diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index c6df64bf6a..17dabf3d12 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -2000,6 +2000,7 @@ struct submodule_update_clone {
 	int failed_clones_nr, failed_clones_alloc;
 
 	int max_jobs;
+	unsigned int init;
 };
 #define SUBMODULE_UPDATE_CLONE_INIT { \
 	.list = MODULE_LIST_INIT, \
@@ -2509,6 +2510,8 @@ static int update_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	int ret;
 
 	struct option module_update_clone_options[] = {
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "init", &suc.init,
+			 N_("initialize uninitialized submodules before update")),
 		OPT_STRING(0, "prefix", &prefix,
 			   N_("path"),
 			   N_("path into the working tree")),
@@ -2567,6 +2570,29 @@ static int update_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (pathspec.nr)
 		suc.warn_if_uninitialized = 1;
 
+	if (suc.init) {
+		struct module_list list = MODULE_LIST_INIT;
+		struct init_cb info = INIT_CB_INIT;
+
+		if (module_list_compute(argc, argv, suc.prefix,
+					&pathspec, &list) < 0)
+			return 1;
+
+		/*
+		 * If there are no path args and submodule.active is set then,
+		 * by default, only initialize 'active' modules.
+		 */
+		if (!argc && git_config_get_value_multi("submodule.active"))
+			module_list_active(&list);
+
+		info.prefix = suc.prefix;
+		info.superprefix = suc.recursive_prefix;
+		if (suc.quiet)
+			info.flags |= OPT_QUIET;
+
+		for_each_listed_submodule(&list, init_submodule_cb, &info);
+	}
+
 	ret = update_submodules(&suc);
 	list_objects_filter_release(&filter_options);
 	return ret;
diff --git a/git-submodule.sh b/git-submodule.sh
index 882bf097d5..16dea0ca59 100755
--- a/git-submodule.sh
+++ b/git-submodule.sh
@@ -361,14 +361,11 @@ cmd_update()
 		usage
 	fi
 
-	if test -n "$init"
-	then
-		cmd_init "--" "$@" || return
-	fi
-
 	{
-	git submodule--helper update-clone ${GIT_QUIET:+--quiet} \
+	git ${wt_prefix:+-C "$wt_prefix"} submodule--helper update-clone \
+		${GIT_QUIET:+--quiet} \
 		${progress:+"--progress"} \
+		${init:+--init} \
 		${wt_prefix:+--prefix "$wt_prefix"} \
 		${prefix:+--recursive-prefix "$prefix"} \
 		${update:+--update "$update"} \