diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8d6d4515d..b499049ae 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ LIB_H += diffcore.h
 LIB_H += diff.h
 LIB_H += dir.h
 LIB_H += exec_cmd.h
+LIB_H += fmt-merge-msg.h
 LIB_H += fsck.h
 LIB_H += gettext.h
 LIB_H += git-compat-util.h
diff --git a/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c b/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
index 75816329d..1350462d4 100644
--- a/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
+++ b/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
@@ -5,23 +5,27 @@
 #include "revision.h"
 #include "tag.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
+#include "branch.h"
+#include "fmt-merge-msg.h"
 
 static const char * const fmt_merge_msg_usage[] = {
 	"git fmt-merge-msg [-m <message>] [--log[=<n>]|--no-log] [--file <file>]",
 	NULL
 };
 
-static int shortlog_len;
+static int use_branch_desc;
 
-static int fmt_merge_msg_config(const char *key, const char *value, void *cb)
+int fmt_merge_msg_config(const char *key, const char *value, void *cb)
 {
 	if (!strcmp(key, "merge.log") || !strcmp(key, "merge.summary")) {
 		int is_bool;
-		shortlog_len = git_config_bool_or_int(key, value, &is_bool);
-		if (!is_bool && shortlog_len < 0)
+		merge_log_config = git_config_bool_or_int(key, value, &is_bool);
+		if (!is_bool && merge_log_config < 0)
 			return error("%s: negative length %s", key, value);
-		if (is_bool && shortlog_len)
-			shortlog_len = DEFAULT_MERGE_LOG_LEN;
+		if (is_bool && merge_log_config)
+			merge_log_config = DEFAULT_MERGE_LOG_LEN;
+	} else if (!strcmp(key, "merge.branchdesc")) {
+		use_branch_desc = git_config_bool(key, value);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -31,6 +35,11 @@ struct src_data {
 	int head_status;
 };
 
+struct origin_data {
+	unsigned char sha1[20];
+	int is_local_branch:1;
+};
+
 static void init_src_data(struct src_data *data)
 {
 	data->branch.strdup_strings = 1;
@@ -45,7 +54,7 @@ static struct string_list origins = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 static int handle_line(char *line)
 {
 	int i, len = strlen(line);
-	unsigned char *sha1;
+	struct origin_data *origin_data;
 	char *src, *origin;
 	struct src_data *src_data;
 	struct string_list_item *item;
@@ -61,11 +70,13 @@ static int handle_line(char *line)
 		return 2;
 
 	line[40] = 0;
-	sha1 = xmalloc(20);
-	i = get_sha1(line, sha1);
+	origin_data = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct origin_data));
+	i = get_sha1(line, origin_data->sha1);
 	line[40] = '\t';
-	if (i)
+	if (i) {
+		free(origin_data);
 		return 3;
+	}
 
 	if (line[len - 1] == '\n')
 		line[len - 1] = 0;
@@ -93,6 +104,7 @@ static int handle_line(char *line)
 		origin = src;
 		src_data->head_status |= 1;
 	} else if (!prefixcmp(line, "branch ")) {
+		origin_data->is_local_branch = 1;
 		origin = line + 7;
 		string_list_append(&src_data->branch, origin);
 		src_data->head_status |= 2;
@@ -119,7 +131,9 @@ static int handle_line(char *line)
 		sprintf(new_origin, "%s of %s", origin, src);
 		origin = new_origin;
 	}
-	string_list_append(&origins, origin)->util = sha1;
+	if (strcmp(".", src))
+		origin_data->is_local_branch = 0;
+	string_list_append(&origins, origin)->util = origin_data;
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -140,9 +154,30 @@ static void print_joined(const char *singular, const char *plural,
 	}
 }
 
-static void shortlog(const char *name, unsigned char *sha1,
-		struct commit *head, struct rev_info *rev, int limit,
-		struct strbuf *out)
+static void add_branch_desc(struct strbuf *out, const char *name)
+{
+	struct strbuf desc = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	if (!read_branch_desc(&desc, name)) {
+		const char *bp = desc.buf;
+		while (*bp) {
+			const char *ep = strchrnul(bp, '\n');
+			if (*ep)
+				ep++;
+			strbuf_addf(out, "  : %.*s", (int)(ep - bp), bp);
+			bp = ep;
+		}
+		if (out->buf[out->len - 1] != '\n')
+			strbuf_addch(out, '\n');
+	}
+	strbuf_release(&desc);
+}
+
+static void shortlog(const char *name,
+		     struct origin_data *origin_data,
+		     struct commit *head,
+		     struct rev_info *rev, int limit,
+		     struct strbuf *out)
 {
 	int i, count = 0;
 	struct commit *commit;
@@ -150,6 +185,7 @@ static void shortlog(const char *name, unsigned char *sha1,
 	struct string_list subjects = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	int flags = UNINTERESTING | TREESAME | SEEN | SHOWN | ADDED;
 	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+	const unsigned char *sha1 = origin_data->sha1;
 
 	branch = deref_tag(parse_object(sha1), sha1_to_hex(sha1), 40);
 	if (!branch || branch->type != OBJ_COMMIT)
@@ -188,6 +224,9 @@ static void shortlog(const char *name, unsigned char *sha1,
 	else
 		strbuf_addf(out, "\n* %s:\n", name);
 
