diff --git a/Documentation/git-merge-tree.txt b/Documentation/git-merge-tree.txt
index 58731c1942..d6c356740e 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-merge-tree.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-merge-tree.txt
@@ -3,26 +3,237 @@ git-merge-tree(1)
 
 NAME
 ----
-git-merge-tree - Show three-way merge without touching index
+git-merge-tree - Perform merge without touching index or working tree
 
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git merge-tree' <base-tree> <branch1> <branch2>
+'git merge-tree' [--write-tree] [<options>] <branch1> <branch2>
+'git merge-tree' [--trivial-merge] <base-tree> <branch1> <branch2> (deprecated)
 
+[[NEWMERGE]]
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
-Reads three tree-ish, and output trivial merge results and
-conflicting stages to the standard output.  This is similar to
-what three-way 'git read-tree -m' does, but instead of storing the
-results in the index, the command outputs the entries to the
-standard output.
 
-This is meant to be used by higher level scripts to compute
-merge results outside of the index, and stuff the results back into the
-index.  For this reason, the output from the command omits
-entries that match the <branch1> tree.
+This command has a modern `--write-tree` mode and a deprecated
+`--trivial-merge` mode.  With the exception of the
+<<DEPMERGE,DEPRECATED DESCRIPTION>> section at the end, the rest of
+this documentation describes modern `--write-tree` mode.
+
+Performs a merge, but does not make any new commits and does not read
+from or write to either the working tree or index.
+
+The performed merge will use the same feature as the "real"
+linkgit:git-merge[1], including:
+
+  * three way content merges of individual files
+  * rename detection
+  * proper directory/file conflict handling
+  * recursive ancestor consolidation (i.e. when there is more than one
+    merge base, creating a virtual merge base by merging the merge bases)
+  * etc.
+
+After the merge completes, a new toplevel tree object is created.  See
+`OUTPUT` below for details.
+
+OPTIONS
+-------
+
+-z::
+	Do not quote filenames in the <Conflicted file info> section,
+	and end each filename with a NUL character rather than
+	newline.  Also begin the messages section with a NUL character
+	instead of a newline.  See <<OUTPUT>> below for more information.
+
+--name-only::
+	In the Conflicted file info section, instead of writing a list
+	of (mode, oid, stage, path) tuples to output for conflicted
+	files, just provide a list of filenames with conflicts (and
+	do not list filenames multiple times if they have multiple
+	conflicting stages).
+
+--[no-]messages::
+	Write any informational messages such as "Auto-merging <path>"
+	or CONFLICT notices to the end of stdout.  If unspecified, the
+	default is to include these messages if there are merge
+	conflicts, and to omit them otherwise.
+
+--allow-unrelated-histories::
+	merge-tree will by default error out if the two branches specified
+	share no common history.  This flag can be given to override that
+	check and make the merge proceed anyway.
+
+[[OUTPUT]]
+OUTPUT
+------
+
+For a successful merge, the output from git-merge-tree is simply one
+line:
+
+	<OID of toplevel tree>
+
+Whereas for a conflicted merge, the output is by default of the form:
+
+	<OID of toplevel tree>
+	<Conflicted file info>
+	<Informational messages>
+
+These are discussed individually below.
+
+[[OIDTLT]]
+OID of toplevel tree
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+This is a tree object that represents what would be checked out in the
+working tree at the end of `git merge`.  If there were conflicts, then
+files within this tree may have embedded conflict markers.  This section
+is always followed by a newline (or NUL if `-z` is passed).
+
+[[CFI]]
+Conflicted file info
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+This is a sequence of lines with the format
+
+	<mode> <object> <stage> <filename>
+
+The filename will be quoted as explained for the configuration
+variable `core.quotePath` (see linkgit:git-config[1]).  However, if
+the `--name-only` option is passed, the mode, object, and stage will
+be omitted.  If `-z` is passed, the "lines" are terminated by a NUL
+character instead of a newline character.
+
+[[IM]]
+Informational messages
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+This always starts with a blank line (or NUL if `-z` is passed) to
+separate it from the previous sections, and then has free-form
+messages about the merge, such as:
+
+  * "Auto-merging <file>"
+  * "CONFLICT (rename/delete): <oldfile> renamed...but deleted in..."
+  * "Failed to merge submodule <submodule> (<reason>)"
+  * "Warning: cannot merge binary files: <filename>"
+
+Note that these free-form messages will never have a NUL character
+in or between them, even if -z is passed.  It is simply a large block
+of text taking up the remainder of the output.
+
+EXIT STATUS
+-----------
+
+For a successful, non-conflicted merge, the exit status is 0.  When the
+merge has conflicts, the exit status is 1.  If the merge is not able to
+complete (or start) due to some kind of error, the exit status is
+something other than 0 or 1 (and the output is unspecified).
+
+USAGE NOTES
+-----------
+
+This command is intended as low-level plumbing, similar to
+linkgit:git-hash-object[1], linkgit:git-mktree[1],
+linkgit:git-commit-tree[1], linkgit:git-write-tree[1],
+linkgit:git-update-ref[1], and linkgit:git-mktag[1].  Thus, it can be
+used as a part of a series of steps such as:
+
+       NEWTREE=$(git merge-tree --write-tree $BRANCH1 $BRANCH2)
+       test $? -eq 0 || die "There were conflicts..."
+       NEWCOMMIT=$(git commit-tree $NEWTREE -p $BRANCH1 -p $BRANCH2)
+       git update-ref $BRANCH1 $NEWCOMMIT
+
+Note that when the exit status is non-zero, `NEWTREE` in this sequence
+will contain a lot more output than just a tree.
+
+For conflicts, the output includes the same information that you'd get
+with linkgit:git-merge[1]:
+
+  * what would be written to the working tree (the
+    <<OIDTLT,OID of toplevel tree>>)
+  * the higher order stages that would be written to the index (the
+    <<CFI,Conflicted file info>>)
+  * any messages that would have been printed to stdout (the
+    <<IM,Informational messages>>)
+
+MISTAKES TO AVOID
+-----------------
+
+Do NOT look through the resulting toplevel tree to try to find which
+files conflict; parse the <<CFI,Conflicted file info>> section instead.
+Not only would parsing an entire tree be horrendously slow in large
+repositories, there are numerous types of conflicts not representable by
+conflict markers (modify/delete, mode conflict, binary file changed on
+both sides, file/directory conflicts, various rename conflict
+permutations, etc.)
+
+Do NOT interpret an empty <<CFI,Conflicted file info>> list as a clean
+merge; check the exit status.  A merge can have conflicts without having
+individual files conflict (there are a few types of directory rename
+conflicts that fall into this category, and others might also be added
+in the future).
+
+Do NOT attempt to guess or make the user guess the conflict types from
+the <<CFI,Conflicted file info>> list.  The information there is
+insufficient to do so.  For example: Rename/rename(1to2) conflicts (both
+sides renamed the same file differently) will result in three different
+file having higher order stages (but each only has one higher order
+stage), with no way (short of the <<IM,Informational messages>> section)
+to determine which three files are related.  File/directory conflicts
+also result in a file with exactly one higher order stage.
+Possibly-involved-in-directory-rename conflicts (when
+"merge.directoryRenames" is unset or set to "conflicts") also result in
+a file with exactly one higher order stage.  In all cases, the
+<<IM,Informational messages>> section has the necessary info, though it
+is not designed to be machine parseable.
+
+Do NOT assume that each paths from <<CFI,Conflicted file info>>, and
+the logical conflicts in the <<IM,Informational messages>> have a
+one-to-one mapping, nor that there is a one-to-many mapping, nor a
+many-to-one mapping.  Many-to-many mappings exist, meaning that each
+path can have many logical conflict types in a single merge, and each
+logical conflict type can affect many paths.
+
+Do NOT assume all filenames listed in the <<IM,Informational messages>>
+section had conflicts.  Messages can be included for files that have no
+conflicts, such as "Auto-merging <file>".
+
+AVOID taking the OIDS from the <<CFI,Conflicted file info>> and
+re-merging them to present the conflicts to the user.  This will lose
+information.  Instead, look up the version of the file found within the
+<<OIDTLT,OID of toplevel tree>> and show that instead.  In particular,
+the latter will have conflict markers annotated with the original
+branch/commit being merged and, if renames were involved, the original
+filename.  While you could include the original branch/commit in the
+conflict marker annotations when re-merging, the original filename is
+not available from the <<CFI,Conflicted file info>> and thus you would
+be losing information that might help the user resolve the conflict.
+
+[[DEPMERGE]]
+DEPRECATED DESCRIPTION
+----------------------
+
+Per the <<NEWMERGE,DESCRIPTION>> and unlike the rest of this
+documentation, this section describes the deprecated `--trivial-merge`
+mode.
+
+Other than the optional `--trivial-merge`, this mode accepts no
+options.
+
+This mode reads three tree-ish, and outputs trivial merge results and
+conflicting stages to the standard output in a semi-diff format.
+Since this was designed for higher level scripts to consume and merge
+the results back into the index, it omits entries that match
+<branch1>.  The result of this second form is similar to what
+three-way 'git read-tree -m' does, but instead of storing the results
+in the index, the command outputs the entries to the standard output.
+
+This form not only has limited applicability (a trivial merge cannot
+handle content merges of individual files, rename detection, proper
+directory/file conflict handling, etc.), the output format is also
+difficult to work with, and it will generally be less performant than
+the first form even on successful merges (especially if working in
+large repositories).
 
