diff --git a/merge-ort.c b/merge-ort.c
index 01f150ef3b..125ee3c0d1 100644
--- a/merge-ort.c
+++ b/merge-ort.c
@@ -292,6 +292,18 @@ struct rename_info {
 	int needed_limit;
 };
 
+struct conflicted_submodule_item {
+	char *oid;
+	char *path;
+	int resolution_exists;
+};
+
+struct conflicted_submodule_list {
+	struct conflicted_submodule_item *items;
+	size_t nr;
+	size_t alloc;
+};
+
 struct merge_options_internal {
 	/*
 	 * paths: primary data structure in all of merge ort.
@@ -387,6 +399,9 @@ struct merge_options_internal {
 
 	/* call_depth: recursion level counter for merging merge bases */
 	int call_depth;
+
+	/* field that holds submodule conflict information */
+	struct conflicted_submodule_list conflicted_submodules;
 };
 
 struct version_info {
@@ -1741,6 +1756,9 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 	struct commit *commit_o, *commit_a, *commit_b;
 	int parent_count;
 	struct object_array merges;
+	struct conflicted_submodule_list *csub = &opt->priv->conflicted_submodules;
+	struct conflicted_submodule_item csub_item;
+	int resolution_exists = 0;
 
 	int i;
 	int search = !opt->priv->call_depth;
@@ -1835,6 +1853,7 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 			   "resolution exists: %s"),
 			 path, sb.buf);
 		strbuf_release(&sb);
+		resolution_exists = 1;
 		break;
 	default:
 		for (i = 0; i < merges.nr; i++)
@@ -1845,10 +1864,22 @@ static int merge_submodule(struct merge_options *opt,
 			 _("Failed to merge submodule %s, but multiple "
 			   "possible merges exist:\n%s"), path, sb.buf);
 		strbuf_release(&sb);
+		resolution_exists = 1;
 	}
 
 	object_array_clear(&merges);
 cleanup:
+	if (!ret) {
+		if (!csub) {
+			CALLOC_ARRAY(csub, 1);
+		}
+		csub_item.oid = xstrdup(repo_find_unique_abbrev(&subrepo, b, DEFAULT_ABBREV));
+		csub_item.path = xstrdup(path);
+		csub_item.resolution_exists = resolution_exists;
+		ALLOC_GROW(csub->items, csub->nr + 1, csub->alloc);
+		csub->items[csub->nr++] = csub_item;
+		opt->priv->conflicted_submodules = *csub;
+	}
 	repo_clear(&subrepo);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -4412,6 +4443,29 @@ static int record_conflicted_index_entries(struct merge_options *opt)
 	return errs;
 }
 
+static void print_submodule_conflict_suggestion(struct conflicted_submodule_list *csub) {
+	if (csub && csub->nr > 0) {
+		int i;
+		printf(_("Recursive merging with submodules currently only supports trivial cases.\n"
+			"Please manually handle the merging of each conflicted submodule.\n"
+			"This can be accomplished with the following steps:\n"));
+		for (i = 0; i < csub->nr; i++) {
+			printf(_(" - go to submodule (%s), and either merge commit %s\n"
+				    "or update to an existing commit which has merged those changes\n"),
+					csub->items[i].path,
+					csub->items[i].oid);
+			if (csub->items[i].resolution_exists)
+				printf(_("such as one listed above\n"));
+		}
+		printf(_(" - come back to superproject, and `git add"));
+		for (i = 0; i < csub->nr; i++)
+			printf(_(" %s"), csub->items[i].path);
+		printf(_("` to record the above merge or update \n"
+			" - resolve any other conflicts in the superproject\n"
+			" - commit the resulting index in the superproject\n"));
+	}
+}
+
 void merge_display_update_messages(struct merge_options *opt,
 				   int detailed,
 				   struct merge_result *result)
@@ -4461,6 +4515,8 @@ void merge_display_update_messages(struct merge_options *opt,
 	}
 	string_list_clear(&olist, 0);
 
