diff --git a/Documentation/git-add.txt b/Documentation/git-add.txt
index e0e730b6c4..bb4abe26bb 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-add.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-add.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git-add' [-n] [-v] [-f] [--interactive | -i] [--patch | -p] [-u] [--refresh]
-          [--] <filepattern>...
+	  [--ignore-errors] [--] <filepattern>...
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ OPTIONS
 	Don't add the file(s), but only refresh their stat()
 	information in the index.
 
+\--ignore-errors::
+	If some files could not be added because of errors indexing
+	them, do not abort the operation, but continue adding the
+	others. The command shall still exit with non-zero status.
+
 \--::
 	This option can be used to separate command-line options from
 	the list of files, (useful when filenames might be mistaken
diff --git a/builtin-add.c b/builtin-add.c
index 4a91e3eb11..73235ed08a 100644
--- a/builtin-add.c
+++ b/builtin-add.c
@@ -79,12 +79,18 @@ static void fill_directory(struct dir_struct *dir, const char **pathspec,
 		prune_directory(dir, pathspec, baselen);
 }
 
+struct update_callback_data
+{
+	int flags;
+	int add_errors;
+};
+
 static void update_callback(struct diff_queue_struct *q,
 			    struct diff_options *opt, void *cbdata)
 {
-	int i, verbose;
+	int i;
+	struct update_callback_data *data = cbdata;
 
-	verbose = *((int *)cbdata);
 	for (i = 0; i < q->nr; i++) {
 		struct diff_filepair *p = q->queue[i];
 		const char *path = p->one->path;
@@ -94,27 +100,35 @@ static void update_callback(struct diff_queue_struct *q,
 		case DIFF_STATUS_UNMERGED:
 		case DIFF_STATUS_MODIFIED:
 		case DIFF_STATUS_TYPE_CHANGED:
-			add_file_to_cache(path, verbose);
+			if (add_file_to_cache(path, data->flags & ADD_FILES_VERBOSE)) {
+				if (!(data->flags & ADD_FILES_IGNORE_ERRORS))
+					die("updating files failed");
+				data->add_errors++;
+			}
 			break;
 		case DIFF_STATUS_DELETED:
 			remove_file_from_cache(path);
-			if (verbose)
+			if (data->flags & ADD_FILES_VERBOSE)
 				printf("remove '%s'\n", path);
 			break;
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-void add_files_to_cache(int verbose, const char *prefix, const char **pathspec)
+int add_files_to_cache(const char *prefix, const char **pathspec, int flags)
 {
+	struct update_callback_data data;
 	struct rev_info rev;
 	init_revisions(&rev, prefix);
 	setup_revisions(0, NULL, &rev, NULL);
 	rev.prune_data = pathspec;
 	rev.diffopt.output_format = DIFF_FORMAT_CALLBACK;
 	rev.diffopt.format_callback = update_callback;
-	rev.diffopt.format_callback_data = &verbose;
+	data.flags = flags;
+	data.add_errors = 0;
+	rev.diffopt.format_callback_data = &data;
 	run_diff_files(&rev, DIFF_RACY_IS_MODIFIED);
+	return !!data.add_errors;
 }
 
 static void refresh(int verbose, const char **pathspec)
@@ -177,6 +191,7 @@ static const char ignore_error[] =
 "The following paths are ignored by one of your .gitignore files:\n";
 
 static int verbose = 0, show_only = 0, ignored_too = 0, refresh_only = 0;
+static int ignore_add_errors;
 
 static struct option builtin_add_options[] = {
 	OPT__DRY_RUN(&show_only),
@@ -187,11 +202,22 @@ static struct option builtin_add_options[] = {
 	OPT_BOOLEAN('f', NULL, &ignored_too, "allow adding otherwise ignored files"),
 	OPT_BOOLEAN('u', NULL, &take_worktree_changes, "update tracked files"),
 	OPT_BOOLEAN( 0 , "refresh", &refresh_only, "don't add, only refresh the index"),
+	OPT_BOOLEAN( 0 , "ignore-errors", &ignore_add_errors, "just skip files which cannot be added because of errors"),
 	OPT_END(),
 };
 
