diff --git a/Documentation/config/rebase.txt b/Documentation/config/rebase.txt
index f19bd0e040..afaf6dad99 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config/rebase.txt
@@ -67,3 +67,13 @@ rebase.rescheduleFailedExec::
 
 rebase.forkPoint::
 	If set to false set `--no-fork-point` option by default.
+
+rebase.rebaseMerges::
+	Whether and how to set the `--rebase-merges` option by default. Can
+	be `rebase-cousins`, `no-rebase-cousins`, or a boolean. Setting to
+	true or to `no-rebase-cousins` is equivalent to
+	`--rebase-merges=no-rebase-cousins`, setting to `rebase-cousins` is
+	equivalent to `--rebase-merges=rebase-cousins`, and setting to false is
+	equivalent to `--no-rebase-merges`. Passing `--rebase-merges` on the
+	command line, with or without an argument, overrides any
+	`rebase.rebaseMerges` configuration.
diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
index 9a295bcee4..e7b39ad244 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
@@ -529,20 +529,25 @@ See also INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS below.
 
 -r::
 --rebase-merges[=(rebase-cousins|no-rebase-cousins)]::
+--no-rebase-merges::
 	By default, a rebase will simply drop merge commits from the todo
 	list, and put the rebased commits into a single, linear branch.
 	With `--rebase-merges`, the rebase will instead try to preserve
 	the branching structure within the commits that are to be rebased,
 	by recreating the merge commits. Any resolved merge conflicts or
 	manual amendments in these merge commits will have to be
-	resolved/re-applied manually.
+	resolved/re-applied manually. `--no-rebase-merges` can be used to
+	countermand both the `rebase.rebaseMerges` config option and a previous
+	`--rebase-merges`.
 +
-By default, or when `no-rebase-cousins` was specified, commits which do not
-have `<upstream>` as direct ancestor will keep their original branch point,
-i.e. commits that would be excluded by linkgit:git-log[1]'s
-`--ancestry-path` option will keep their original ancestry by default. If
-the `rebase-cousins` mode is turned on, such commits are instead rebased
-onto `<upstream>` (or `<onto>`, if specified).
+When rebasing merges, there are two modes: `rebase-cousins` and
+`no-rebase-cousins`. If the mode is not specified, it defaults to
+`no-rebase-cousins`. In `no-rebase-cousins` mode, commits which do not have
+`<upstream>` as direct ancestor will keep their original branch point, i.e.
+commits that would be excluded by linkgit:git-log[1]'s `--ancestry-path`
+option will keep their original ancestry by default. In `rebase-cousins` mode,
+such commits are instead rebased onto `<upstream>` (or `<onto>`, if
+specified).
 +
 It is currently only possible to recreate the merge commits using the
 `ort` merge strategy; different merge strategies can be used only via
diff --git a/builtin/rebase.c b/builtin/rebase.c
index 5b7b908b66..beebeb8f52 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase.c
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ struct rebase_options {
 	int fork_point;
 	int update_refs;
 	int config_autosquash;
+	int config_rebase_merges;
 	int config_update_refs;
 };
 
@@ -141,6 +142,8 @@ struct rebase_options {
 		.allow_empty_message = 1,               \
 		.autosquash = -1,                       \
 		.config_autosquash = -1,                \
+		.rebase_merges = -1,                    \
+		.config_rebase_merges = -1,             \
 		.update_refs = -1,                      \
 		.config_update_refs = -1,               \
 	}
@@ -772,6 +775,16 @@ static int run_specific_rebase(struct rebase_options *opts)
 	return status ? -1 : 0;
 }
 
