diff --git a/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt b/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt
index 0561808cca..2ea8bc8167 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ performs all modifications together.  Specify commands of the form:
 	create SP <ref> SP <newvalue> LF
 	delete SP <ref> [SP <oldvalue>] LF
 	verify SP <ref> [SP <oldvalue>] LF
+	update-symref SP <ref> SP <newvalue> LF
 	option SP <opt> LF
 	start LF
 	prepare LF
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ quoting:
 	create SP <ref> NUL <newvalue> NUL
 	delete SP <ref> NUL [<oldvalue>] NUL
 	verify SP <ref> NUL [<oldvalue>] NUL
+	update-symref NUL <ref> NUL <newvalue> NUL
 	option SP <opt> NUL
 	start NUL
 	prepare NUL
@@ -111,12 +113,19 @@ create::
 
 delete::
 	Delete <ref> after verifying it exists with <oldvalue>, if
-	given.  If given, <oldvalue> may not be zero.
+	given.  If given, <oldvalue> may not be zero. Can also delete
+	symrefs.
 
 verify::
 	Verify <ref> against <oldvalue> but do not change it.  If
 	<oldvalue> is zero or missing, the ref must not exist.
 
+update-symref::
+	Update <ref> as a symbolic reference to point to the given
+	reference <newvalue>. By default, <ref> will be recursively
+	de-referenced, unless the `no-deref` option is used. Can also
+	be used to create new symrefs.
+
 option::
 	Modify the behavior of the next command naming a <ref>.
 	The only valid option is `no-deref` to avoid dereferencing
diff --git a/builtin/update-ref.c b/builtin/update-ref.c
index 3807cf4106..357daf31b8 100644
--- a/builtin/update-ref.c
+++ b/builtin/update-ref.c
@@ -213,6 +213,48 @@ static void parse_cmd_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	strbuf_release(&err);
 }
 
+static void parse_cmd_update_symref(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+				    const char *next, const char *end)
+{
+	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
+	char *refname, *symref;
+
+	refname = parse_refname(&next);
+	if (!refname)
+		die("update-symref: missing <ref>");
+
+	if (line_termination) {
+		/* Without -z, consume SP and use next argument */
+		if (!*next || *next == line_termination)
+			die("update-symref %s: missing <newvalue>", refname);
+		if (*next != ' ')
+			die("update-symref %s: expected SP but got: %s",
+			    refname, next);
+	} else {
+		/* With -z, read the next NUL-terminated line */
+		if (*next)
+			die("update-symref %s: missing <newvalue>", refname);
+	}
+	next++;
+
+	symref = parse_refname(&next);
+	if (!symref)
+		die("update-symref %s: missing <newvalue>", refname);
+
+	if (*next != line_termination)
+		die("update-symref %s: extra input: %s", refname, next);
+
+	if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname, NULL, NULL,
+				   update_flags | create_reflog_flag | REF_UPDATE_SYMREF,
+				   msg, symref, &err))
+		die("%s", err.buf);
+
+	update_flags = default_flags;
+	free(symref);
+	free(refname);
+	strbuf_release(&err);
+}
+
 static void parse_cmd_create(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			     const char *next, const char *end)
 {
@@ -379,15 +421,16 @@ static const struct parse_cmd {
 	unsigned args;
 	enum update_refs_state state;
 } command[] = {
-	{ "update",  parse_cmd_update,  3, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
-	{ "create",  parse_cmd_create,  2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
-	{ "delete",  parse_cmd_delete,  2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
-	{ "verify",  parse_cmd_verify,  2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
-	{ "option",  parse_cmd_option,  1, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
-	{ "start",   parse_cmd_start,   0, UPDATE_REFS_STARTED },
-	{ "prepare", parse_cmd_prepare, 0, UPDATE_REFS_PREPARED },
-	{ "abort",   parse_cmd_abort,   0, UPDATE_REFS_CLOSED },
-	{ "commit",  parse_cmd_commit,  0, UPDATE_REFS_CLOSED },
+	{ "update",        parse_cmd_update,        3, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "update-symref", parse_cmd_update_symref, 2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "create",        parse_cmd_create,        2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "delete",        parse_cmd_delete,        2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "verify",        parse_cmd_verify,        2, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "option",        parse_cmd_option,        1, UPDATE_REFS_OPEN },
+	{ "start",         parse_cmd_start,         0, UPDATE_REFS_STARTED },
+	{ "prepare",       parse_cmd_prepare,       0, UPDATE_REFS_PREPARED },
+	{ "abort",         parse_cmd_abort,         0, UPDATE_REFS_CLOSED },
+	{ "commit",        parse_cmd_commit,        0, UPDATE_REFS_CLOSED },
 };
 
 static void update_refs_stdin(void)
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 69b89a1aa2..706dcd6deb 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1216,6 +1216,7 @@ void ref_transaction_free(struct ref_transaction *transaction)
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
+		free(transaction->updates[i]->symref_target);
 		free(transaction->updates[i]->msg);
 		free(transaction->updates[i]);
 	}
@@ -1235,6 +1236,9 @@ struct ref_update *ref_transaction_add_update(
 	if (transaction->state != REF_TRANSACTION_OPEN)
 		BUG("update called for transaction that is not open");
 