+static int add_config(const char *var, const char *value)
+{
+	if (!strcasecmp(var, "add.ignore-errors")) {
+		ignore_add_errors = git_config_bool(var, value);
+		return 0;
+	}
+	return git_default_config(var, value);
+}
+
 int cmd_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
+	int exit_status = 0;
 	int i, newfd;
 	const char **pathspec;
 	struct dir_struct dir;
@@ -203,16 +229,23 @@ int cmd_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (add_interactive)
 		exit(interactive_add(argc, argv, prefix));
 
-	git_config(git_default_config);
+	git_config(add_config);
 
 	newfd = hold_locked_index(&lock_file, 1);
 
 	if (take_worktree_changes) {
+		int flags = 0;
 		const char **pathspec;
 		if (read_cache() < 0)
 			die("index file corrupt");
 		pathspec = get_pathspec(prefix, argv);
-		add_files_to_cache(verbose, prefix, pathspec);
+
+		if (verbose)
+			flags |= ADD_FILES_VERBOSE;
+		if (ignore_add_errors)
+			flags |= ADD_FILES_IGNORE_ERRORS;
+
+		exit_status = add_files_to_cache(prefix, pathspec, flags);
 		goto finish;
 	}
 
@@ -254,7 +287,11 @@ int cmd_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < dir.nr; i++)
-		add_file_to_cache(dir.entries[i]->name, verbose);
+		if (add_file_to_cache(dir.entries[i]->name, verbose)) {
+			if (!ignore_add_errors)
+				die("adding files failed");
+			exit_status = 1;
+		}
 
  finish:
 	if (active_cache_changed) {
@@ -263,5 +300,5 @@ int cmd_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			die("Unable to write new index file");
 	}
 
-	return 0;
+	return exit_status;
 }
diff --git a/builtin-checkout.c b/builtin-checkout.c
index 10ec137cce..05c06421b6 100644
--- a/builtin-checkout.c
+++ b/builtin-checkout.c
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ static int merge_working_tree(struct checkout_opts *opts,
 			 * entries in the index.
 			 */
 
-			add_files_to_cache(0, NULL, NULL);
+			add_files_to_cache(NULL, NULL, 0);
 			work = write_tree_from_memory();
 
 			ret = reset_to_new(new->commit->tree, opts->quiet);
diff --git a/builtin-commit.c b/builtin-commit.c
index 0baec6db6a..d75224381b 100644
--- a/builtin-commit.c
+++ b/builtin-commit.c
@@ -179,9 +179,10 @@ static void add_remove_files(struct path_list *list)
 		struct stat st;
 		struct path_list_item *p = &(list->items[i]);
 
-		if (!lstat(p->path, &st))
-			add_to_cache(p->path, &st, 0);
-		else
+		if (!lstat(p->path, &st)) {
+			if (add_to_cache(p->path, &st, 0))
+				die("updating files failed");
+		} else
 			remove_file_from_cache(p->path);
 	}
 }
@@ -246,7 +247,7 @@ static char *prepare_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	 */
 	if (all || (also && pathspec && *pathspec)) {
 		int fd = hold_locked_index(&index_lock, 1);
-		add_files_to_cache(0, also ? prefix : NULL, pathspec);
+		add_files_to_cache(also ? prefix : NULL, pathspec, 0);
 		refresh_cache(REFRESH_QUIET);
 		if (write_cache(fd, active_cache, active_nr) ||
 		    close_lock_file(&index_lock))
diff --git a/builtin-mv.c b/builtin-mv.c
index 94f6dd2aad..fb8ffb41aa 100644
--- a/builtin-mv.c
+++ b/builtin-mv.c
@@ -256,7 +256,8 @@ int cmd_mv(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 		for (i = 0; i < added.nr; i++) {
 			const char *path = added.items[i].path;
-			add_file_to_cache(path, verbose);
+			if (add_file_to_cache(path, verbose))
+				die("updating index entries failed");
 		}
 
 		for (i = 0; i < deleted.nr; i++)
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 093f04cec0..0f89f1569a 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -782,7 +782,13 @@ extern int convert_to_git(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len,
 extern int convert_to_working_tree(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len, struct strbuf *dst);
 
