diff --git a/Documentation/diff-options.txt b/Documentation/diff-options.txt
index 13234fa280b279bfccad0a9aec6989727957567a..859d67990a62049c2f328dfd676cf21da8ff9a27 100644
--- a/Documentation/diff-options.txt
+++ b/Documentation/diff-options.txt
@@ -228,6 +228,9 @@ endif::git-format-patch[]
 --no-ext-diff::
 	Disallow external diff drivers.
 
+--ignore-submodules::
+	Ignore changes to submodules in the diff generation.
+
 --src-prefix=<prefix>::
 	Show the given source prefix instead of "a/".
 
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 439d4746cae343f08b298473d35d9792048abfa0..d57bc299ee7499dc8f448220e894cc6e6a1d8aca 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -2496,6 +2496,8 @@ int diff_opt_parse(struct diff_options *options, const char **av, int ac)
 		DIFF_OPT_SET(options, ALLOW_EXTERNAL);
 	else if (!strcmp(arg, "--no-ext-diff"))
 		DIFF_OPT_CLR(options, ALLOW_EXTERNAL);
+	else if (!strcmp(arg, "--ignore-submodules"))
+		DIFF_OPT_SET(options, IGNORE_SUBMODULES);
 
 	/* misc options */
 	else if (!strcmp(arg, "-z"))
@@ -3355,6 +3357,9 @@ void diff_addremove(struct diff_options *options,
 	char concatpath[PATH_MAX];
 	struct diff_filespec *one, *two;
 
+	if (DIFF_OPT_TST(options, IGNORE_SUBMODULES) && S_ISGITLINK(mode))
+		return;
+
 	/* This may look odd, but it is a preparation for
 	 * feeding "there are unchanged files which should
 	 * not produce diffs, but when you are doing copy
@@ -3399,6 +3404,10 @@ void diff_change(struct diff_options *options,
 	char concatpath[PATH_MAX];
 	struct diff_filespec *one, *two;
 
+	if (DIFF_OPT_TST(options, IGNORE_SUBMODULES) && S_ISGITLINK(old_mode)
+			&& S_ISGITLINK(new_mode))
+		return;
+
 	if (DIFF_OPT_TST(options, REVERSE_DIFF)) {
 		unsigned tmp;
 		const unsigned char *tmp_c;
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 3a02d38d12d94c39ff9ef3ab744ea7d157fb52b4..1dfe1f98b1dbe66fd3c7c5cd5a999c28172cd8cc 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ typedef void (*diff_format_fn_t)(struct diff_queue_struct *q,
 #define DIFF_OPT_REVERSE_DIFF        (1 << 15)
 #define DIFF_OPT_CHECK_FAILED        (1 << 16)
 #define DIFF_OPT_RELATIVE_NAME       (1 << 17)
+#define DIFF_OPT_IGNORE_SUBMODULES   (1 << 18)
 #define DIFF_OPT_TST(opts, flag)    ((opts)->flags & DIFF_OPT_##flag)
 #define DIFF_OPT_SET(opts, flag)    ((opts)->flags |= DIFF_OPT_##flag)
 #define DIFF_OPT_CLR(opts, flag)    ((opts)->flags &= ~DIFF_OPT_##flag)