+	if ((flags & (REF_HAVE_NEW | REF_UPDATE_SYMREF)) == (REF_HAVE_NEW | REF_UPDATE_SYMREF))
+		BUG("cannot create regular ref and symref at once");
+
 	FLEX_ALLOC_STR(update, refname, refname);
 	ALLOC_GROW(transaction->updates, transaction->nr + 1, transaction->alloc);
 	transaction->updates[transaction->nr++] = update;
@@ -1245,6 +1249,8 @@ struct ref_update *ref_transaction_add_update(
 		oidcpy(&update->new_oid, new_oid);
 	if (flags & REF_HAVE_OLD)
 		oidcpy(&update->old_oid, old_oid);
+	if (flags & REF_UPDATE_SYMREF)
+		update->symref_target = xstrdup(symref);
 	update->msg = normalize_reflog_message(msg);
 	return update;
 }
@@ -2337,6 +2343,10 @@ static int run_transaction_hook(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	for (i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
 		struct ref_update *update = transaction->updates[i];
 
+		// Reference transaction does not support symbolic updates.
+		if (update->flags & REF_UPDATE_SYMREF)
+			continue;
+
 		strbuf_reset(&buf);
 		strbuf_addf(&buf, "%s %s %s\n",
 			    oid_to_hex(&update->old_oid),
diff --git a/t/t0600-reffiles-backend.sh b/t/t0600-reffiles-backend.sh
index 64214340e7..6d334cb477 100755
--- a/t/t0600-reffiles-backend.sh
+++ b/t/t0600-reffiles-backend.sh
@@ -472,4 +472,34 @@ test_expect_success POSIXPERM 'git reflog expire honors core.sharedRepository' '
 	esac
 '
 
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'symref transaction supports symlinks' '
+	git update-ref refs/heads/new @ &&
+	test_config core.prefersymlinkrefs true &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	start
+	update-symref TESTSYMREFONE refs/heads/new
+	prepare
+	commit
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	test_path_is_symlink .git/TESTSYMREFONE &&
+	test "$(test_readlink .git/TESTSYMREFONE)" = refs/heads/new
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'symref transaction supports false symlink config' '
+	git update-ref refs/heads/new @ &&
+	test_config core.prefersymlinkrefs false &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	start
+	update-symref TESTSYMREFONE refs/heads/new
+	prepare
+	commit
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	test_path_is_file .git/TESTSYMREFONE &&
+	git symbolic-ref TESTSYMREFONE >actual &&
+	echo refs/heads/new >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done
diff --git a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
index 6ebc3ef945..2a6036471b 100755
--- a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
+++ b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
@@ -868,6 +868,105 @@ test_expect_success 'stdin delete symref works flag --no-deref' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref creates symref with --no-deref' '
+	# ensure that the symref does not already exist 
+	test_must_fail git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/symref $b
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $b >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	grep "$Z $(git rev-parse $b)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref updates symref with --no-deref' '
+	# ensure that the symref already exists
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/symref $a
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	grep "$(git rev-parse $b) $(git rev-parse $a)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref noop update with --no-deref' '
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/symref $a
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	grep "$(git rev-parse $a) $(git rev-parse $a)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref regular ref with --no-deref' '
+	git update-ref refs/heads/regularref $a &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/regularref $a
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/regularref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/regularref >actual &&
+	grep "$(git rev-parse $a) $(git rev-parse $a)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref creates symref' '
+	# delete the ref since it already exists from previous tests
+	git update-ref --no-deref -d refs/heads/symref &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/symref $b
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $b >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	grep "$Z $(git rev-parse $b)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref updates symref' '
+	git update-ref refs/heads/symref2 $b &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref refs/heads/symref2 &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/symref $a
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref2 >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	echo refs/heads/symref2 >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/symref >actual &&
+	grep "$(git rev-parse $b) $(git rev-parse $b)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'stdin update-symref regular ref' '
+	git update-ref --no-deref refs/heads/regularref $a &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	update-symref refs/heads/regularref $a
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref --no-recurse refs/heads/regularref >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	test-tool ref-store main for-each-reflog-ent refs/heads/regularref >actual &&
+	grep "$(git rev-parse $a) $(git rev-parse $a)" actual
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'stdin delete ref works with right old value' '
 	echo "delete $b $m~1" >stdin &&
 	git update-ref --stdin <stdin &&
@@ -1641,4 +1740,32 @@ test_expect_success PIPE 'transaction flushes status updates' '
 	test_cmp expected actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'transaction can commit symref update' '
+	git symbolic-ref TESTSYMREFONE $a &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	start
+	update-symref TESTSYMREFONE refs/heads/branch
+	prepare
+	commit
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo refs/heads/branch >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref TESTSYMREFONE >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'transaction can abort symref update' '
+	git symbolic-ref TESTSYMREFONE $a &&
+	cat >stdin <<-EOF &&
+	start
+	update-symref TESTSYMREFONE refs/heads/branch
+	prepare
+	abort
+	EOF
+	git update-ref --no-deref --stdin <stdin &&
+	echo $a >expect &&
+	git symbolic-ref TESTSYMREFONE >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done