+static void parse_rebase_merges_value(struct rebase_options *options, const char *value)
+{
+	if (!strcmp("no-rebase-cousins", value))
+		options->rebase_cousins = 0;
+	else if (!strcmp("rebase-cousins", value))
+		options->rebase_cousins = 1;
+	else
+		die(_("Unknown rebase-merges mode: %s"), value);
+}
+
 static int rebase_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *data)
 {
 	struct rebase_options *opts = data;
@@ -801,6 +814,17 @@ static int rebase_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *data)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	if (!strcmp(var, "rebase.rebasemerges")) {
+		opts->config_rebase_merges = git_parse_maybe_bool(value);
+		if (opts->config_rebase_merges < 0) {
+			opts->config_rebase_merges = 1;
+			parse_rebase_merges_value(opts, value);
+		} else {
+			opts->rebase_cousins = 0;
+		}
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	if (!strcmp(var, "rebase.updaterefs")) {
 		opts->config_update_refs = git_config_bool(var, value);
 		return 0;
@@ -981,6 +1005,28 @@ static int parse_opt_empty(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int parse_opt_rebase_merges(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
+{
+	struct rebase_options *options = opt->value;
+
+	options->rebase_merges = !unset;
+	options->rebase_cousins = 0;
+
+	if (arg) {
+		if (!*arg) {
+			warning(_("--rebase-merges with an empty string "
+				  "argument is deprecated and will stop "
+				  "working in a future version of Git. Use "
+				  "--rebase-merges without an argument "
+				  "instead, which does the same thing."));
+			return 0;
+		}
+		parse_rebase_merges_value(options, arg);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static void NORETURN error_on_missing_default_upstream(void)
 {
 	struct branch *current_branch = branch_get(NULL);
@@ -1036,7 +1082,6 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	struct object_id branch_base;
 	int ignore_whitespace = 0;
 	const char *gpg_sign = NULL;
-	const char *rebase_merges = NULL;
 	struct string_list strategy_options = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
 	struct object_id squash_onto;
 	char *squash_onto_name = NULL;
@@ -1138,10 +1183,9 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			   &options.allow_empty_message,
 			   N_("allow rebasing commits with empty messages"),
 			   PARSE_OPT_HIDDEN),
-		{OPTION_STRING, 'r', "rebase-merges", &rebase_merges,
-			N_("mode"),
+		OPT_CALLBACK_F('r', "rebase-merges", &options, N_("mode"),
 			N_("try to rebase merges instead of skipping them"),
-			PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, NULL, (intptr_t)""},
+			PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, parse_opt_rebase_merges),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "fork-point", &options.fork_point,
 			 N_("use 'merge-base --fork-point' to refine upstream")),
 		OPT_STRING('s', "strategy", &options.strategy,
@@ -1437,17 +1481,6 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (options.exec.nr)
 		imply_merge(&options, "--exec");
 
-	if (rebase_merges) {
-		if (!*rebase_merges)
-			; /* default mode; do nothing */
-		else if (!strcmp("rebase-cousins", rebase_merges))
-			options.rebase_cousins = 1;
-		else if (strcmp("no-rebase-cousins", rebase_merges))
-			die(_("Unknown mode: %s"), rebase_merges);
-		options.rebase_merges = 1;
-		imply_merge(&options, "--rebase-merges");
-	}
-
 	if (options.type == REBASE_APPLY) {
 		if (ignore_whitespace)
 			strvec_push(&options.git_am_opts,
@@ -1515,6 +1548,8 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 					  "cannot be used together"));
 			else if (options.autosquash == -1 && options.config_autosquash == 1)
 				die(_("apply options are incompatible with rebase.autoSquash.  Consider adding --no-autosquash"));
+			else if (options.rebase_merges == -1 && options.config_rebase_merges == 1)
+				die(_("apply options are incompatible with rebase.rebaseMerges.  Consider adding --no-rebase-merges"));
 			else if (options.update_refs == -1 && options.config_update_refs == 1)
 				die(_("apply options are incompatible with rebase.updateRefs.  Consider adding --no-update-refs"));
 			else
@@ -1527,6 +1562,11 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	options.update_refs = (options.update_refs >= 0) ? options.update_refs :
 			     ((options.config_update_refs >= 0) ? options.config_update_refs : 0);
 