 GIT
 ---
diff --git a/builtin/merge-tree.c b/builtin/merge-tree.c
index 5dc94d6f88..ae5782917b 100644
--- a/builtin/merge-tree.c
+++ b/builtin/merge-tree.c
@@ -2,13 +2,18 @@
 #include "builtin.h"
 #include "tree-walk.h"
 #include "xdiff-interface.h"
+#include "help.h"
+#include "commit-reach.h"
+#include "merge-ort.h"
 #include "object-store.h"
+#include "parse-options.h"
 #include "repository.h"
 #include "blob.h"
 #include "exec-cmd.h"
 #include "merge-blobs.h"
+#include "quote.h"
 
-static const char merge_tree_usage[] = "git merge-tree <base-tree> <branch1> <branch2>";
+static int line_termination = '\n';
 
 struct merge_list {
 	struct merge_list *next;
@@ -28,7 +33,7 @@ static void add_merge_entry(struct merge_list *entry)
 	merge_result_end = &entry->next;
 }
 
-static void merge_trees(struct tree_desc t[3], const char *base);
+static void trivial_merge_trees(struct tree_desc t[3], const char *base);
 
 static const char *explanation(struct merge_list *entry)
 {
@@ -225,7 +230,7 @@ static void unresolved_directory(const struct traverse_info *info,
 	buf2 = fill_tree_descriptor(r, t + 2, ENTRY_OID(n + 2));
 #undef ENTRY_OID
 
-	merge_trees(t, newbase);
+	trivial_merge_trees(t, newbase);
 
 	free(buf0);
 	free(buf1);
@@ -342,7 +347,7 @@ static int threeway_callback(int n, unsigned long mask, unsigned long dirmask, s
 	return mask;
 }
 
-static void merge_trees(struct tree_desc t[3], const char *base)
+static void trivial_merge_trees(struct tree_desc t[3], const char *base)
 {
 	struct traverse_info info;
 
@@ -366,19 +371,18 @@ static void *get_tree_descriptor(struct repository *r,
 	return buf;
 }
 
-int cmd_merge_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
+static int trivial_merge(const char *base,
+			 const char *branch1,
+			 const char *branch2)
 {
 	struct repository *r = the_repository;
 	struct tree_desc t[3];
 	void *buf1, *buf2, *buf3;
 
-	if (argc != 4)
-		usage(merge_tree_usage);
-
-	buf1 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+0, argv[1]);
-	buf2 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+1, argv[2]);
-	buf3 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+2, argv[3]);
-	merge_trees(t, "");
+	buf1 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+0, base);
+	buf2 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+1, branch1);
+	buf3 = get_tree_descriptor(r, t+2, branch2);
+	trivial_merge_trees(t, "");
 	free(buf1);
 	free(buf2);
 	free(buf3);
@@ -386,3 +390,162 @@ int cmd_merge_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	show_result();
 	return 0;
 }
+
+enum mode {
+	MODE_UNKNOWN,
+	MODE_TRIVIAL,
+	MODE_REAL,
+};
+
+struct merge_tree_options {
+	int mode;
+	int allow_unrelated_histories;
+	int show_messages;
+	int name_only;
+};
+
+static int real_merge(struct merge_tree_options *o,
+		      const char *branch1, const char *branch2,
+		      const char *prefix)
+{
+	struct commit *parent1, *parent2;
+	struct commit_list *merge_bases = NULL;
+	struct merge_options opt;
+	struct merge_result result = { 0 };
+
+	parent1 = get_merge_parent(branch1);
+	if (!parent1)
+		help_unknown_ref(branch1, "merge-tree",
+				 _("not something we can merge"));
+
+	parent2 = get_merge_parent(branch2);
+	if (!parent2)
+		help_unknown_ref(branch2, "merge-tree",
+				 _("not something we can merge"));
+
+	init_merge_options(&opt, the_repository);
+
+	opt.show_rename_progress = 0;
+
+	opt.branch1 = branch1;
+	opt.branch2 = branch2;
+
+	/*
+	 * Get the merge bases, in reverse order; see comment above
+	 * merge_incore_recursive in merge-ort.h
+	 */
+	merge_bases = get_merge_bases(parent1, parent2);
+	if (!merge_bases && !o->allow_unrelated_histories)
+		die(_("refusing to merge unrelated histories"));
+	merge_bases = reverse_commit_list(merge_bases);
+
+	merge_incore_recursive(&opt, merge_bases, parent1, parent2, &result);
+	if (result.clean < 0)
+		die(_("failure to merge"));
+
+	if (o->show_messages == -1)
+		o->show_messages = !result.clean;
+
+	printf("%s%c", oid_to_hex(&result.tree->object.oid), line_termination);
+	if (!result.clean) {
+		struct string_list conflicted_files = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
+		const char *last = NULL;
+		int i;
+
+		merge_get_conflicted_files(&result, &conflicted_files);
+		for (i = 0; i < conflicted_files.nr; i++) {
+			const char *name = conflicted_files.items[i].string;
+			struct stage_info *c = conflicted_files.items[i].util;
+			if (!o->name_only)
+				printf("%06o %s %d\t",
+				       c->mode, oid_to_hex(&c->oid), c->stage);
+			else if (last && !strcmp(last, name))
+				continue;
+			write_name_quoted_relative(
+				name, prefix, stdout, line_termination);
+			last = name;
+		}
+		string_list_clear(&conflicted_files, 1);
+	}
+	if (o->show_messages) {
+		putchar(line_termination);
+		merge_display_update_messages(&opt, line_termination == '\0',
+					      &result);
+	}
+	merge_finalize(&opt, &result);
+	return !result.clean; /* result.clean < 0 handled above */
+}
+
+int cmd_merge_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
+{
+	struct merge_tree_options o = { .show_messages = -1 };
+	int expected_remaining_argc;
+	int original_argc;
+
+	const char * const merge_tree_usage[] = {
+		N_("git merge-tree [--write-tree] [<options>] <branch1> <branch2>"),
+		N_("git merge-tree [--trivial-merge] <base-tree> <branch1> <branch2>"),
+		NULL
+	};
+	struct option mt_options[] = {
+		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "write-tree", &o.mode,
+			    N_("do a real merge instead of a trivial merge"),
+			    MODE_REAL),
+		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "trivial-merge", &o.mode,
+			    N_("do a trivial merge only"), MODE_TRIVIAL),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "messages", &o.show_messages,
+			 N_("also show informational/conflict messages")),
+		OPT_SET_INT('z', NULL, &line_termination,
+			    N_("separate paths with the NUL character"), '\0'),
+		OPT_BOOL_F(0, "name-only",
+			   &o.name_only,
+			   N_("list filenames without modes/oids/stages"),
+			   PARSE_OPT_NONEG),
+		OPT_BOOL_F(0, "allow-unrelated-histories",
+			   &o.allow_unrelated_histories,
+			   N_("allow merging unrelated histories"),
+			   PARSE_OPT_NONEG),
+		OPT_END()
+	};
+
+	/* Parse arguments */
+	original_argc = argc - 1; /* ignoring argv[0] */
+	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, mt_options,
+			     merge_tree_usage, PARSE_OPT_STOP_AT_NON_OPTION);
+	switch (o.mode) {
+	default:
+		BUG("unexpected command mode %d", o.mode);
+	case MODE_UNKNOWN:
+		switch (argc) {
+		default:
+			usage_with_options(merge_tree_usage, mt_options);
+		case 2:
+			o.mode = MODE_REAL;
+			break;
+		case 3:
+			o.mode = MODE_TRIVIAL;
+			break;
+		}
+		expected_remaining_argc = argc;
+		break;
+	case MODE_REAL:
+		expected_remaining_argc = 2;
+		break;
+	case MODE_TRIVIAL:
+		expected_remaining_argc = 3;
+		/* Removal of `--trivial-merge` is expected */
+		original_argc--;
+		break;
+	}
+	if (o.mode == MODE_TRIVIAL && argc < original_argc)
+		die(_("--trivial-merge is incompatible with all other options"));
+
+	if (argc != expected_remaining_argc)
+		usage_with_options(merge_tree_usage, mt_options);
+
+	/* Do the relevant type of merge */
+	if (o.mode == MODE_REAL)
+		return real_merge(&o, argv[0], argv[1], prefix);
+	else
+		return trivial_merge(argv[0], argv[1], argv[2]);
+}
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index e71cf75886..2214ae49e4 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -3362,23 +3362,23 @@ struct userdiff_driver *get_textconv(struct repository *r,
 	return userdiff_get_textconv(r, one->driver);
 }
 
