diff --git a/Documentation/git-difftool.txt b/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
index e575fea1ad77eef80cd0460b66b7925a08a65f0d..8361e6e4e3d2d4829d3ce3c6f3ec4a2ac974e86e 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@ with custom merge tool commands and has the same value as `$MERGED`.
 --symlinks::
 --no-symlinks::
 	'git difftool''s default behavior is create symlinks to the
-	working tree when run in `--dir-diff` mode.
+	working tree when run in `--dir-diff` mode and the right-hand
+	side of the comparison yields the same content as the file in
+	the working tree.
 +
 Specifying `--no-symlinks` instructs 'git difftool' to create copies
 instead.  `--no-symlinks` is the default on Windows.
diff --git a/git-difftool.perl b/git-difftool.perl
index 3cab257595a5f4dd50c474733a39f76bc897eb4e..c433e86f09e9c10e2bf94d7e5cc61364a33aab2b 100755
--- a/git-difftool.perl
+++ b/git-difftool.perl
@@ -83,6 +83,21 @@ sub exit_cleanup
 	exit($status | ($status >> 8));
 }
 
+sub use_wt_file
+{
+	my ($repo, $workdir, $file, $sha1, $symlinks) = @_;
+	my $null_sha1 = '0' x 40;
+
+	if ($sha1 eq $null_sha1) {
+		return 1;
+	} elsif (not $symlinks) {
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	my $wt_sha1 = $repo->command_oneline('hash-object', "$workdir/$file");
+	return $sha1 eq $wt_sha1;
+}
+
 sub setup_dir_diff
 {
 	my ($repo, $workdir, $symlinks) = @_;
@@ -159,10 +174,10 @@ sub setup_dir_diff
 		}
 
 		if ($rmode ne $null_mode) {
-			if ($rsha1 ne $null_sha1) {
-				$rindex .= "$rmode $rsha1\t$dst_path\0";
-			} else {
+			if (use_wt_file($repo, $workdir, $dst_path, $rsha1, $symlinks)) {
 				push(@working_tree, $dst_path);
+			} else {
+				$rindex .= "$rmode $rsha1\t$dst_path\0";
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/t/t7800-difftool.sh b/t/t7800-difftool.sh
index eb1d3f85b59b2e74231f0285fc4e90d95d0658fa..db3d3d6bd1d8a979ee757bb7faca0adec853485b 100755
--- a/t/t7800-difftool.sh
+++ b/t/t7800-difftool.sh
@@ -370,6 +370,28 @@ test_expect_success PERL 'difftool --dir-diff' '
 	echo "$diff" | stdin_contains file
 '
 
+write_script .git/CHECK_SYMLINKS <<\EOF
+for f in file file2 sub/sub
+do
+	echo "$f"
+	readlink "$2/$f"
+done >actual
+EOF
+
+test_expect_success PERL,SYMLINKS 'difftool --dir-diff --symlink without unstaged changes' '
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	file
+	$(pwd)/file
+	file2
+	$(pwd)/file2
+	sub/sub
+	$(pwd)/sub/sub
+	EOF
+	git difftool --dir-diff --symlink \
+		--extcmd "./.git/CHECK_SYMLINKS" branch HEAD &&
+	test_cmp actual expect
+'
+
 test_expect_success PERL 'difftool --dir-diff ignores --prompt' '
 	diff=$(git difftool --dir-diff --prompt --extcmd ls branch) &&
 	echo "$diff" | stdin_contains sub &&