+	if (options.rebase_merges == 1)
+		imply_merge(&options, "--rebase-merges");
+	options.rebase_merges = (options.rebase_merges >= 0) ? options.rebase_merges :
+				((options.config_rebase_merges >= 0) ? options.config_rebase_merges : 0);
+
 	if (options.autosquash == 1)
 		imply_merge(&options, "--autosquash");
 	options.autosquash = (options.autosquash >= 0) ? options.autosquash :
diff --git a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
index 4711b37a28..2eba00bdf5 100755
--- a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
+++ b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ test_rebase_am_only () {
 		test_must_fail git rebase $opt --reapply-cherry-picks A
 	"
 
+	test_expect_success "$opt incompatible with --rebase-merges" "
+		git checkout B^0 &&
+		test_must_fail git rebase $opt --rebase-merges A
+	"
+
 	test_expect_success "$opt incompatible with --update-refs" "
 		git checkout B^0 &&
 		test_must_fail git rebase $opt --update-refs A
@@ -101,6 +106,12 @@ test_rebase_am_only () {
 		grep -e --no-autosquash err
 	"
 
+	test_expect_success "$opt incompatible with rebase.rebaseMerges" "
+		git checkout B^0 &&
+		test_must_fail git -c rebase.rebaseMerges=true rebase $opt A 2>err &&
+		grep -e --no-rebase-merges err
+	"
+
 	test_expect_success "$opt incompatible with rebase.updateRefs" "
 		git checkout B^0 &&
 		test_must_fail git -c rebase.updateRefs=true rebase $opt A 2>err &&
@@ -113,6 +124,12 @@ test_rebase_am_only () {
 		git -c rebase.autosquash=true rebase --no-autosquash $opt A
 	"
 
+	test_expect_success "$opt okay with overridden rebase.rebaseMerges" "
+		test_when_finished \"git reset --hard B^0\" &&
+		git checkout B^0 &&
+		git -c rebase.rebaseMerges=true rebase --no-rebase-merges $opt A
+	"
+
 	test_expect_success "$opt okay with overridden rebase.updateRefs" "
 		test_when_finished \"git reset --hard B^0\" &&
 		git checkout B^0 &&
diff --git a/t/t3430-rebase-merges.sh b/t/t3430-rebase-merges.sh
index fa2a06c19f..f03599c63b 100755
--- a/t/t3430-rebase-merges.sh
+++ b/t/t3430-rebase-merges.sh
@@ -250,6 +250,16 @@ test_expect_success 'with a branch tip that was cherry-picked already' '
 	EOF
 '
 
+test_expect_success '--no-rebase-merges countermands --rebase-merges' '
+	git checkout -b no-rebase-merges E &&
+	git rebase --rebase-merges --no-rebase-merges C &&
+	test_cmp_graph C.. <<-\EOF
+	* B
+	* D
+	o C
+	EOF
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'do not rebase cousins unless asked for' '
 	git checkout -b cousins main &&
 	before="$(git rev-parse --verify HEAD)" &&
@@ -268,6 +278,40 @@ test_expect_success 'do not rebase cousins unless asked for' '
 	EOF
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'rebase.rebaseMerges=rebase-cousins is equivalent to --rebase-merges=rebase-cousins' '
+	test_config rebase.rebaseMerges rebase-cousins &&
+	git checkout -b config-rebase-cousins main &&
+	git rebase HEAD^ &&
+	test_cmp_graph HEAD^.. <<-\EOF
+	*   Merge the topic branch '\''onebranch'\''
+	|\
+	| * D
+	| * G
+	|/
+	o H
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--no-rebase-merges overrides rebase.rebaseMerges=no-rebase-cousins' '
+	test_config rebase.rebaseMerges no-rebase-cousins &&
+	git checkout -b override-config-no-rebase-cousins E &&
+	git rebase --no-rebase-merges C &&
+	test_cmp_graph C.. <<-\EOF
+	* B
+	* D
+	o C
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--rebase-merges overrides rebase.rebaseMerges=rebase-cousins' '
+	test_config rebase.rebaseMerges rebase-cousins &&
+	git checkout -b override-config-rebase-cousins E &&
+	before="$(git rev-parse --verify HEAD)" &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git rebase --rebase-merges C &&
+	test_cmp_rev HEAD $before
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'refs/rewritten/* is worktree-local' '
 	git worktree add wt &&
 	cat >wt/script-from-scratch <<-\EOF &&