+	print_submodule_conflict_suggestion(&opti->conflicted_submodules);
+
 	/* Also include needed rename limit adjustment now */
 	diff_warn_rename_limit("merge.renamelimit",
 			       opti->renames.needed_limit, 0);
diff --git a/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh b/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
index c253bf759a..84913525cf 100755
--- a/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
+++ b/t/t6437-submodule-merge.sh
@@ -103,8 +103,25 @@ test_expect_success 'setup for merge search' '
 	 echo "file-c" > file-c &&
 	 git add file-c &&
 	 git commit -m "sub-c") &&
-	git commit -a -m "c" &&
+	git commit -a -m "c")
+'
 
+test_expect_success 'merging should conflict for non fast-forward' '
+	test_when_finished "git -C merge-search reset --hard" &&
+	(cd merge-search &&
+	 git checkout -b test-nonforward-a b &&
+	  if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
+	  then
+		test_must_fail git merge c >actual &&
+		sub_expect="go to submodule (sub), and either merge commit $(git -C sub rev-parse --short sub-c)" &&
+	 	grep "$sub_expect" actual
+	  else
+		test_must_fail git merge c 2> actual
+	  fi)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'finish setup for merge-search' '
+	(cd merge-search &&
 	git checkout -b d a &&
 	(cd sub &&
 	 git checkout -b sub-d sub-b &&
@@ -129,14 +146,16 @@ test_expect_success 'merge with one side as a fast-forward of the other' '
 	 test_cmp expect actual)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'merging should conflict for non fast-forward' '
+test_expect_success 'merging should conflict for non fast-forward (resolution exists)' '
 	(cd merge-search &&
-	 git checkout -b test-nonforward b &&
+	 git checkout -b test-nonforward-b b &&
 	 (cd sub &&
 	  git rev-parse --short sub-d > ../expect) &&
 	  if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
 	  then
-		test_must_fail git merge c >actual
+		test_must_fail git merge c >actual &&
+		sub_expect="go to submodule (sub), and either merge commit $(git -C sub rev-parse --short sub-c)" &&
+	 	grep "$sub_expect" actual
 	  else
 		test_must_fail git merge c 2> actual
 	  fi &&
@@ -161,7 +180,9 @@ test_expect_success 'merging should fail for ambiguous common parent' '
 	 ) &&
 	 if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
 	 then
-		test_must_fail git merge c >actual
+		test_must_fail git merge c >actual &&
+		sub_expect="go to submodule (sub), and either merge commit $(git -C sub rev-parse --short sub-c)" &&
+		grep "$sub_expect" actual
 	 else
 		test_must_fail git merge c 2> actual
 	 fi &&
@@ -205,7 +226,12 @@ test_expect_success 'merging should fail for changes that are backwards' '
 	git commit -a -m "f" &&
 
 	git checkout -b test-backward e &&
-	test_must_fail git merge f)
+	test_must_fail git merge f >actual &&
+	if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
+    then
+		sub_expect="go to submodule (sub), and either merge commit $(git -C sub rev-parse --short sub-d)" &&
+		grep "$sub_expect" actual
+	fi)
 '
 
 
diff --git a/t/t7402-submodule-rebase.sh b/t/t7402-submodule-rebase.sh
index 8e32f19007..ebeca12a71 100755
--- a/t/t7402-submodule-rebase.sh
+++ b/t/t7402-submodule-rebase.sh
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ test_expect_success 'rebasing submodule that should conflict' '
 	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m fourth &&
 
-	test_must_fail git rebase --onto HEAD^^ HEAD^ HEAD^0 &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase --onto HEAD^^ HEAD^ HEAD^0 >actual_output &&
 	git ls-files -s submodule >actual &&
 	(
 		cd submodule &&
@@ -112,7 +112,12 @@ test_expect_success 'rebasing submodule that should conflict' '
 		echo "160000 $(git rev-parse HEAD^^) 2	submodule" &&
 		echo "160000 $(git rev-parse HEAD) 3	submodule"
 	) >expect &&
-	test_cmp expect actual
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	if test "$GIT_TEST_MERGE_ALGORITHM" = ort
+    then
+		sub_expect="go to submodule (submodule), and either merge commit $(git -C submodule rev-parse --short HEAD^0)" &&
+		grep "$sub_expect" actual_output
+	fi
 '
 
 test_done
