diff --git a/builtin/ls-remote.c b/builtin/ls-remote.c
index 97eed4012b..1a1ff87e8f 100644
--- a/builtin/ls-remote.c
+++ b/builtin/ls-remote.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	int i;
 	const char *dest = NULL;
 	unsigned flags = 0;
+	int get_url = 0;
 	int quiet = 0;
 	const char *uploadpack = NULL;
 	const char **pattern = NULL;
@@ -69,6 +70,10 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				quiet = 1;
 				continue;
 			}
+			if (!strcmp("--get-url", arg)) {
+				get_url = 1;
+				continue;
+			}
 			usage(ls_remote_usage);
 		}
 		dest = arg;
@@ -94,6 +99,12 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	}
 	if (!remote->url_nr)
 		die("remote %s has no configured URL", dest);
+
+	if (get_url) {
+		printf("%s\n", *remote->url);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	transport = transport_get(remote, NULL);
 	if (uploadpack != NULL)
 		transport_set_option(transport, TRANS_OPT_UPLOADPACK, uploadpack);
diff --git a/git-parse-remote.sh b/git-parse-remote.sh
index 1cc2ba6e09..0ab1192f81 100644
--- a/git-parse-remote.sh
+++ b/git-parse-remote.sh
@@ -4,54 +4,8 @@
 # this would fail in that case and would issue an error message.
 GIT_DIR=$(git rev-parse -q --git-dir) || :;
 
-get_data_source () {
-	case "$1" in
-	*/*)
-		echo ''
-		;;
-	.)
-		echo self
-		;;
-	*)
-		if test "$(git config --get "remote.$1.url")"
-		then
-			echo config
-		elif test -f "$GIT_DIR/remotes/$1"
-		then
-			echo remotes
-		elif test -f "$GIT_DIR/branches/$1"
-		then
-			echo branches
-		else
-			echo ''
-		fi ;;
-	esac
-}
-
 get_remote_url () {
-	data_source=$(get_data_source "$1")
-	case "$data_source" in
-	'')
-		echo "$1"
-		;;
-	self)
-		echo "$1"
-		;;
-	config)
-		git config --get "remote.$1.url"
-		;;
-	remotes)
-		sed -ne '/^URL: */{
-			s///p
-			q
-		}' "$GIT_DIR/remotes/$1"
-		;;
-	branches)
-		sed -e 's/#.*//' "$GIT_DIR/branches/$1"
-		;;
-	*)
-		die "internal error: get-remote-url $1" ;;
-	esac
+	git ls-remote --get-url "$1"
 }
 
 get_default_remote () {