diff --git a/t/README b/t/README
index 76a0daa3ac00d298bc515c655f4548403095f5f3..243332cf5e60177c5f87b89a66496ef6744b49fa 100644
--- a/t/README
+++ b/t/README
@@ -153,6 +153,12 @@ appropriately before running "make".
 	As the names depend on the tests' file names, it is safe to
 	run the tests with this option in parallel.
 
+--verbose-log::
+	Write verbose output to the same logfile as `--tee`, but do
+	_not_ write it to stdout. Unlike `--tee --verbose`, this option
+	is safe to use when stdout is being consumed by a TAP parser
+	like `prove`. Implies `--tee` and `--verbose`.
+
 --with-dashes::
 	By default tests are run without dashed forms of
 	commands (like git-commit) in the PATH (it only uses
diff --git a/t/test-lib.sh b/t/test-lib.sh
index 01bb58ef005e5fa3cc01fd14f02bd0acaf298156..d685858afd41f1e1f6a66d1831ffd2b2d39eee6f 100644
--- a/t/test-lib.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib.sh
@@ -54,11 +54,21 @@ case "$GIT_TEST_TEE_STARTED, $* " in
 done,*)
 	# do not redirect again
 	;;
-*' --tee '*|*' --va'*)
+*' --tee '*|*' --va'*|*' --verbose-log '*)
 	mkdir -p "$TEST_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/test-results"
 	BASE="$TEST_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/test-results/$(basename "$0" .sh)"
+
+	# Make this filename available to the sub-process in case it is using
+	# --verbose-log.
+	GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE=$BASE.out
+	export GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE
+
+	# Truncate before calling "tee -a" to get rid of the results
+	# from any previous runs.
+	>"$GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE"
+
 	(GIT_TEST_TEE_STARTED=done ${SHELL_PATH} "$0" "$@" 2>&1;
-	 echo $? >"$BASE.exit") | tee "$BASE.out"
+	 echo $? >"$BASE.exit") | tee -a "$GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE"
 	test "$(cat "$BASE.exit")" = 0
 	exit
 	;;
@@ -242,6 +252,9 @@ do
 		trace=t
 		verbose=t
 		shift ;;
+	--verbose-log)
+		verbose_log=t
+		shift ;;
 	*)
 		echo "error: unknown test option '$1'" >&2; exit 1 ;;
 	esac
@@ -315,7 +328,10 @@ fi
 
 exec 5>&1
 exec 6<&0
-if test "$verbose" = "t"
+if test "$verbose_log" = "t"
+then
+	exec 3>>"$GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE" 4>&3
+elif test "$verbose" = "t"
 then
 	exec 4>&2 3>&1
 else