diff --git a/Documentation/config/format.txt b/Documentation/config/format.txt
index dc77941c48..e25f9cfc61 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/format.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config/format.txt
@@ -85,3 +85,16 @@ format.outputDirectory::
 format.useAutoBase::
 	A boolean value which lets you enable the `--base=auto` option of
 	format-patch by default.
+
+format.notes::
+	A ref which specifies where to get the notes (see
+	linkgit:git-notes[1]) that are appended for the commit after the
+	three-dash line.
++
+If the special value of "standard" is specified, then the standard notes
+ref is used (i.e. the notes ref used by `git notes` when no `--ref`
+argument is specified). If one wishes to use the ref
+`ref/notes/standard`, please use that literal instead.
++
+This configuration can be specified multiple times in order to allow
+multiple notes refs to be included.
diff --git a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
index 2c3971390e..9ce5b8aaee 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
@@ -275,6 +275,9 @@ these explanations after `format-patch` has run but before sending,
 keeping them as Git notes allows them to be maintained between versions
 of the patch series (but see the discussion of the `notes.rewrite`
 configuration options in linkgit:git-notes[1] to use this workflow).
++
+The default is `--no-notes`, unless the `format.notes` configuration is
+set.
 
 --[no-]signature=<signature>::
 	Add a signature to each message produced. Per RFC 3676 the signature
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index e43ee12fb1..24954e42b0 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -779,6 +779,8 @@ enum {
 
 static int git_format_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb)
 {
+	struct rev_info *rev = cb;
+
 	if (!strcmp(var, "format.headers")) {
 		if (!value)
 			die(_("format.headers without value"));
@@ -864,6 +866,20 @@ static int git_format_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb)
 			from = NULL;
 		return 0;
 	}
+	if (!strcmp(var, "format.notes")) {
+		struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+		rev->show_notes = 1;
+		if (!strcmp(value, "standard"))
+			rev->notes_opt.use_default_notes = 1;
+		else {
+			strbuf_addstr(&buf, value);
+			expand_notes_ref(&buf);
+			string_list_append(&rev->notes_opt.extra_notes_refs,
+					strbuf_detach(&buf, NULL));
+		}
+		return 0;
+	}
 
 	return git_log_config(var, value, cb);
 }
@@ -1617,8 +1633,8 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	extra_to.strdup_strings = 1;
 	extra_cc.strdup_strings = 1;
 	init_log_defaults();
-	git_config(git_format_config, NULL);
 	repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &rev, prefix);
+	git_config(git_format_config, &rev);
 	rev.commit_format = CMIT_FMT_EMAIL;
 	rev.expand_tabs_in_log_default = 0;
 	rev.verbose_header = 1;
diff --git a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
index b6e2fdbc44..e0127282ba 100755
--- a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
+++ b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
@@ -738,6 +738,76 @@ test_expect_success 'format-patch --notes --signoff' '
 	sed "1,/^---$/d" out | grep "test message"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'format-patch notes output control' '
+	git notes add -m "notes config message" HEAD &&
+	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
+
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout >out &&
+	! grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes >out &&
+	grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes --notes >out &&
+	grep "notes config message" out &&
+
+	test_config format.notes standard &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout >out &&
+	grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes >out &&
+	grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "notes config message" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes --notes >out &&
+	grep "notes config message" out
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'format-patch with multiple notes refs' '
+	git notes --ref note1 add -m "this is note 1" HEAD &&
+	test_when_finished git notes --ref note1 remove HEAD &&
+	git notes --ref note2 add -m "this is note 2" HEAD &&
+	test_when_finished git notes --ref note2 remove HEAD &&
+
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout >out &&
+	! grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	! grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes=note1 >out &&
+	grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	! grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes=note2 >out &&
+	! grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes=note1 --notes=note2 >out &&
+	grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	grep "this is note 2" out &&
+
+	test_config format.notes note1 &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout >out &&
+	grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	! grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	! grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --notes=note2 >out &&
+	grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes --notes=note2 >out &&
+	! grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	grep "this is note 2" out &&
+
+	git config --add format.notes note2 &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout >out &&
+	grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	grep "this is note 2" out &&
+	git format-patch -1 --stdout --no-notes >out &&
+	! grep "this is note 1" out &&
+	! grep "this is note 2" out
+'
+
 echo "fatal: --name-only does not make sense" > expect.name-only
 echo "fatal: --name-status does not make sense" > expect.name-status
 echo "fatal: --check does not make sense" > expect.check
