diff --git a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
index c890328b02..6cbe462a77 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 		   [(--reroll-count|-v) <n>]
 		   [--to=<email>] [--cc=<email>]
 		   [--[no-]cover-letter] [--quiet] [--notes[=<ref>]]
+		   [--progress]
 		   [<common diff options>]
 		   [ <since> | <revision range> ]
 
@@ -283,6 +284,9 @@ you can use `--suffix=-patch` to get `0001-description-of-my-change-patch`.
 	range are always formatted as creation patches, independently
 	of this flag.
 
+--progress::
+	Show progress reports on stderr as patches are generated.
+
 CONFIGURATION
 -------------
 You can specify extra mail header lines to be added to each message,
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 25c8241092..25c0808409 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "version.h"
 #include "mailmap.h"
 #include "gpg-interface.h"
+#include "progress.h"
 
 /* Set a default date-time format for git log ("log.date" config variable) */
 static const char *default_date_mode = NULL;
@@ -1422,6 +1423,8 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	char *branch_name = NULL;
 	char *base_commit = NULL;
 	struct base_tree_info bases;
+	int show_progress = 0;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 
 	const struct option builtin_format_patch_options[] = {
 		{ OPTION_CALLBACK, 'n', "numbered", &numbered, NULL,
@@ -1493,6 +1496,8 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_FILENAME(0, "signature-file", &signature_file,
 				N_("add a signature from a file")),
 		OPT__QUIET(&quiet, N_("don't print the patch filenames")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "progress", &show_progress,
+			 N_("show progress while generating patches")),
 		OPT_END()
 	};
 
@@ -1752,8 +1757,12 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		start_number--;
 	}
 	rev.add_signoff = do_signoff;
+
+	if (show_progress)
+		progress = start_progress_delay(_("Generating patches"), total, 0, 2);
 	while (0 <= --nr) {
 		int shown;
+		display_progress(progress, total - nr);
 		commit = list[nr];
 		rev.nr = total - nr + (start_number - 1);
 		/* Make the second and subsequent mails replies to the first */
@@ -1818,6 +1827,7 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (!use_stdout)
 			fclose(rev.diffopt.file);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 	free(list);
 	free(branch_name);
 	string_list_clear(&extra_to, 0);
diff --git a/git-rebase--am.sh b/git-rebase--am.sh
index 319933e70a..6e64d40d6f 100644
--- a/git-rebase--am.sh
+++ b/git-rebase--am.sh
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ else
 
 	git format-patch -k --stdout --full-index --cherry-pick --right-only \
 		--src-prefix=a/ --dst-prefix=b/ --no-renames --no-cover-letter \
+		$git_format_patch_opt \
 		"$revisions" ${restrict_revision+^$restrict_revision} \
 		>"$GIT_DIR/rebased-patches"
 	ret=$?
diff --git a/git-rebase.sh b/git-rebase.sh
index f8b3d1fd97..ad8415e3cf 100755
--- a/git-rebase.sh
+++ b/git-rebase.sh
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ test "$(git config --bool rebase.stat)" = true && diffstat=t
 autostash="$(git config --bool rebase.autostash || echo false)"
 fork_point=auto
 git_am_opt=
+git_format_patch_opt=
 rebase_root=
 force_rebase=
 allow_rerere_autoupdate=
@@ -445,6 +446,11 @@ else
 	state_dir="$apply_dir"
 fi
 
+if test -t 2 && test -z "$GIT_QUIET"
+then
+	git_format_patch_opt="$git_format_patch_opt --progress"
+fi
+
 if test -z "$rebase_root"
 then
 	case "$#" in