diff --git a/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt b/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
index 6da899c629..ccdc2911bb 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-for-each-ref.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git for-each-ref' [--count=<count>] [--shell|--perl|--python|--tcl]
-		   [(--sort=<key>)...] [--format=<format>] [<pattern>...]
+		   [(--sort=<key>)...] [--format=<format>]
+		   [ --stdin | <pattern>... ]
 		   [--points-at=<object>]
 		   [--merged[=<object>]] [--no-merged[=<object>]]
 		   [--contains[=<object>]] [--no-contains[=<object>]]
@@ -32,6 +33,10 @@ OPTIONS
 	literally, in the latter case matching completely or from the
 	beginning up to a slash.
 
+--stdin::
+	If `--stdin` is supplied, then the list of patterns is read from
+	standard input instead of from the argument list.
+
 --count=<count>::
 	By default the command shows all refs that match
 	`<pattern>`.  This option makes it stop after showing
diff --git a/builtin/for-each-ref.c b/builtin/for-each-ref.c
index 6f62f40d12..9df16cfb85 100644
--- a/builtin/for-each-ref.c
+++ b/builtin/for-each-ref.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "object.h"
 #include "parse-options.h"
 #include "ref-filter.h"
+#include "strvec.h"
 
 static char const * const for_each_ref_usage[] = {
 	N_("git for-each-ref [<options>] [<pattern>]"),
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ int cmd_for_each_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	struct ref_format format = REF_FORMAT_INIT;
 	struct strbuf output = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
+	int from_stdin = 0;
+	struct strvec vec = STRVEC_INIT;
 
 	struct option opts[] = {
 		OPT_BIT('s', "shell", &format.quote_style,
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ int cmd_for_each_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_CONTAINS(&filter.with_commit, N_("print only refs which contain the commit")),
 		OPT_NO_CONTAINS(&filter.no_commit, N_("print only refs which don't contain the commit")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "ignore-case", &icase, N_("sorting and filtering are case insensitive")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "stdin", &from_stdin, N_("read reference patterns from stdin")),
 		OPT_END(),
 	};
 
@@ -75,7 +79,23 @@ int cmd_for_each_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	ref_sorting_set_sort_flags_all(sorting, REF_SORTING_ICASE, icase);
 	filter.ignore_case = icase;
 
-	filter.name_patterns = argv;
+	if (from_stdin) {
+		struct strbuf line = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+		if (argv[0])
+			die(_("unknown arguments supplied with --stdin"));
+
+		while (strbuf_getline(&line, stdin) != EOF)
+			strvec_push(&vec, line.buf);
+
+		strbuf_release(&line);
+
+		/* vec.v is NULL-terminated, just like 'argv'. */
+		filter.name_patterns = vec.v;
+	} else {
+		filter.name_patterns = argv;
+	}
+
 	filter.match_as_path = 1;
 	filter_refs(&array, &filter, FILTER_REFS_ALL);
 	ref_array_sort(sorting, &array);
@@ -97,5 +117,6 @@ int cmd_for_each_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	free_commit_list(filter.with_commit);
 	free_commit_list(filter.no_commit);
 	ref_sorting_release(sorting);
+	strvec_clear(&vec);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/t/t6300-for-each-ref.sh b/t/t6300-for-each-ref.sh
index c466fd989f..a58053a54c 100755
--- a/t/t6300-for-each-ref.sh
+++ b/t/t6300-for-each-ref.sh
@@ -1464,4 +1464,41 @@ sig_crlf="$(printf "%s" "$sig" | append_cr; echo dummy)"
 sig_crlf=${sig_crlf%dummy}
 test_atom refs/tags/fake-sig-crlf contents:signature "$sig_crlf"
 
+test_expect_success 'git for-each-ref --stdin: empty' '
+	>in &&
+	git for-each-ref --format="%(refname)" --stdin <in >actual &&
+	git for-each-ref --format="%(refname)" >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'git for-each-ref --stdin: fails if extra args' '
+	>in &&
+	test_must_fail git for-each-ref --format="%(refname)" \
+		--stdin refs/heads/extra <in 2>err &&
+	grep "unknown arguments supplied with --stdin" err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'git for-each-ref --stdin: matches' '
+	cat >in <<-EOF &&
+	refs/tags/multi*
+	refs/heads/amb*
+	EOF
+
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	refs/heads/ambiguous
+	refs/tags/multi-ref1-100000-user1
+	refs/tags/multi-ref1-100000-user2
+	refs/tags/multi-ref1-200000-user1
+	refs/tags/multi-ref1-200000-user2
+	refs/tags/multi-ref2-100000-user1
+	refs/tags/multi-ref2-100000-user2
+	refs/tags/multi-ref2-200000-user1
+	refs/tags/multi-ref2-200000-user2
+	refs/tags/multiline
+	EOF
+
+	git for-each-ref --format="%(refname)" --stdin <in >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done