diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
index b003784f01..dfa70263e6 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
@@ -445,9 +445,13 @@ if the other side had no changes that conflicted.
 See also INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS below.
 
 --committer-date-is-author-date::
+	Instead of using the current time as the committer date, use
+	the author date of the commit being rebased as the committer
+	date. This option implies --force-rebase.
+
 --ignore-date::
-	These flags are passed to 'git am' to easily change the dates
-	of the rebased commits (see linkgit:git-am[1]).
+	This flag is passed to 'git am' to change the author date
+	of each rebased commit (see linkgit:git-am[1]).
 +
 See also INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS below.
 
@@ -585,7 +589,6 @@ INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS
 The following options:
 
  * --apply
- * --committer-date-is-author-date
  * --ignore-date
  * --whitespace
  * -C
@@ -613,6 +616,7 @@ In addition, the following pairs of options are incompatible:
  * --preserve-merges and --rebase-merges
  * --preserve-merges and --empty=
  * --preserve-merges and --ignore-whitespace
+ * --preserve-merges and --committer-date-is-author-date
  * --keep-base and --onto
  * --keep-base and --root
 
diff --git a/builtin/rebase.c b/builtin/rebase.c
index bd93e9742c..2579380729 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase.c
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ struct rebase_options {
 	int autosquash;
 	char *gpg_sign_opt;
 	int autostash;
+	int committer_date_is_author_date;
 	char *cmd;
 	int allow_empty_message;
 	int rebase_merges, rebase_cousins;
@@ -124,6 +125,8 @@ static struct replay_opts get_replay_opts(const struct rebase_options *opts)
 	replay.quiet = !(opts->flags & REBASE_NO_QUIET);
 	replay.verbose = opts->flags & REBASE_VERBOSE;
 	replay.reschedule_failed_exec = opts->reschedule_failed_exec;
+	replay.committer_date_is_author_date =
+					opts->committer_date_is_author_date;
 	replay.gpg_sign = xstrdup_or_null(opts->gpg_sign_opt);
 	replay.strategy = opts->strategy;
 
@@ -1497,9 +1500,9 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			PARSE_OPT_NOARG, NULL, REBASE_DIFFSTAT },
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "signoff", &options.signoff,
 			 N_("add a Signed-off-by: line to each commit")),
-		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "committer-date-is-author-date",
-				  &options.git_am_opts, NULL,
-				  N_("passed to 'git am'"), PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "committer-date-is-author-date",
+			 &options.committer_date_is_author_date,
+			 N_("make committer date match author date")),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "ignore-date", &options.git_am_opts, NULL,
 				  N_("passed to 'git am'"), PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV('C', NULL, &options.git_am_opts, N_("n"),
@@ -1794,11 +1797,12 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	    options.autosquash) {
 		allow_preemptive_ff = 0;
 	}
+	if (options.committer_date_is_author_date)
+		options.flags |= REBASE_FORCE;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < options.git_am_opts.argc; i++) {
 		const char *option = options.git_am_opts.argv[i], *p;
-		if (!strcmp(option, "--committer-date-is-author-date") ||
-		    !strcmp(option, "--ignore-date") ||
+		if (!strcmp(option, "--ignore-date") ||
 		    !strcmp(option, "--whitespace=fix") ||
 		    !strcmp(option, "--whitespace=strip"))
 			allow_preemptive_ff = 0;
@@ -1855,6 +1859,9 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (ignore_whitespace)
 			argv_array_push(&options.git_am_opts,
 					"--ignore-whitespace");
+		if (options.committer_date_is_author_date)
+			argv_array_push(&options.git_am_opts,
+					"--committer-date-is-author-date");
 	} else {
 		/* REBASE_MERGE and PRESERVE_MERGES */
 		if (ignore_whitespace) {
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index 6fd2674632..368d397970 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_refs_to_delete, "rebase-merge/refs-to-delete")
  * command-line.
  */
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_gpg_sign_opt, "rebase-merge/gpg_sign_opt")
+static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_cdate_is_adate, "rebase-merge/cdate_is_adate")
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_orig_head, "rebase-merge/orig-head")
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_verbose, "rebase-merge/verbose")
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(rebase_path_quiet, "rebase-merge/quiet")
@@ -872,6 +873,22 @@ static char *get_author(const char *message)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+static const char *author_date_from_env_array(const struct argv_array *env)
+{
+	int i;
+	const char *date;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < env->argc; i++)
+		if (skip_prefix(env->argv[i],
+				"GIT_AUTHOR_DATE=", &date))
+			return date;
+	/*
+	 * If GIT_AUTHOR_DATE is missing we should have already errored out when
+	 * reading the script
+	 */
+	BUG("GIT_AUTHOR_DATE missing from author script");
+}
+
 static const char staged_changes_advice[] =
 N_("you have staged changes in your working tree\n"
 "If these changes are meant to be squashed into the previous commit, run:\n"
@@ -938,6 +955,10 @@ static int run_git_commit(struct repository *r,
 			     gpg_opt, gpg_opt);
 	}
 