+	if (origin_data->is_local_branch && use_branch_desc)
+		add_branch_desc(out, name);
+
 	for (i = 0; i < subjects.nr; i++)
 		if (i >= limit)
 			strbuf_addf(out, "  ...\n");
@@ -303,8 +342,9 @@ static int do_fmt_merge_msg(int merge_title, struct strbuf *in,
 			strbuf_addch(out, '\n');
 
 		for (i = 0; i < origins.nr; i++)
-			shortlog(origins.items[i].string, origins.items[i].util,
-					head, &rev, shortlog_len, out);
+			shortlog(origins.items[i].string,
+				 origins.items[i].util,
+				 head, &rev, shortlog_len, out);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -318,6 +358,7 @@ int cmd_fmt_merge_msg(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	const char *inpath = NULL;
 	const char *message = NULL;
+	int shortlog_len = -1;
 	struct option options[] = {
 		{ OPTION_INTEGER, 0, "log", &shortlog_len, "n",
 		  "populate log with at most <n> entries from shortlog",
@@ -341,6 +382,8 @@ int cmd_fmt_merge_msg(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			     0);
 	if (argc > 0)
 		usage_with_options(fmt_merge_msg_usage, options);
+	if (shortlog_len < 0)
+		shortlog_len = (merge_log_config > 0) ? merge_log_config : 0;
 	if (message && !shortlog_len) {
 		char nl = '\n';
 		write_in_full(STDOUT_FILENO, message, strlen(message));
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index ab4077f27..b8f25dd44 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "merge-recursive.h"
 #include "resolve-undo.h"
 #include "remote.h"
+#include "fmt-merge-msg.h"
 
 #define DEFAULT_TWOHEAD (1<<0)
 #define DEFAULT_OCTOPUS (1<<1)
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ static const char * const builtin_merge_usage[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static int show_diffstat = 1, shortlog_len, squash;
+static int show_diffstat = 1, shortlog_len = -1, squash;
 static int option_commit = 1, allow_fast_forward = 1;
 static int fast_forward_only;
 static int allow_trivial = 1, have_message;
@@ -525,6 +526,8 @@ static void parse_branch_merge_options(char *bmo)
 
 static int git_merge_config(const char *k, const char *v, void *cb)
 {
+	int status;
+
 	if (branch && !prefixcmp(k, "branch.") &&
 		!prefixcmp(k + 7, branch) &&
 		!strcmp(k + 7 + strlen(branch), ".mergeoptions")) {
@@ -541,15 +544,7 @@ static int git_merge_config(const char *k, const char *v, void *cb)
 		return git_config_string(&pull_octopus, k, v);
 	else if (!strcmp(k, "merge.renormalize"))
 		option_renormalize = git_config_bool(k, v);
-	else if (!strcmp(k, "merge.log") || !strcmp(k, "merge.summary")) {
-		int is_bool;
-		shortlog_len = git_config_bool_or_int(k, v, &is_bool);
-		if (!is_bool && shortlog_len < 0)
-			return error(_("%s: negative length %s"), k, v);
-		if (is_bool && shortlog_len)
-			shortlog_len = DEFAULT_MERGE_LOG_LEN;
-		return 0;
-	} else if (!strcmp(k, "merge.ff")) {
+	else if (!strcmp(k, "merge.ff")) {
 		int boolval = git_config_maybe_bool(k, v);
 		if (0 <= boolval) {
 			allow_fast_forward = boolval;
@@ -562,6 +557,9 @@ static int git_merge_config(const char *k, const char *v, void *cb)
 		default_to_upstream = git_config_bool(k, v);
 		return 0;
 	}
+	status = fmt_merge_msg_config(k, v, cb);
+	if (status)
+		return status;
 	return git_diff_ui_config(k, v, cb);
 }
 
@@ -1035,6 +1033,8 @@ int cmd_merge(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		parse_branch_merge_options(branch_mergeoptions);
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, builtin_merge_options,
 			builtin_merge_usage, 0);
+	if (shortlog_len < 0)
+		shortlog_len = (merge_log_config > 0) ? merge_log_config : 0;
 
 	if (verbosity < 0 && show_progress == -1)
 		show_progress = 0;
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index e96edcfeb..ba9781b71 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ enum object_creation_mode object_creation_mode = OBJECT_CREATION_MODE;
 char *notes_ref_name;
 int grafts_replace_parents = 1;
 int core_apply_sparse_checkout;
+int merge_log_config = -1;
 struct startup_info *startup_info;
 
 /* Parallel index stat data preload? */
diff --git a/fmt-merge-msg.h b/fmt-merge-msg.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b28d3a611
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fmt-merge-msg.h
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#ifndef FMT_MERGE_MSG_H
+#define FMT_MERGE_MSG_H
+
+extern int merge_log_config;
+extern int fmt_merge_msg_config(const char *key, const char *value, void *cb);
+
+#endif /* FMT_MERGE_MSG_H */