-static struct strbuf *additional_headers(struct diff_options *o,
-					 const char *path)
+static struct string_list *additional_headers(struct diff_options *o,
+					      const char *path)
 {
 	if (!o->additional_path_headers)
 		return NULL;
 	return strmap_get(o->additional_path_headers, path);
 }
 
-static void add_formatted_headers(struct strbuf *msg,
-				  struct strbuf *more_headers,
+static void add_formatted_header(struct strbuf *msg,
+				  const char *header,
 				  const char *line_prefix,
 				  const char *meta,
 				  const char *reset)
 {
-	char *next, *newline;
+	const char *next, *newline;
 
-	for (next = more_headers->buf; *next; next = newline) {
+	for (next = header; *next; next = newline) {
 		newline = strchrnul(next, '\n');
 		strbuf_addf(msg, "%s%s%.*s%s\n", line_prefix, meta,
 			    (int)(newline - next), next, reset);
@@ -3387,6 +3387,19 @@ static void add_formatted_headers(struct strbuf *msg,
 	}
 }
 
+static void add_formatted_headers(struct strbuf *msg,
+				  struct string_list *more_headers,
+				  const char *line_prefix,
+				  const char *meta,
+				  const char *reset)
+{
+	int i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < more_headers->nr; i++)
+		add_formatted_header(msg, more_headers->items[i].string,
+				     line_prefix, meta, reset);
+}
+
 static void builtin_diff(const char *name_a,
 			 const char *name_b,
 			 struct diff_filespec *one,
@@ -4314,7 +4327,7 @@ static void fill_metainfo(struct strbuf *msg,
 	const char *set = diff_get_color(use_color, DIFF_METAINFO);
 	const char *reset = diff_get_color(use_color, DIFF_RESET);
 	const char *line_prefix = diff_line_prefix(o);
-	struct strbuf *more_headers = NULL;
+	struct string_list *more_headers = NULL;
 
 	*must_show_header = 1;
 	strbuf_init(msg, PATH_MAX * 2 + 300);
diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
index d7a7a82008..e5d62fa5a9 100644
--- a/git.c
+++ b/git.c
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ static struct cmd_struct commands[] = {
 	{ "merge-recursive-ours", cmd_merge_recursive, RUN_SETUP | NEED_WORK_TREE | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "merge-recursive-theirs", cmd_merge_recursive, RUN_SETUP | NEED_WORK_TREE | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "merge-subtree", cmd_merge_recursive, RUN_SETUP | NEED_WORK_TREE | NO_PARSEOPT },
-	{ "merge-tree", cmd_merge_tree, RUN_SETUP | NO_PARSEOPT },
+	{ "merge-tree", cmd_merge_tree, RUN_SETUP },
 	{ "mktag", cmd_mktag, RUN_SETUP | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "mktree", cmd_mktree, RUN_SETUP },
 	{ "multi-pack-index", cmd_multi_pack_index, RUN_SETUP },
diff --git a/merge-ort.c b/merge-ort.c
index b5015b9afd..01f150ef3b 100644
--- a/merge-ort.c
+++ b/merge-ort.c
@@ -349,13 +349,15 @@ struct merge_options_internal {
 	struct mem_pool pool;
 
 	/*
-	 * output: special messages and conflict notices for various paths
+	 * conflicts: logical conflicts and messages stored by _primary_ path
 	 *
 	 * This is a map of pathnames (a subset of the keys in "paths" above)
-	 * to strbufs.  It gathers various warning/conflict/notice messages
-	 * for later processing.
+	 * to struct string_list, with each item's `util` containing a
+	 * `struct logical_conflict_info`. Note, though, that for each path,
+	 * it only stores the logical conflicts for which that path is the
+	 * primary path; the path might be part of additional conflicts.
 	 */
-	struct strmap output;
+	struct strmap conflicts;
 
 	/*
 	 * renames: various data relating to rename detection
@@ -481,6 +483,100 @@ struct conflict_info {
 	unsigned match_mask:3;
 };
 
