diff --git a/Documentation/git-update-cache.txt b/Documentation/git-update-cache.txt
index 604411d6d79d4178557015bcff52295a18169e60..947f2bded0317bab04598d2fb9755db0995c6c45 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-update-cache.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-update-cache.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 'git-update-cache'
 	     [--add] [--remove] [--refresh] [--replace]
 	     [--ignore-missing]
-	     [--force-remove <file>]
+	     [--force-remove]
 	     [--cacheinfo <mode> <object> <file>]\*
 	     [--] [<file>]\*
 
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ OPTIONS
 	
 --force-remove::
 	Remove the file from the index even when the working directory
-	still has such a file.
+	still has such a file. (Implies --remove.)
 
 --replace::
 	By default, when a file `path` exists in the index,
diff --git a/update-cache.c b/update-cache.c
index 48b4deeebc92db2bcef97141bb1c162ef4e3dea7..d2f79fa4535d3ec718b60a13a9a8c67d74323d8e 100644
--- a/update-cache.c
+++ b/update-cache.c
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
  * files be revision controlled.
  */
 static int allow_add = 0, allow_remove = 0, allow_replace = 0, not_new = 0;
+static int force_remove;
 
 /* Three functions to allow overloaded pointer return; see linux/err.h */
 static inline void *ERR_PTR(long error)
@@ -376,11 +377,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 				continue;
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(path, "--force-remove")) {
-				if (argc <= i + 1)
-					die("git-update-cache: --force-remove <path>");
-				if (remove_file_from_cache(argv[i+1]))
-					die("git-update-cache: --force-remove cannot remove %s", argv[i+1]);
-				i++;
+				force_remove = 1;
 				continue;
 			}
 
@@ -394,6 +391,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			fprintf(stderr, "Ignoring path %s\n", argv[i]);
 			continue;
 		}
+		if (force_remove) {
+			if (remove_file_from_cache(path))
+				die("git-update-cache: --force-remove cannot remove %s", path);
+			continue;
+		}
 		if (add_file_to_cache(path))
 			die("Unable to add %s to database", path);
 	}