diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt
index 448eb9d302..a7fbd0aac2 100644
--- a/Documentation/config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config.txt
@@ -2540,6 +2540,11 @@ transfer.hideRefs::
 	excluded, and is hidden when responding to `git push` or `git
 	fetch`.  See `receive.hideRefs` and `uploadpack.hideRefs` for
 	program-specific versions of this config.
++
+You may also include a `!` in front of the ref name to negate the entry,
+explicitly exposing it, even if an earlier entry marked it as hidden.
+If you have multiple hideRefs values, later entries override earlier ones
+(and entries in more-specific config files override less-specific ones).
 
 transfer.unpackLimit::
 	When `fetch.unpackLimit` or `receive.unpackLimit` are
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 7ac05cf21a..68f2cb03c4 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -4159,17 +4159,25 @@ int parse_hide_refs_config(const char *var, const char *value, const char *secti
 
 int ref_is_hidden(const char *refname)
 {
-	struct string_list_item *item;
+	int i;
 
 	if (!hide_refs)
 		return 0;
-	for_each_string_list_item(item, hide_refs) {
+	for (i = hide_refs->nr - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+		const char *match = hide_refs->items[i].string;
+		int neg = 0;
 		int len;
-		if (!starts_with(refname, item->string))
+
+		if (*match == '!') {
+			neg = 1;
+			match++;
+		}
+
+		if (!starts_with(refname, match))
 			continue;
-		len = strlen(item->string);
+		len = strlen(match);
 		if (!refname[len] || refname[len] == '/')
-			return 1;
+			return !neg;
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
index 3bd9759e0f..aadaac515e 100755
--- a/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
+++ b/t/t5512-ls-remote.sh
@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ test_expect_success 'Report match with --exit-code' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'set up some extra tags for ref hiding' '
+	git tag magic/one &&
+	git tag magic/two
+'
+
 for configsection in transfer uploadpack
 do
 	test_expect_success "Hide some refs with $configsection.hiderefs" '
@@ -138,6 +143,24 @@ do
 		sed -e "/	refs\/tags\//d" >expect &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	'
+
+	test_expect_success "Override hiding of $configsection.hiderefs" '
+		test_when_finished "test_unconfig $configsection.hiderefs" &&
+		git config --add $configsection.hiderefs refs/tags &&
+		git config --add $configsection.hiderefs "!refs/tags/magic" &&
+		git config --add $configsection.hiderefs refs/tags/magic/one &&
+		git ls-remote . >actual &&
+		grep refs/tags/magic/two actual &&
+		! grep refs/tags/magic/one actual
+	'
+
 done
 
+test_expect_success 'overrides work between mixed transfer/upload-pack hideRefs' '
+	test_config uploadpack.hiderefs refs/tags &&
+	test_config transfer.hiderefs "!refs/tags/magic" &&
+	git ls-remote . >actual &&
+	grep refs/tags/magic actual
+'
+
 test_done