+enum conflict_and_info_types {
+	/* "Simple" conflicts and informational messages */
+	INFO_AUTO_MERGING = 0,
+	CONFLICT_CONTENTS,       /* text file that failed to merge */
+	CONFLICT_BINARY,
+	CONFLICT_FILE_DIRECTORY,
+	CONFLICT_DISTINCT_MODES,
+	CONFLICT_MODIFY_DELETE,
+	CONFLICT_PRESENT_DESPITE_SKIPPED,
+
+	/* Regular rename */
+	CONFLICT_RENAME_RENAME,   /* same file renamed differently */
+	CONFLICT_RENAME_COLLIDES, /* rename/add or two files renamed to 1 */
+	CONFLICT_RENAME_DELETE,
+
+	/* Basic directory rename */
+	CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SUGGESTED,
+	INFO_DIR_RENAME_APPLIED,
+
+	/* Special directory rename cases */
+	INFO_DIR_RENAME_SKIPPED_DUE_TO_RERENAME,
+	CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_FILE_IN_WAY,
+	CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_COLLISION,
+	CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SPLIT,
+
+	/* Basic submodule */
+	INFO_SUBMODULE_FAST_FORWARDING,
+	CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE,
+
+	/* Special submodule cases broken out from FAILED_TO_MERGE */
+	CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE_BUT_POSSIBLE_RESOLUTION,
+	CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_NOT_INITIALIZED,
+	CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_HISTORY_NOT_AVAILABLE,
+	CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_MAY_HAVE_REWINDS,
+
+	/* Keep this entry _last_ in the list */
+	NB_CONFLICT_TYPES,
+};
+
+/*
+ * Short description of conflict type, relied upon by external tools.
+ *
+ * We can add more entries, but DO NOT change any of these strings.  Also,
+ * Order MUST match conflict_info_and_types.
+ */
+static const char *type_short_descriptions[] = {
+	/*** "Simple" conflicts and informational messages ***/
+	[INFO_AUTO_MERGING] = "Auto-merging",
+	[CONFLICT_CONTENTS] = "CONFLICT (contents)",
+	[CONFLICT_BINARY] = "CONFLICT (binary)",
+	[CONFLICT_FILE_DIRECTORY] = "CONFLICT (file/directory)",
+	[CONFLICT_DISTINCT_MODES] = "CONFLICT (distinct modes)",
+	[CONFLICT_MODIFY_DELETE] = "CONFLICT (modify/delete)",
+	[CONFLICT_PRESENT_DESPITE_SKIPPED] =
+		"CONFLICT (upgrade your version of git)",
+
+	/*** Regular rename ***/
+	[CONFLICT_RENAME_RENAME] = "CONFLICT (rename/rename)",
+	[CONFLICT_RENAME_COLLIDES] = "CONFLICT (rename involved in collision)",
+	[CONFLICT_RENAME_DELETE] = "CONFLICT (rename/delete)",
+
+	/*** Basic directory rename ***/
+	[CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SUGGESTED] =
+		"CONFLICT (directory rename suggested)",
+	[INFO_DIR_RENAME_APPLIED] = "Path updated due to directory rename",
+
+	/*** Special directory rename cases ***/
+	[INFO_DIR_RENAME_SKIPPED_DUE_TO_RERENAME] =
+		"Directory rename skipped since directory was renamed on both sides",
+	[CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_FILE_IN_WAY] =
+		"CONFLICT (file in way of directory rename)",
+	[CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_COLLISION] = "CONFLICT(directory rename collision)",
+	[CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SPLIT] = "CONFLICT(directory rename unclear split)",
+
+	/*** Basic submodule ***/
+	[INFO_SUBMODULE_FAST_FORWARDING] = "Fast forwarding submodule",
+	[CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE] = "CONFLICT (submodule)",
+
+	/*** Special submodule cases broken out from FAILED_TO_MERGE ***/
+	[CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE_BUT_POSSIBLE_RESOLUTION] =
+		"CONFLICT (submodule with possible resolution)",
+	[CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_NOT_INITIALIZED] =
+		"CONFLICT (submodule not initialized)",
+	[CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_HISTORY_NOT_AVAILABLE] =
+		"CONFLICT (submodule history not available)",
+	[CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_MAY_HAVE_REWINDS] =
+		"CONFLICT (submodule may have rewinds)",
+};
+
+struct logical_conflict_info {
+	enum conflict_and_info_types type;
+	struct strvec paths;
+};
+
 /*** Function Grouping: various utility functions ***/
 
 /*
@@ -567,20 +663,25 @@ static void clear_or_reinit_internal_opts(struct merge_options_internal *opti,
 		struct strmap_entry *e;
 
 		/* Release and free each strbuf found in output */
-		strmap_for_each_entry(&opti->output, &iter, e) {
-			struct strbuf *sb = e->value;
-			strbuf_release(sb);
+		strmap_for_each_entry(&opti->conflicts, &iter, e) {
+			struct string_list *list = e->value;
+			for (int i = 0; i < list->nr; i++) {
+				struct logical_conflict_info *info =
+					list->items[i].util;
+				strvec_clear(&info->paths);
+			}
 			/*
-			 * While strictly speaking we don't need to free(sb)
-			 * here because we could pass free_values=1 when
-			 * calling strmap_clear() on opti->output, that would
-			 * require strmap_clear to do another
-			 * strmap_for_each_entry() loop, so we just free it
-			 * while we're iterating anyway.
+			 * While strictly speaking we don't need to
+			 * free(conflicts) here because we could pass
+			 * free_values=1 when calling strmap_clear() on
+			 * opti->conflicts, that would require strmap_clear
+			 * to do another strmap_for_each_entry() loop, so we
+			 * just free it while we're iterating anyway.
 			 */
-			free(sb);
+			string_list_clear(list, 1);
+			free(list);
 		}
-		strmap_clear(&opti->output, 0);
+		strmap_clear(&opti->conflicts, 0);
 	}
 
 	mem_pool_discard(&opti->pool, 0);
@@ -627,29 +728,58 @@ static void format_commit(struct strbuf *sb,
 	strbuf_addch(sb, '\n');
 }
 
-__attribute__((format (printf, 4, 5)))
+__attribute__((format (printf, 8, 9)))
 static void path_msg(struct merge_options *opt,
-		     const char *path,
+		     enum conflict_and_info_types type,
 		     int omittable_hint, /* skippable under --remerge-diff */
+		     const char *primary_path,
+		     const char *other_path_1, /* may be NULL */
+		     const char *other_path_2, /* may be NULL */
+		     struct string_list *other_paths, /* may be NULL */
 		     const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list ap;
-	struct strbuf *sb, *dest;
+	struct string_list *path_conflicts;
+	struct logical_conflict_info *info;
+	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf *dest;
 	struct strbuf tmp = STRBUF_INIT;
 
+	/* Sanity checks */
+	assert(omittable_hint ==
+	       !starts_with(type_short_descriptions[type], "CONFLICT") ||
+	       type == CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SUGGESTED ||
+	       type == CONFLICT_PRESENT_DESPITE_SKIPPED);
 	if (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers && omittable_hint)
 		return; /* Do not record mere hints in headers */
 	if (opt->priv->call_depth && opt->verbosity < 5)
 		return; /* Ignore messages from inner merges */
 
-	sb = strmap_get(&opt->priv->output, path);
-	if (!sb) {
-		sb = xmalloc(sizeof(*sb));
-		strbuf_init(sb, 0);
-		strmap_put(&opt->priv->output, path, sb);
+	/* Ensure path_conflicts (ptr to array of logical_conflict) allocated */
+	path_conflicts = strmap_get(&opt->priv->conflicts, primary_path);
+	if (!path_conflicts) {
+		path_conflicts = xmalloc(sizeof(*path_conflicts));
+		string_list_init_dup(path_conflicts);
+		strmap_put(&opt->priv->conflicts, primary_path, path_conflicts);
 	}
 
-	dest = (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers ? &tmp : sb);
+	/* Add a logical_conflict at the end to store info from this call */
+	info = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*info));
+	info->type = type;
+	strvec_init(&info->paths);
+
+	/* Handle the list of paths */
+	strvec_push(&info->paths, primary_path);
+	if (other_path_1)
+		strvec_push(&info->paths, other_path_1);
+	if (other_path_2)
+		strvec_push(&info->paths, other_path_2);
+	if (other_paths)
+		for (int i = 0; i < other_paths->nr; i++)
+		strvec_push(&info->paths, other_paths->items[i].string);
+
+	/* Handle message and its format, in normal case */
+	dest = (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers ? &tmp : &buf);
 
 	va_start(ap, fmt);
 	if (opt->priv->call_depth) {
@@ -660,32 +790,32 @@ static void path_msg(struct merge_options *opt,
 	strbuf_vaddf(dest, fmt, ap);
 	va_end(ap);
 
+	/* Handle specialized formatting of message under --remerge-diff */
 	if (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers) {
 		int i_sb = 0, i_tmp = 0;
 
 		/* Start with the specified prefix */
 		if (opt->msg_header_prefix)
-			strbuf_addf(sb, "%s ", opt->msg_header_prefix);
+			strbuf_addf(&buf, "%s ", opt->msg_header_prefix);
 
