diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
index c884862e2f..13b106d626 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [[--track | --no-track] -b <new_branch> [-l]] [-m] [<branch>]
-'git checkout' [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>...
+'git checkout' [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m|--conflict=<style>] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>...
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ entries; instead, unmerged entries are ignored.
 	based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
 
 -m::
+--merge::
 	When switching branches,
 	if you have local modifications to one or more files that
 	are different between the current branch and the branch to
@@ -101,6 +102,13 @@ should result in deletion of the path).
 When checking out paths from the index, this option lets you recreate
 the conflicted merge in the specified paths.
 
+--conflict=<style>::
+	The same as --merge option above, but changes the way the
+	conflicting hunks are presented, overriding the
+	merge.conflictstyle configuration variable.  Possible values are
+	"merge" (default) and "diff3" (in addition to what is shown by
+	"merge" style, shows the original contents).
+
 <new_branch>::
 	Name for the new branch.
 
diff --git a/builtin-checkout.c b/builtin-checkout.c
index b957193155..79214327b0 100644
--- a/builtin-checkout.c
+++ b/builtin-checkout.c
@@ -580,6 +580,7 @@ int cmd_checkout(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	const char *arg;
 	struct branch_info new;
 	struct tree *source_tree = NULL;
+	char *conflict_style = NULL;
 	struct option options[] = {
 		OPT__QUIET(&opts.quiet),
 		OPT_STRING('b', NULL, &opts.new_branch, "new branch", "branch"),
@@ -591,7 +592,9 @@ int cmd_checkout(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_SET_INT('3', "theirs", &opts.writeout_stage, "stage",
 			    3),
 		OPT_BOOLEAN('f', NULL, &opts.force, "force"),
-		OPT_BOOLEAN('m', NULL, &opts.merge, "merge"),
+		OPT_BOOLEAN('m', "merge", &opts.merge, "merge"),
+		OPT_STRING(0, "conflict", &conflict_style, "style",
+			   "conflict style (merge or diff3)"),
 		OPT_END(),
 	};
 	int has_dash_dash;
@@ -606,6 +609,11 @@ int cmd_checkout(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, options, checkout_usage,
 			     PARSE_OPT_KEEP_DASHDASH);
 
+	if (conflict_style) {
+		opts.merge = 1; /* implied */
+		git_xmerge_config("merge.conflictstyle", conflict_style, NULL);
+	}
+
 	if (!opts.new_branch && (opts.track != git_branch_track))
 		die("git checkout: --track and --no-track require -b");
 
diff --git a/t/t7201-co.sh b/t/t7201-co.sh
index 1d4ff6e8d3..ac49311cf2 100755
--- a/t/t7201-co.sh
+++ b/t/t7201-co.sh
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ test_expect_success \
     test refs/heads/delete-me = "$(git symbolic-ref HEAD)" &&
     test_must_fail git checkout --track -b track'
 
-test_expect_success 'checkout an unmerged path should fail' '
+setup_conflicting_index () {
 	rm -f .git/index &&
 	O=$(echo original | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
 	A=$(echo ourside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
@@ -348,7 +348,11 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout an unmerged path should fail' '
 		echo "100644 $A 2	file" &&
 		echo "100644 $B 3	file" &&
 		echo "100644 $A 0	filf"
-	) | git update-index --index-info &&
+	) | git update-index --index-info
+}
+
+test_expect_success 'checkout an unmerged path should fail' '
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
 	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
 	cat sample >fild &&
 	cat sample >file &&
@@ -360,17 +364,7 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout an unmerged path should fail' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'checkout with an unmerged path can be ignored' '
-	rm -f .git/index &&
-	O=$(echo original | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	A=$(echo ourside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	B=$(echo theirside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	(
-		echo "100644 $A 0	fild" &&
-		echo "100644 $O 1	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 2	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $B 3	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 0	filf"
-	) | git update-index --index-info &&
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
 	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
 	echo ourside >expect &&
 	cat sample >fild &&
@@ -383,17 +377,7 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout with an unmerged path can be ignored' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'checkout unmerged stage' '
-	rm -f .git/index &&
-	O=$(echo original | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	A=$(echo ourside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	B=$(echo theirside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	(
-		echo "100644 $A 0	fild" &&
-		echo "100644 $O 1	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 2	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $B 3	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 0	filf"
-	) | git update-index --index-info &&
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
 	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
 	echo ourside >expect &&
 	cat sample >fild &&
@@ -408,17 +392,7 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout unmerged stage' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'checkout with --merge' '
-	rm -f .git/index &&
-	O=$(echo original | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	A=$(echo ourside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	B=$(echo theirside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	(
-		echo "100644 $A 0	fild" &&
-		echo "100644 $O 1	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 2	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $B 3	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 0	filf"
-	) | git update-index --index-info &&
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
 	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
 	echo ourside >expect &&
 	cat sample >fild &&
@@ -439,17 +413,7 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout with --merge' '
 
 test_expect_success 'checkout with --merge, in diff3 -m style' '
 	git config merge.conflictstyle diff3 &&
-	rm -f .git/index &&
-	O=$(echo original | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	A=$(echo ourside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	B=$(echo theirside | git hash-object -w --stdin) &&
-	(
-		echo "100644 $A 0	fild" &&
-		echo "100644 $O 1	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 2	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $B 3	file" &&
-		echo "100644 $A 0	filf"
-	) | git update-index --index-info &&
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
 	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
 	echo ourside >expect &&
 	cat sample >fild &&
@@ -470,4 +434,48 @@ test_expect_success 'checkout with --merge, in diff3 -m style' '
 	test_cmp merged file
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'checkout --conflict=merge, overriding config' '
+	git config merge.conflictstyle diff3 &&
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
+	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
+	echo ourside >expect &&
+	cat sample >fild &&
+	cat sample >file &&
+	cat sample >filf &&
+	git checkout --conflict=merge -- fild file filf &&
+	(
+		echo "<<<<<<< ours"
+		echo ourside
+		echo "======="
+		echo theirside
+		echo ">>>>>>> theirs"
+	) >merged &&
+	test_cmp expect fild &&
+	test_cmp expect filf &&
+	test_cmp merged file
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'checkout --conflict=diff3' '
+	git config --unset merge.conflictstyle
+	setup_conflicting_index &&
+	echo "none of the above" >sample &&
+	echo ourside >expect &&
+	cat sample >fild &&
+	cat sample >file &&
+	cat sample >filf &&
+	git checkout --conflict=diff3 -- fild file filf &&
+	(
+		echo "<<<<<<< ours"
+		echo ourside
+		echo "|||||||"
+		echo original
+		echo "======="
+		echo theirside
+		echo ">>>>>>> theirs"
+	) >merged &&
+	test_cmp expect fild &&
+	test_cmp expect filf &&
+	test_cmp merged file
+'
+
 test_done