ndBco=
-github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.0/go.mod h1:RqFGWN9ifcXVmCrTAVnfnxiWZk1+jIx67SYhenlmL34=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070 h1:aUJhNVqQZV3PhxQX/BPAkurYnsxBmMLx2a7YPsgd5NU=
+github.com/ipld/go-car/v2 v2.16.1-0.20260306172652-7d2f4aceb070/go.mod h1:eN3661vGFqfxzIfPLrCQIdKcY9iIOCgZON1CedVtvwk=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0 h1:hpuvQjCSVSLnTnHXn+QAMR0mLmb1gA6wl10LExo2Ts0=
 github.com/ipld/go-codec-dagpb v1.7.0/go.mod h1:rD3Zg+zub9ZnxcLwfol/OTQRVjaLzXypgy4UqHQvilM=
 github.com/ipld/go-ipld-prime v0.22.0 h1:YJhDhjEOvOYaqshd3b4atIWUoRg/rKrgmwCyUHwlbuY=