 		/* Copy tmp to sb, adding spaces after newlines */
-		strbuf_grow(sb, sb->len + 2*tmp.len); /* more than sufficient */
+		strbuf_grow(&buf, buf.len + 2*tmp.len); /* more than sufficient */
 		for (; i_tmp < tmp.len; i_tmp++, i_sb++) {
 			/* Copy next character from tmp to sb */
-			sb->buf[sb->len + i_sb] = tmp.buf[i_tmp];
+			buf.buf[buf.len + i_sb] = tmp.buf[i_tmp];
 
 			/* If we copied a newline, add a space */
 			if (tmp.buf[i_tmp] == '\n')
-				sb->buf[++i_sb] = ' ';
+				buf.buf[++i_sb] = ' ';
 		}
 		/* Update length and ensure it's NUL-terminated */
-		sb->len += i_sb;
-		sb->buf[sb->len] = '\0';
+		buf.len += i_sb;
+		buf.buf[buf.len] = '\0';
 
 		strbuf_release(&tmp);
 	}
-
-	/* Add final newline character to sb */
-	strbuf_addch(sb, '\n');
+	string_list_append_nodup(path_conflicts, strbuf_detach(&buf, NULL))
+		->util = info;
 }
 
 static struct diff_filespec *pool_alloc_filespec(struct mem_pool *pool,
@@ -1627,16 +1757,18 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 		return 0;
 
 	if (repo_submodule_init(&subrepo, opt->repo, path, null_oid())) {
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
-				_("Failed to merge submodule %s (not checked out)"),
-				path);
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_NOT_INITIALIZED, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
+			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s (not checked out)"),
+			 path);
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	if (!(commit_o = lookup_commit_reference(&subrepo, o)) ||
 	    !(commit_a = lookup_commit_reference(&subrepo, a)) ||
 	    !(commit_b = lookup_commit_reference(&subrepo, b))) {
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_HISTORY_NOT_AVAILABLE, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s (commits not present)"),
 			 path);
 		goto cleanup;
@@ -1645,7 +1777,8 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 	/* check whether both changes are forward */
 	if (!repo_in_merge_bases(&subrepo, commit_o, commit_a) ||
 	    !repo_in_merge_bases(&subrepo, commit_o, commit_b)) {
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_MAY_HAVE_REWINDS, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s "
 			   "(commits don't follow merge-base)"),
 			 path);
@@ -1655,7 +1788,8 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 	/* Case #1: a is contained in b or vice versa */
 	if (repo_in_merge_bases(&subrepo, commit_a, commit_b)) {
 		oidcpy(result, b);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 1,
+		path_msg(opt, INFO_SUBMODULE_FAST_FORWARDING, 1,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Note: Fast-forwarding submodule %s to %s"),
 			 path, oid_to_hex(b));
 		ret = 1;
@@ -1663,7 +1797,8 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 	}
 	if (repo_in_merge_bases(&subrepo, commit_b, commit_a)) {
 		oidcpy(result, a);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 1,
+		path_msg(opt, INFO_SUBMODULE_FAST_FORWARDING, 1,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Note: Fast-forwarding submodule %s to %s"),
 			 path, oid_to_hex(a));
 		ret = 1;
@@ -1686,30 +1821,27 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 					 &merges);
 	switch (parent_count) {
 	case 0:
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0, _("Failed to merge submodule %s"), path);
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
+			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s"), path);
 		break;
 
 	case 1:
 		format_commit(&sb, 4, &subrepo,
 			      (struct commit *)merges.objects[0].item);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE_BUT_POSSIBLE_RESOLUTION, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s, but a possible merge "
-			   "resolution exists:\n%s\n"),
+			   "resolution exists: %s"),
 			 path, sb.buf);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 1,
-			 _("If this is correct simply add it to the index "
-			   "for example\n"
-			   "by using:\n\n"
-			   "  git update-index --cacheinfo 160000 %s \"%s\"\n\n"
-			   "which will accept this suggestion.\n"),
-			 oid_to_hex(&merges.objects[0].item->oid), path);
 		strbuf_release(&sb);
 		break;
 	default:
 		for (i = 0; i < merges.nr; i++)
 			format_commit(&sb, 4, &subrepo,
 				      (struct commit *)merges.objects[i].item);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_SUBMODULE_FAILED_TO_MERGE_BUT_POSSIBLE_RESOLUTION, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s, but multiple "
 			   "possible merges exist:\n%s"), path, sb.buf);
 		strbuf_release(&sb);
@@ -1835,7 +1967,8 @@ static int merge_3way(struct merge_options *opt,
 				&src1, name1, &src2, name2,
 				&opt->priv->attr_index, &ll_opts);
 	if (merge_status == LL_MERGE_BINARY_CONFLICT)
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_BINARY, 0,
+			 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 			 "warning: Cannot merge binary files: %s (%s vs. %s)",
 			 path, name1, name2);
 
@@ -1947,7 +2080,8 @@ static int handle_content_merge(struct merge_options *opt,
 		if (ret)
 			return -1;
 		clean &= (merge_status == 0);
-		path_msg(opt, path, 1, _("Auto-merging %s"), path);
+		path_msg(opt, INFO_AUTO_MERGING, 1, path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
+			 _("Auto-merging %s"), path);
 	} else if (S_ISGITLINK(a->mode)) {
 		int two_way = ((S_IFMT & o->mode) != (S_IFMT & a->mode));
 		clean = merge_submodule(opt, pathnames[0],
@@ -2085,21 +2219,24 @@ static char *handle_path_level_conflicts(struct merge_options *opt,
 		c_info->reported_already = 1;
 		strbuf_add_separated_string_list(&collision_paths, ", ",
 						 &c_info->source_files);
-		path_msg(opt, new_path, 0,
-			 _("CONFLICT (implicit dir rename): Existing file/dir "
-			   "at %s in the way of implicit directory rename(s) "
-			   "putting the following path(s) there: %s."),
-		       new_path, collision_paths.buf);
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_FILE_IN_WAY, 0,
+			 new_path, NULL, NULL, &c_info->source_files,
+			 _("CONFLICT (implicit dir rename): Existing "
+			   "file/dir at %s in the way of implicit "
+			   "directory rename(s) putting the following "
+			   "path(s) there: %s."),
+			 new_path, collision_paths.buf);
 		clean = 0;
 	} else if (c_info->source_files.nr > 1) {
 		c_info->reported_already = 1;
 		strbuf_add_separated_string_list(&collision_paths, ", ",
 						 &c_info->source_files);
-		path_msg(opt, new_path, 0,
-			 _("CONFLICT (implicit dir rename): Cannot map more "
-			   "than one path to %s; implicit directory renames "
-			   "tried to put these paths there: %s"),
-		       new_path, collision_paths.buf);
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_COLLISION, 0,
+			 new_path, NULL, NULL, &c_info->source_files,
+			 _("CONFLICT (implicit dir rename): Cannot map "
+			   "more than one path to %s; implicit directory "
+			   "renames tried to put these paths there: %s"),
+			 new_path, collision_paths.buf);
 		clean = 0;
 	}
 
