diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index d415c4188d181fbdc765fff90fbbc4897ced53ad..10d7913b06902495eaa8e03925ad712599bc8202 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c
@@ -952,9 +952,31 @@ static int process_renames(struct merge_options *o,
 				       "%s added in %s",
 				       ren1_src, ren1_dst, branch1,
 				       ren1_dst, branch2);
-				new_path = unique_path(o, ren1_dst, branch2);
-				output(o, 1, "Adding as %s instead", new_path);
-				update_file(o, 0, dst_other.sha1, dst_other.mode, new_path);
+				if (o->call_depth) {
+					struct merge_file_info mfi;
+					struct diff_filespec one, a, b;
+
+					one.path = a.path = b.path =
+						(char *)ren1_dst;
+					hashcpy(one.sha1, null_sha1);
+					one.mode = 0;
+					hashcpy(a.sha1, ren1->pair->two->sha1);
+					a.mode = ren1->pair->two->mode;
+					hashcpy(b.sha1, dst_other.sha1);
+					b.mode = dst_other.mode;
+					mfi = merge_file(o, &one, &a, &b,
+							 branch1,
+							 branch2);
+					output(o, 1, "Adding merged %s", ren1_dst);
+					update_file(o, 0,
+						    mfi.sha,
+						    mfi.mode,
+						    ren1_dst);
+				} else {
+					new_path = unique_path(o, ren1_dst, branch2);
+					output(o, 1, "Adding as %s instead", new_path);
+					update_file(o, 0, dst_other.sha1, dst_other.mode, new_path);
+				}
 			} else if ((item = string_list_lookup(ren1_dst, renames2Dst))) {
 				ren2 = item->util;
 				clean_merge = 0;
diff --git a/t/t6036-recursive-corner-cases.sh b/t/t6036-recursive-corner-cases.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b8741416588e9f3d7de7c0a0359a0b8ea7cf8045
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t6036-recursive-corner-cases.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='recursive merge corner cases'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+#
+#  L1  L2
+#   o---o
+#  / \ / \
+# o   X   ?
+#  \ / \ /
+#   o---o
+#  R1  R2
+#
+
+test_expect_success setup '
+	ten="0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9"
+	for i in $ten
+	do
+		echo line $i in a sample file
+	done >one &&
+	for i in $ten
+	do
+		echo line $i in another sample file
+	done >two &&
+	git add one two &&
+	test_tick && git commit -m initial &&
+
+	git branch L1 &&
+	git checkout -b R1 &&
+	git mv one three &&
+	test_tick && git commit -m R1 &&
+
+	git checkout L1 &&
+	git mv two three &&
+	test_tick && git commit -m L1 &&
+
+	git checkout L1^0 &&
+	test_tick && git merge -s ours R1 &&
+	git tag L2 &&
+
+	git checkout R1^0 &&
+	test_tick && git merge -s ours L1 &&
+	git tag R2
+'
+
+test_expect_success merge '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	git checkout L2^0 &&
+
+	test_must_fail git merge -s recursive R2^0
+'
+
+test_done