diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
index 6ed610a03..0387b40e0 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
@@ -391,9 +391,6 @@ idea unless you know what you are doing (see BUGS below).
 	final history. <cmd> will be interpreted as one or more shell
 	commands.
 +
-This option can only be used with the `--interactive` option
-(see INTERACTIVE MODE below).
-+
 You may execute several commands by either using one instance of `--exec`
 with several commands:
 +
@@ -406,6 +403,9 @@ or by giving more than one `--exec`:
 If `--autosquash` is used, "exec" lines will not be appended for
 the intermediate commits, and will only appear at the end of each
 squash/fixup series.
++
+This uses the `--interactive` machinery internally, but it can be run
+without an explicit `--interactive`.
 
 --root::
 	Rebase all commits reachable from <branch>, instead of
diff --git a/git-rebase.sh b/git-rebase.sh
index cf60c4390..0bf41ee72 100755
--- a/git-rebase.sh
+++ b/git-rebase.sh
@@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ do
 		;;
 	--exec=*)
 		cmd="${cmd}exec ${1#--exec=}${LF}"
+		test -z "$interactive_rebase" && interactive_rebase=implied
 		;;
 	--interactive)
 		interactive_rebase=explicit
@@ -348,12 +349,6 @@ do
 done
 test $# -gt 2 && usage
 
-if test -n "$cmd" &&
-   test "$interactive_rebase" != explicit
-then
-	die "$(gettext "The --exec option must be used with the --interactive option")"
-fi
-
 if test -n "$action"
 then
 	test -z "$in_progress" && die "$(gettext "No rebase in progress?")"
diff --git a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
index 544f9ad50..21b1f9502 100755
--- a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
+++ b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
@@ -876,16 +876,15 @@ test_expect_success 'rebase -ix with --autosquash' '
 	test_cmp expected actual
 '
 
-
-test_expect_success 'rebase --exec without -i shows error message' '
+test_expect_success 'rebase --exec works without -i ' '
 	git reset --hard execute &&
-	set_fake_editor &&
-	test_must_fail git rebase --exec "git show HEAD" HEAD~2 2>actual &&
-	echo "The --exec option must be used with the --interactive option" >expected &&
-	test_i18ncmp expected actual
+	rm -rf exec_output &&
+	EDITOR="echo >invoked_editor" git rebase --exec "echo a line >>exec_output"  HEAD~2 2>actual &&
+	test_i18ngrep  "Successfully rebased and updated" actual &&
+	test_line_count = 2 exec_output &&
+	test_path_is_missing invoked_editor
 '
 
-
 test_expect_success 'rebase -i --exec without <CMD>' '
 	git reset --hard execute &&
 	set_fake_editor &&