@@ -2153,13 +2290,14 @@ static void get_provisional_directory_renames(struct merge_options *opt,
 			continue;
 
 		if (bad_max == max) {
-			path_msg(opt, source_dir, 0,
-			       _("CONFLICT (directory rename split): "
-				 "Unclear where to rename %s to; it was "
-				 "renamed to multiple other directories, with "
-				 "no destination getting a majority of the "
-				 "files."),
-			       source_dir);
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SPLIT, 0,
+				 source_dir, NULL, NULL, NULL,
+				 _("CONFLICT (directory rename split): "
+				   "Unclear where to rename %s to; it was "
+				   "renamed to multiple other directories, "
+				   "with no destination getting a majority of "
+				   "the files."),
+				 source_dir);
 			*clean = 0;
 		} else {
 			strmap_put(&renames->dir_renames[side],
@@ -2307,7 +2445,8 @@ static char *check_for_directory_rename(struct merge_options *opt,
 	 */
 	otherinfo = strmap_get_entry(dir_rename_exclusions, new_dir);
 	if (otherinfo) {
-		path_msg(opt, rename_info->key, 1,
+		path_msg(opt, INFO_DIR_RENAME_SKIPPED_DUE_TO_RERENAME, 1,
+			 rename_info->key, path, new_dir, NULL,
 			 _("WARNING: Avoiding applying %s -> %s rename "
 			   "to %s, because %s itself was renamed."),
 			 rename_info->key, new_dir, path, new_dir);
@@ -2447,14 +2586,16 @@ static void apply_directory_rename_modifications(struct merge_options *opt,
 	if (opt->detect_directory_renames == MERGE_DIRECTORY_RENAMES_TRUE) {
 		/* Notify user of updated path */
 		if (pair->status == 'A')
-			path_msg(opt, new_path, 1,
+			path_msg(opt, INFO_DIR_RENAME_APPLIED, 1,
+				 new_path, old_path, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("Path updated: %s added in %s inside a "
 				   "directory that was renamed in %s; moving "
 				   "it to %s."),
 				 old_path, branch_with_new_path,
 				 branch_with_dir_rename, new_path);
 		else
-			path_msg(opt, new_path, 1,
+			path_msg(opt, INFO_DIR_RENAME_APPLIED, 1,
+				 new_path, old_path, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("Path updated: %s renamed to %s in %s, "
 				   "inside a directory that was renamed in %s; "
 				   "moving it to %s."),
@@ -2467,7 +2608,8 @@ static void apply_directory_rename_modifications(struct merge_options *opt,
 		 */
 		ci->path_conflict = 1;
 		if (pair->status == 'A')
-			path_msg(opt, new_path, 1,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SUGGESTED, 1,
+				 new_path, old_path, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (file location): %s added in %s "
 				   "inside a directory that was renamed in %s, "
 				   "suggesting it should perhaps be moved to "
@@ -2475,7 +2617,8 @@ static void apply_directory_rename_modifications(struct merge_options *opt,
 				 old_path, branch_with_new_path,
 				 branch_with_dir_rename, new_path);
 		else
-			path_msg(opt, new_path, 1,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DIR_RENAME_SUGGESTED, 1,
+				 new_path, old_path, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (file location): %s renamed to %s "
 				   "in %s, inside a directory that was renamed "
 				   "in %s, suggesting it should perhaps be "
@@ -2631,7 +2774,8 @@ static int process_renames(struct merge_options *opt,
 			 * and remove the setting of base->path_conflict to 1.
 			 */
 			base->path_conflict = 1;
-			path_msg(opt, oldpath, 0,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_RENAME_RENAME, 0,
+				 pathnames[0], pathnames[1], pathnames[2], NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (rename/rename): %s renamed to "
 				   "%s in %s and to %s in %s."),
 				 pathnames[0],
@@ -2726,7 +2870,8 @@ static int process_renames(struct merge_options *opt,
 			memcpy(&newinfo->stages[target_index], &merged,
 			       sizeof(merged));
 			if (!clean) {
-				path_msg(opt, newpath, 0,
+				path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_RENAME_COLLIDES, 0,
+					 newpath, oldpath, NULL, NULL,
 					 _("CONFLICT (rename involved in "
 					   "collision): rename of %s -> %s has "
 					   "content conflicts AND collides "
@@ -2745,7 +2890,8 @@ static int process_renames(struct merge_options *opt,
 			 */
 
 			newinfo->path_conflict = 1;
-			path_msg(opt, newpath, 0,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_RENAME_DELETE, 0,
+				 newpath, oldpath, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (rename/delete): %s renamed "
 				   "to %s in %s, but deleted in %s."),
 				 oldpath, newpath, rename_branch, delete_branch);
@@ -2769,7 +2915,8 @@ static int process_renames(struct merge_options *opt,
 			} else if (source_deleted) {
 				/* rename/delete */
 				newinfo->path_conflict = 1;
-				path_msg(opt, newpath, 0,
+				path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_RENAME_DELETE, 0,
+					 newpath, oldpath, NULL, NULL,
 					 _("CONFLICT (rename/delete): %s renamed"
 					   " to %s in %s, but deleted in %s."),
 					 oldpath, newpath,
@@ -3690,7 +3837,8 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 		path = unique_path(opt, path, branch);
 		strmap_put(&opt->priv->paths, path, new_ci);
 
-		path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+		path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_FILE_DIRECTORY, 0,
+			 path, old_path, NULL, NULL,
 			 _("CONFLICT (file/directory): directory in the way "
 			   "of %s from %s; moving it to %s instead."),
 			 old_path, branch, path);
@@ -3766,15 +3914,23 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 				rename_b = 1;
 			}
 
+			if (rename_a)
+				a_path = unique_path(opt, path, opt->branch1);
+			if (rename_b)
+				b_path = unique_path(opt, path, opt->branch2);
+
 			if (rename_a && rename_b) {
-				path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+				path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DISTINCT_MODES, 0,
+					 path, a_path, b_path, NULL,
 					 _("CONFLICT (distinct types): %s had "
 					   "different types on each side; "
 					   "renamed both of them so each can "
 					   "be recorded somewhere."),
 					 path);
 			} else {
-				path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+				path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_DISTINCT_MODES, 0,
+					 path, rename_a ? a_path : b_path,
+					 NULL, NULL,
 					 _("CONFLICT (distinct types): %s had "
 					   "different types on each side; "
 					   "renamed one of them so each can be "
@@ -3811,14 +3967,10 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 
 			/* Insert entries into opt->priv_paths */
 			assert(rename_a || rename_b);
-			if (rename_a) {
-				a_path = unique_path(opt, path, opt->branch1);
+			if (rename_a)
 				strmap_put(&opt->priv->paths, a_path, ci);
-			}
 
-			if (rename_b)
-				b_path = unique_path(opt, path, opt->branch2);
-			else
+			if (!rename_b)
 				b_path = path;
 			strmap_put(&opt->priv->paths, b_path, new_ci);
 
@@ -3869,7 +4021,8 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 				reason = _("add/add");
 			if (S_ISGITLINK(merged_file.mode))
 				reason = _("submodule");
-			path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_CONTENTS, 0,
+				 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (%s): Merge conflict in %s"),
 				 reason, path);
 		}
@@ -3913,7 +4066,8 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 			 * since the contents were not modified.
 			 */
 		} else {
-			path_msg(opt, path, 0,
+			path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_MODIFY_DELETE, 0,
+				 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 				 _("CONFLICT (modify/delete): %s deleted in %s "
 				   "and modified in %s.  Version %s of %s left "
 				   "in tree."),
@@ -4209,7 +4363,8 @@ static int record_conflicted_index_entries(struct merge_options *opt)
 								     path,
 								     "cruft");
 
-					path_msg(opt, path, 1,
+					path_msg(opt, CONFLICT_PRESENT_DESPITE_SKIPPED, 1,
+						 path, NULL, NULL, NULL,
 						 _("Note: %s not up to date and in way of checking out conflicted version; old copy renamed to %s"),
 						 path, new_name);
 					errs |= rename(path, new_name);
@@ -4257,6 +4412,93 @@ static int record_conflicted_index_entries(struct merge_options *opt)
 	return errs;
 }
 
