diff --git a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
index dfcc7da4c2..b080d3c61e 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-format-patch - Prepare patches for e-mail submission
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git format-patch' [-k] [(-o|--output-directory) <dir> | --stdout]
+'git format-patch' [-k] [(-o|--output-directory) <dir> | --stdout] [--mboxrd]
 		   [--no-thread | --thread[=<style>]]
 		   [(--attach|--inline)[=<boundary>] | --no-attach]
 		   [-s | --signoff]
@@ -145,6 +145,10 @@ include::diff-options.txt[]
 	Print all commits to the standard output in mbox format,
 	instead of creating a file for each one.
 
+--mboxrd::
+	Use the robust "mboxrd" format with `--stdout` to escape
+	"^>+From " lines.
+
 --attach[=<boundary>]::
 	Create multipart/mixed attachment, the first part of
 	which is the commit message and the patch itself in the
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 5eafcf26b4..13f5deb7a5 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -1872,6 +1872,7 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	struct strbuf rdiff2 = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf rdiff_title = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int creation_factor = -1;
+	int mboxrd = 0;
 
 	const struct option builtin_format_patch_options[] = {
 		OPT_CALLBACK_F('n', "numbered", &numbered, NULL,
@@ -1883,6 +1884,8 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_BOOL('s', "signoff", &do_signoff, N_("add a Signed-off-by trailer")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "stdout", &use_stdout,
 			    N_("print patches to standard out")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "mboxrd", &mboxrd,
+			    N_("use the robust mboxrd format with --stdout")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "cover-letter", &cover_letter,
 			    N_("generate a cover letter")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "numbered-files", &just_numbers,
@@ -2106,6 +2109,10 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				  rev.diffopt.close_file, "--output",
 				  !!output_directory, "--output-directory");
 
+	/* should we warn on --mboxrd w/o --stdout? */
+	if (mboxrd)
+		rev.commit_format = CMIT_FMT_MBOXRD;
+
 	if (use_stdout) {
 		setup_pager();
 	} else if (!rev.diffopt.close_file) {
diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
index ba5c395d2d..f6e2fbdcfa 100644
--- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
+++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
@@ -1815,7 +1815,7 @@ _git_fetch ()
 
 __git_format_patch_extra_options="
 	--full-index --not --all --no-prefix --src-prefix=
-	--dst-prefix= --notes
+	--dst-prefix= --notes --mboxrd
 "
 
 _git_format_patch ()
diff --git a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
index de1da4673d..69ed8b1ffa 100755
--- a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
+++ b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
@@ -2281,7 +2281,7 @@ test_expect_success 'format-patch --attach cover-letter only is non-multipart' '
 	test_line_count = 1 output
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'format-patch --pretty=mboxrd' '
+test_expect_success 'format-patch --mboxrd' '
 	sp=" " &&
 	cat >msg <<-INPUT_END &&
 	mboxrd should escape the body
@@ -2316,7 +2316,9 @@ test_expect_success 'format-patch --pretty=mboxrd' '
 	INPUT_END
 
 	C=$(git commit-tree HEAD^^{tree} -p HEAD <msg) &&
-	git format-patch --pretty=mboxrd --stdout -1 $C~1..$C >patch &&
+	git format-patch --mboxrd --stdout -1 $C~1..$C >patch &&
+	git format-patch --pretty=mboxrd --stdout -1 $C~1..$C >compat &&
+	test_cmp patch compat &&
 	git grep -h --no-index -A11 \
 		"^>From could trip up a loose mbox parser" patch >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
diff --git a/t/t4150-am.sh b/t/t4150-am.sh
index cdad4b6880..9a128c16a6 100755
--- a/t/t4150-am.sh
+++ b/t/t4150-am.sh
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@ test_expect_success 'am --patch-format=mboxrd handles mboxrd' '
 	>From extra escape for reversibility
 	INPUT_END
 	git commit -F msg &&
-	git format-patch --pretty=mboxrd --stdout -1 >mboxrd1 &&
+	git format-patch --mboxrd --stdout -1 >mboxrd1 &&
 	grep "^>From could trip up a loose mbox parser" mboxrd1 &&
 	git checkout -f first &&
 	git am --patch-format=mboxrd mboxrd1 &&