 /* add */
-void add_files_to_cache(int verbose, const char *prefix, const char **pathspec);
+#define ADD_FILES_VERBOSE	01
+#define ADD_FILES_IGNORE_ERRORS	02
+/*
+ * return 0 if success, 1 - if addition of a file failed and
+ * ADD_FILES_IGNORE_ERRORS was specified in flags
+ */
+int add_files_to_cache(const char *prefix, const char **pathspec, int flags);
 
 /* diff.c */
 extern int diff_auto_refresh_index;
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 0382804e76..8b467f8f41 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ int add_to_index(struct index_state *istate, const char *path, struct stat *st,
 	unsigned ce_option = CE_MATCH_IGNORE_VALID|CE_MATCH_RACY_IS_DIRTY;
 
 	if (!S_ISREG(st_mode) && !S_ISLNK(st_mode) && !S_ISDIR(st_mode))
-		die("%s: can only add regular files, symbolic links or git-directories", path);
+		return error("%s: can only add regular files, symbolic links or git-directories", path);
 
 	namelen = strlen(path);
 	if (S_ISDIR(st_mode)) {
@@ -505,12 +505,12 @@ int add_to_index(struct index_state *istate, const char *path, struct stat *st,
 		return 0;
 	}
 	if (index_path(ce->sha1, path, st, 1))
-		die("unable to index file %s", path);
+		return error("unable to index file %s", path);
 	if (ignore_case && alias && different_name(ce, alias))
 		ce = create_alias_ce(ce, alias);
 	ce->ce_flags |= CE_ADDED;
 	if (add_index_entry(istate, ce, ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_ADD|ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_REPLACE))
-		die("unable to add %s to index",path);
+		return error("unable to add %s to index",path);
 	if (verbose)
 		printf("add '%s'\n", path);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/t/t3700-add.sh b/t/t3700-add.sh
index 68c5ddebdf..e83fa1f689 100755
--- a/t/t3700-add.sh
+++ b/t/t3700-add.sh
@@ -179,4 +179,47 @@ test_expect_success 'git add --refresh' '
 	test -z "`git diff-index HEAD -- foo`"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'git add should fail atomically upon an unreadable file' '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	date >foo1 &&
+	date >foo2 &&
+	chmod 0 foo2 &&
+	test_must_fail git add --verbose . &&
+	! ( git ls-files foo1 | grep foo1 )
+'
+
+rm -f foo2
+
+test_expect_success 'git add --ignore-errors' '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	date >foo1 &&
+	date >foo2 &&
+	chmod 0 foo2 &&
+	test_must_fail git add --verbose --ignore-errors . &&
+	git ls-files foo1 | grep foo1
+'
+
+rm -f foo2
+
+test_expect_success 'git add (add.ignore-errors)' '
+	git config add.ignore-errors 1 &&
+	git reset --hard &&
+	date >foo1 &&
+	date >foo2 &&
+	chmod 0 foo2 &&
+	test_must_fail git add --verbose . &&
+	git ls-files foo1 | grep foo1
+'
+rm -f foo2
+
+test_expect_success 'git add (add.ignore-errors = false)' '
+	git config add.ignore-errors 0 &&
+	git reset --hard &&
+	date >foo1 &&
+	date >foo2 &&
+	chmod 0 foo2 &&
+	test_must_fail git add --verbose . &&
+	! ( git ls-files foo1 | grep foo1 )
+'
+
 test_done