+void merge_display_update_messages(struct merge_options *opt,
+				   int detailed,
+				   struct merge_result *result)
+{
+	struct merge_options_internal *opti = result->priv;
+	struct hashmap_iter iter;
+	struct strmap_entry *e;
+	struct string_list olist = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
+
+	if (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers)
+		BUG("Either display conflict messages or record them as headers, not both");
+
+	trace2_region_enter("merge", "display messages", opt->repo);
+
+	/* Hack to pre-allocate olist to the desired size */
+	ALLOC_GROW(olist.items, strmap_get_size(&opti->conflicts),
+		   olist.alloc);
+
+	/* Put every entry from output into olist, then sort */
+	strmap_for_each_entry(&opti->conflicts, &iter, e) {
+		string_list_append(&olist, e->key)->util = e->value;
+	}
+	string_list_sort(&olist);
+
+	/* Iterate over the items, printing them */
+	for (int path_nr = 0; path_nr < olist.nr; ++path_nr) {
+		struct string_list *conflicts = olist.items[path_nr].util;
+		for (int i = 0; i < conflicts->nr; i++) {
+			struct logical_conflict_info *info =
+				conflicts->items[i].util;
+
+			if (detailed) {
+				printf("%lu", (unsigned long)info->paths.nr);
+				putchar('\0');
+				for (int n = 0; n < info->paths.nr; n++) {
+					fputs(info->paths.v[n], stdout);
+					putchar('\0');
+				}
+				fputs(type_short_descriptions[info->type],
+				      stdout);
+				putchar('\0');
+			}
+			puts(conflicts->items[i].string);
+			if (detailed)
+				putchar('\0');
+		}
+	}
+	string_list_clear(&olist, 0);
+
+	/* Also include needed rename limit adjustment now */
+	diff_warn_rename_limit("merge.renamelimit",
+			       opti->renames.needed_limit, 0);
+
+	trace2_region_leave("merge", "display messages", opt->repo);
+}
+
+void merge_get_conflicted_files(struct merge_result *result,
+				struct string_list *conflicted_files)
+{
+	struct hashmap_iter iter;
+	struct strmap_entry *e;
+	struct merge_options_internal *opti = result->priv;
+
+	strmap_for_each_entry(&opti->conflicted, &iter, e) {
+		const char *path = e->key;
+		struct conflict_info *ci = e->value;
+		int i;
+
+		VERIFY_CI(ci);
+
+		for (i = MERGE_BASE; i <= MERGE_SIDE2; i++) {
+			struct stage_info *si;
+
+			if (!(ci->filemask & (1ul << i)))
+				continue;
+
+			si = xmalloc(sizeof(*si));
+			si->stage = i+1;
+			si->mode = ci->stages[i].mode;
+			oidcpy(&si->oid, &ci->stages[i].oid);
+			string_list_append(conflicted_files, path)->util = si;
+		}
+	}
+	/* string_list_sort() uses a stable sort, so we're good */
+	string_list_sort(conflicted_files);
+}
+
 void merge_switch_to_result(struct merge_options *opt,
 			    struct tree *head,
 			    struct merge_result *result,
@@ -4294,43 +4536,8 @@ void merge_switch_to_result(struct merge_options *opt,
 		fclose(fp);
 		trace2_region_leave("merge", "write_auto_merge", opt->repo);
 	}
-
-	if (display_update_msgs) {
-		struct merge_options_internal *opti = result->priv;
-		struct hashmap_iter iter;
-		struct strmap_entry *e;
-		struct string_list olist = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
-		int i;
-
-		if (opt->record_conflict_msgs_as_headers)
-			BUG("Either display conflict messages or record them as headers, not both");
-
-		trace2_region_enter("merge", "display messages", opt->repo);
-
-		/* Hack to pre-allocate olist to the desired size */
-		ALLOC_GROW(olist.items, strmap_get_size(&opti->output),
-			   olist.alloc);
-
-		/* Put every entry from output into olist, then sort */
-		strmap_for_each_entry(&opti->output, &iter, e) {
-			string_list_append(&olist, e->key)->util = e->value;
-		}
-		string_list_sort(&olist);
-
-		/* Iterate over the items, printing them */
-		for (i = 0; i < olist.nr; ++i) {
-			struct strbuf *sb = olist.items[i].util;
-
-			printf("%s", sb->buf);
-		}
-		string_list_clear(&olist, 0);
-
-		/* Also include needed rename limit adjustment now */
-		diff_warn_rename_limit("merge.renamelimit",
-				       opti->renames.needed_limit, 0);
-
-		trace2_region_leave("merge", "display messages", opt->repo);
-	}
+	if (display_update_msgs)
+		merge_display_update_messages(opt, /* detailed */ 0, result);
 
 	merge_finalize(opt, result);
 }
@@ -4504,11 +4711,11 @@ static void merge_start(struct merge_options *opt, struct merge_result *result)
 	strmap_init_with_options(&opt->priv->conflicted, pool, 0);
 
 	/*
-	 * keys & strbufs in output will sometimes need to outlive "paths",
-	 * so it will have a copy of relevant keys.  It's probably a small
-	 * subset of the overall paths that have special output.
+	 * keys & string_lists in conflicts will sometimes need to outlive
+	 * "paths", so it will have a copy of relevant keys.  It's probably
+	 * a small subset of the overall paths that have special output.
 	 */
-	strmap_init(&opt->priv->output);
+	strmap_init(&opt->priv->conflicts);
 
 	trace2_region_leave("merge", "allocate/init", opt->repo);
 }
@@ -4609,7 +4816,8 @@ redo:
 	trace2_region_leave("merge", "process_entries", opt->repo);
 
 	/* Set return values */
-	result->path_messages = &opt->priv->output;
+	result->path_messages = &opt->priv->conflicts;
+
 	result->tree = parse_tree_indirect(&working_tree_oid);
 	/* existence of conflicted entries implies unclean */
 	result->clean &= strmap_empty(&opt->priv->conflicted);
diff --git a/merge-ort.h b/merge-ort.h
index fe599b8786..a994c9a5fc 100644
--- a/merge-ort.h
+++ b/merge-ort.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define MERGE_ORT_H
 
 #include "merge-recursive.h"
+#include "hash.h"
 
 struct commit;
 struct tree;
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ struct merge_result {
 	/*
 	 * Special messages and conflict notices for various paths
 	 *
-	 * This is a map of pathnames to strbufs.  It contains various
+	 * This is a map of pathnames to a string_list. It contains various
 	 * warning/conflict/notice messages (possibly multiple per path)
 	 * that callers may want to use.
 	 */
@@ -80,6 +81,35 @@ void merge_switch_to_result(struct merge_options *opt,
 			    int update_worktree_and_index,
 			    int display_update_msgs);
 