+	if (opts->committer_date_is_author_date)
+		argv_array_pushf(&cmd.env_array, "GIT_COMMITTER_DATE=%s",
+				 author_date_from_env_array(&cmd.env_array));
+
 	argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "commit");
 
 	if (!(flags & VERIFY_MSG))
@@ -1349,6 +1370,31 @@ static int try_to_commit(struct repository *r,
 		commit_list_insert(current_head, &parents);
 	}
 
+	if (opts->committer_date_is_author_date) {
+		struct ident_split ident;
+		struct strbuf date = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+		if (split_ident_line(&ident, author, (int)strlen(author)) < 0) {
+			res = error(_("malformed ident line '%s'"), author);
+			goto out;
+		}
+		if (!ident.date_begin) {
+			res = error(_("corrupted author without date information"));
+			goto out;
+		}
+
+		strbuf_addf(&date, "@%.*s %.*s",
+			    (int)(ident.date_end - ident.date_begin),
+			    ident.date_begin,
+			    (int)(ident.tz_end - ident.tz_begin),
+			    ident.tz_begin);
+		res = setenv("GIT_COMMITTER_DATE", date.buf, 1);
+		strbuf_release(&date);
+
+		if (res)
+			goto out;
+	}
+
 	if (write_index_as_tree(&tree, r->index, r->index_file, 0, NULL)) {
 		res = error(_("git write-tree failed to write a tree"));
 		goto out;
@@ -2532,6 +2578,11 @@ static int read_populate_opts(struct replay_opts *opts)
 			opts->signoff = 1;
 		}
 
+		if (file_exists(rebase_path_cdate_is_adate())) {
+			opts->allow_ff = 0;
+			opts->committer_date_is_author_date = 1;
+		}
+
 		if (file_exists(rebase_path_reschedule_failed_exec()))
 			opts->reschedule_failed_exec = 1;
 
@@ -2622,6 +2673,8 @@ int write_basic_state(struct replay_opts *opts, const char *head_name,
 		write_file(rebase_path_drop_redundant_commits(), "%s", "");
 	if (opts->keep_redundant_commits)
 		write_file(rebase_path_keep_redundant_commits(), "%s", "");
+	if (opts->committer_date_is_author_date)
+		write_file(rebase_path_cdate_is_adate(), "%s", "");
 	if (opts->reschedule_failed_exec)
 		write_file(rebase_path_reschedule_failed_exec(), "%s", "");
 
@@ -3542,6 +3595,10 @@ static int do_merge(struct repository *r,
 			goto leave_merge;
 		}
 