+/*
+ * Display messages about conflicts and which files were 3-way merged.
+ * Automatically called by merge_switch_to_result() with stream == stdout,
+ * so only call this when bypassing merge_switch_to_result().
+ */
+void merge_display_update_messages(struct merge_options *opt,
+				   int detailed,
+				   struct merge_result *result);
+
+struct stage_info {
+	struct object_id oid;
+	int mode;
+	int stage;
+};
+
+/*
+ * Provide a list of path -> {struct stage_info*} mappings for
+ * all conflicted files.  Note that each path could appear up to three
+ * times in the list, corresponding to 3 different stage entries.  In short,
+ * this basically provides the info that would be printed by `ls-files -u`.
+ *
+ * result should have been populated by a call to
+ * one of the merge_incore_[non]recursive() functions.
+ *
+ * conflicted_files should be empty before calling this function.
+ */
+void merge_get_conflicted_files(struct merge_result *result,
+				struct string_list *conflicted_files);
+
 /* Do needed cleanup when not calling merge_switch_to_result() */
 void merge_finalize(struct merge_options *opt,
 		    struct merge_result *result);
diff --git a/t/t4301-merge-tree-write-tree.sh b/t/t4301-merge-tree-write-tree.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f091259a55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t4301-merge-tree-write-tree.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='git merge-tree --write-tree'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+# This test is ort-specific
+if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" != "ort"
+then
+	skip_all="GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM != ort"
+	test_done
+fi
+
+test_expect_success setup '
+	test_write_lines 1 2 3 4 5 >numbers &&
+	echo hello >greeting &&
+	echo foo >whatever &&
+	git add numbers greeting whatever &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m initial &&
+
+	git branch side1 &&
+	git branch side2 &&
+	git branch side3 &&
+
+	git checkout side1 &&
+	test_write_lines 1 2 3 4 5 6 >numbers &&
+	echo hi >greeting &&
+	echo bar >whatever &&
+	git add numbers greeting whatever &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m modify-stuff &&
+
+	git checkout side2 &&
+	test_write_lines 0 1 2 3 4 5 >numbers &&
+	echo yo >greeting &&
+	git rm whatever &&
+	mkdir whatever &&
+	>whatever/empty &&
+	git add numbers greeting whatever/empty &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m other-modifications &&
+
+	git checkout side3 &&
+	git mv numbers sequence &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m rename-numbers &&
+
+	git switch --orphan unrelated &&
+	>something-else &&
+	git add something-else &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m first-commit
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'Clean merge' '
+	TREE_OID=$(git merge-tree --write-tree side1 side3) &&
+	q_to_tab <<-EOF >expect &&
+	100644 blob $(git rev-parse side1:greeting)Qgreeting
+	100644 blob $(git rev-parse side1:numbers)Qsequence
+	100644 blob $(git rev-parse side1:whatever)Qwhatever
+	EOF
+
+	git ls-tree $TREE_OID >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'Content merge and a few conflicts' '
+	git checkout side1^0 &&
+	test_must_fail git merge side2 &&
+	expected_tree=$(git rev-parse AUTO_MERGE) &&
+
+	# We will redo the merge, while we are still in a conflicted state!
+	git ls-files -u >conflicted-file-info &&
+	test_when_finished "git reset --hard" &&
+
+	test_expect_code 1 git merge-tree --write-tree side1 side2 >RESULT &&
+	actual_tree=$(head -n 1 RESULT) &&
+
+	# Due to differences of e.g. "HEAD" vs "side1", the results will not
+	# exactly match.  Dig into individual files.
+
+	# Numbers should have three-way merged cleanly
+	test_write_lines 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 >expect &&
+	git show ${actual_tree}:numbers >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	# whatever and whatever~<branch> should have same HASHES
+	git rev-parse ${expected_tree}:whatever ${expected_tree}:whatever~HEAD >expect &&
+	git rev-parse ${actual_tree}:whatever ${actual_tree}:whatever~side1 >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	# greeting should have a merge conflict
+	git show ${expected_tree}:greeting >tmp &&
+	sed -e s/HEAD/side1/ tmp >expect &&
+	git show ${actual_tree}:greeting >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'Barf on misspelled option, with exit code other than 0 or 1' '
+	# Mis-spell with single "s" instead of double "s"
+	test_expect_code 129 git merge-tree --write-tree --mesages FOOBAR side1 side2 2>expect &&
+
+	grep "error: unknown option.*mesages" expect
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'Barf on too many arguments' '
+	test_expect_code 129 git merge-tree --write-tree side1 side2 invalid 2>expect &&
+
+	grep "^usage: git merge-tree" expect
+'
+
+anonymize_hash() {
+	sed -e "s/[0-9a-f]\{40,\}/HASH/g" "$@"
+}
+
+test_expect_success 'test conflict notices and such' '
+	test_expect_code 1 git merge-tree --write-tree --name-only side1 side2 >out &&
+	anonymize_hash out >actual &&
+
+	# Expected results:
+	#   "greeting" should merge with conflicts
+	#   "numbers" should merge cleanly
+	#   "whatever" has *both* a modify/delete and a file/directory conflict
+	cat <<-EOF >expect &&
+	HASH
+	greeting
+	whatever~side1
+
+	Auto-merging greeting
+	CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in greeting
+	Auto-merging numbers
+	CONFLICT (file/directory): directory in the way of whatever from side1; moving it to whatever~side1 instead.
+	CONFLICT (modify/delete): whatever~side1 deleted in side2 and modified in side1.  Version side1 of whatever~side1 left in tree.
+	EOF
+
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+for opt in $(git merge-tree --git-completion-helper-all)
+do
+	if test $opt = "--trivial-merge" || test $opt = "--write-tree"
+	then
+		continue
+	fi
+
+	test_expect_success "usage: --trivial-merge is incompatible with $opt" '
+		test_expect_code 128 git merge-tree --trivial-merge $opt side1 side2 side3
+	'
+done
+
+test_expect_success 'Just the conflicted files without the messages' '
+	test_expect_code 1 git merge-tree --write-tree --no-messages --name-only side1 side2 >out &&
+	anonymize_hash out >actual &&
+
+	test_write_lines HASH greeting whatever~side1 >expect &&
+
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'Check conflicted oids and modes without messages' '
+	test_expect_code 1 git merge-tree --write-tree --no-messages side1 side2 >out &&
+	anonymize_hash out >actual &&
+
+	# Compare the basic output format
+	q_to_tab >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	HASH
+	100644 HASH 1Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 2Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 3Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 1Qwhatever~side1
+	100644 HASH 2Qwhatever~side1
+	EOF
+
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	# Check the actual hashes against the `ls-files -u` output too
+	tail -n +2 out | sed -e s/side1/HEAD/ >actual &&
+	test_cmp conflicted-file-info actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'NUL terminated conflicted file "lines"' '
+	git checkout -b tweak1 side1 &&
+	test_write_lines zero 1 2 3 4 5 6 >numbers &&
+	git add numbers &&
+	git mv numbers "Αυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα" &&
+	git commit -m "Renamed numbers" &&
+
+	test_expect_code 1 git merge-tree --write-tree -z tweak1 side2 >out &&
+	anonymize_hash out >actual &&
+	printf "\\n" >>actual &&
+
+	# Expected results:
+	#   "greeting" should merge with conflicts
+	#   "whatever" has *both* a modify/delete and a file/directory conflict
+	#   "Αυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα" should have a conflict
+	echo HASH | lf_to_nul >expect &&
+
+	q_to_tab <<-EOF | lf_to_nul >>expect &&
+	100644 HASH 1Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 2Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 3Qgreeting
+	100644 HASH 1Qwhatever~tweak1
+	100644 HASH 2Qwhatever~tweak1
+	100644 HASH 1QΑυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα
+	100644 HASH 2QΑυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα
+	100644 HASH 3QΑυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα
+
+	EOF
+
+	q_to_nul <<-EOF >>expect &&
+	1QgreetingQAuto-mergingQAuto-merging greeting
+	Q1QgreetingQCONFLICT (contents)QCONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in greeting
+	Q2Qwhatever~tweak1QwhateverQCONFLICT (file/directory)QCONFLICT (file/directory): directory in the way of whatever from tweak1; moving it to whatever~tweak1 instead.
+	Q1Qwhatever~tweak1QCONFLICT (modify/delete)QCONFLICT (modify/delete): whatever~tweak1 deleted in side2 and modified in tweak1.  Version tweak1 of whatever~tweak1 left in tree.
+	Q1QΑυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικαQAuto-mergingQAuto-merging Αυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα
+	Q1QΑυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικαQCONFLICT (contents)QCONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in Αυτά μου φαίνονται κινέζικα
+	Q
+	EOF
+
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'error out by default for unrelated histories' '
+	test_expect_code 128 git merge-tree --write-tree side1 unrelated 2>error &&
+
+	grep "refusing to merge unrelated histories" error
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'can override merge of unrelated histories' '
+	git merge-tree --write-tree --allow-unrelated-histories side1 unrelated >tree &&
+	TREE=$(cat tree) &&
+
+	git rev-parse side1:numbers side1:greeting side1:whatever unrelated:something-else >expect &&
+	git rev-parse $TREE:numbers $TREE:greeting $TREE:whatever $TREE:something-else >actual &&
+
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_done
diff --git a/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh b/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
index 178413c22f..c253bf759a 100755
--- a/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
+++ b/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ test_expect_success 'merging should conflict for non fast-forward' '
 	(cd merge-search &&
 	 git checkout -b test-nonforward b &&
 	 (cd sub &&
-	  git rev-parse sub-d > ../expect) &&
+	  git rev-parse --short sub-d > ../expect) &&
 	  if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
 	  then
 		test_must_fail git merge c >actual