+		if (opts->committer_date_is_author_date)
+			argv_array_pushf(&cmd.env_array, "GIT_COMMITTER_DATE=%s",
+					 author_date_from_env_array(&cmd.env_array));
+
 		cmd.git_cmd = 1;
 		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "merge");
 		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "-s");
@@ -3819,7 +3876,8 @@ static int pick_commits(struct repository *r,
 	setenv(GIT_REFLOG_ACTION, action_name(opts), 0);
 	if (opts->allow_ff)
 		assert(!(opts->signoff || opts->no_commit ||
-				opts->record_origin || opts->edit));
+				opts->record_origin || opts->edit ||
+				opts->committer_date_is_author_date));
 	if (read_and_refresh_cache(r, opts))
 		return -1;
 
diff --git a/sequencer.h b/sequencer.h
index 0bee85093e..4ab94119ae 100644
--- a/sequencer.h
+++ b/sequencer.h
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ struct replay_opts {
 	int verbose;
 	int quiet;
 	int reschedule_failed_exec;
+	int committer_date_is_author_date;
 
 	int mainline;
 
diff --git a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
index 55ca46786d..c8234062c6 100755
--- a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
+++ b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ test_rebase_am_only () {
 }
 
 test_rebase_am_only --whitespace=fix
-test_rebase_am_only --committer-date-is-author-date
 test_rebase_am_only -C4
 
 test_expect_success REBASE_P '--preserve-merges incompatible with --signoff' '
diff --git a/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh b/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
index 4f8a6e51c9..50a63d8ebe 100755
--- a/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
+++ b/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ test_description='tests to ensure compatibility between am and interactive backe
 
 . "$TEST_DIRECTORY"/lib-rebase.sh
 
+GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="1999-04-02T08:03:20+05:30"
+export GIT_AUTHOR_DATE
+
 # This is a special case in which both am and interactive backends
 # provide the same output. It was done intentionally because
 # both the backends fall short of optimal behaviour.
@@ -21,11 +24,20 @@ test_expect_success 'setup' '
 	test_write_lines "line 1" "new line 2" "line 3" >file &&
 	git commit -am "update file" &&
 	git tag side &&
+	test_commit commit1 foo foo1 &&
+	test_commit commit2 foo foo2 &&
+	test_commit commit3 foo foo3 &&
 
 	git checkout --orphan master &&
+	rm foo &&
 	test_write_lines "line 1" "        line 2" "line 3" >file &&
 	git commit -am "add file" &&
-	git tag main
+	git tag main &&
+
+	mkdir test-bin &&
+	write_script test-bin/git-merge-test <<-\EOF
+	exec git-merge-recursive "$@"
+	EOF
 '
 
 test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace works with apply backend' '
@@ -52,6 +64,50 @@ test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace is remembered when continuing' '
 	git diff --exit-code side
 '
 
+test_ctime_is_atime () {
+	git log $1 --format=%ai >authortime &&
+	git log $1 --format=%ci >committertime &&
+	test_cmp authortime committertime
+}
+
+test_expect_success '--committer-date-is-author-date works with apply backend' '
+	GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@1234 +0300" git commit --amend --reset-author &&
+	git rebase --apply --committer-date-is-author-date HEAD^ &&
+	test_ctime_is_atime -1
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--committer-date-is-author-date works with merge backend' '
+	GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@1234 +0300" git commit --amend --reset-author &&
+	git rebase -m --committer-date-is-author-date HEAD^ &&
+	test_ctime_is_atime -1
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--committer-date-is-author-date works with rebase -r' '
+	git checkout side &&
+	GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@1234 +0300" git merge --no-ff commit3 &&
+	git rebase -r --root --committer-date-is-author-date &&
+	test_ctime_is_atime
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--committer-date-is-author-date works when forking merge' '
+	git checkout side &&
+	GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@1234 +0300" git merge --no-ff commit3 &&
+	PATH="./test-bin:$PATH" git rebase -r --root --strategy=test \
+					--committer-date-is-author-date &&
+	test_ctime_is_atime
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--committer-date-is-author-date works when committing conflict resolution' '
+	git checkout commit2 &&
+	GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@1980 +0000" git commit --amend --only --reset-author &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase -m --committer-date-is-author-date \
+		--onto HEAD^^ HEAD^ &&
+	echo resolved > foo &&
+	git add foo &&
+	git rebase --continue &&
+	test_ctime_is_atime -1
+'
+
 # This must be the last test in this file
 test_expect_success '$EDITOR and friends are unchanged' '
 	test_editor_unchanged
