diff --git a/Documentation/git-notes.txt b/Documentation/git-notes.txt
index 5f3a9479..bc1bfa37 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-notes.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-notes.txt
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 'git notes' [list [<object>]]
-'git notes' add [-f] [--allow-empty] [--separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
+'git notes' add [-f] [--allow-empty] [--[no-]separator | --separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
 'git notes' copy [-f] ( --stdin | <from-object> [<to-object>] )
-'git notes' append [--allow-empty] [--separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
+'git notes' append [--allow-empty] [--[no-]separator | --separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-F <file> | -m <msg> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]
 'git notes' edit [--allow-empty] [<object>] [--[no-]stripspace]
 'git notes' show [<object>]
 'git notes' merge [-v | -q] [-s <strategy> ] <notes-ref>
@@ -171,10 +171,11 @@ OPTIONS
 	Allow an empty note object to be stored. The default behavior is
 	to automatically remove empty notes.
 
---separator <paragraph-break>::
+--[no-]separator, --separator=<paragraph-break>::
 	Specify a string used as a custom inter-paragraph separator
-	(a newline is added at the end as needed).  Defaults to a
-	blank line.
+	(a newline is added at the end as needed). If `--no-separator`, no
+	separators will be added between paragraphs.  Defaults to a blank
+	line.
 
 --[no-]stripspace::
 	Strip leading and trailing whitespace from the note message.
diff --git a/builtin/notes.c b/builtin/notes.c
index 2140a697..00268e94 100644
--- a/builtin/notes.c
+++ b/builtin/notes.c
@@ -28,12 +28,12 @@
 #include "worktree.h"
 #include "write-or-die.h"
 
-static char *separator = "\n";
+static const char *separator = "\n";
 static const char * const git_notes_usage[] = {
 	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] [list [<object>]]"),
-	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] add [-f] [--allow-empty] [--separator=<paragraph-break>] [-m <msg> | -F <file> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]"),
+	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] add [-f] [--allow-empty] [--[no-]separator|--separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-m <msg> | -F <file> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]"),
 	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] copy [-f] <from-object> <to-object>"),
-	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] append [--allow-empty] [--separator=<paragraph-break>] [-m <msg> | -F <file> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]"),
+	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] append [--allow-empty] [--[no-]separator|--separator=<paragraph-break>] [--[no-]stripspace] [-m <msg> | -F <file> | (-c | -C) <object>] [<object>]"),
 	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] edit [--allow-empty] [<object>]"),
 	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] show [<object>]"),
 	N_("git notes [--ref <notes-ref>] merge [-v | -q] [-s <strategy>] <notes-ref>"),
@@ -239,8 +239,11 @@ static void write_note_data(struct note_data *d, struct object_id *oid)
 
 static void append_separator(struct strbuf *message)
 {
-	size_t sep_len = strlen(separator);
-	if (sep_len && separator[sep_len - 1] == '\n')
+	size_t sep_len = 0;
+
+	if (!separator)
+		return;
+	else if ((sep_len = strlen(separator)) && separator[sep_len - 1] == '\n')
 		strbuf_addstr(message, separator);
 	else
 		strbuf_addf(message, "%s%s", separator, "\n");
@@ -249,8 +252,8 @@ static void append_separator(struct strbuf *message)
 static void concat_messages(struct note_data *d)
 {
 	struct strbuf msg = STRBUF_INIT;
-
 	size_t i;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < d->msg_nr ; i++) {
 		if (d->buf.len)
 			append_separator(&d->buf);
@@ -341,6 +344,16 @@ static int parse_reedit_arg(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset
 	return parse_reuse_arg(opt, arg, unset);
 }
 
+static int parse_separator_arg(const struct option *opt, const char *arg,
+			       int unset)
+{
+	if (unset)
+		*(const char **)opt->value = NULL;
+	else
+		*(const char **)opt->value = arg ? arg : "\n";
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int notes_copy_from_stdin(int force, const char *rewrite_cmd)
 {
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
@@ -481,8 +494,10 @@ static int add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "allow-empty", &allow_empty,
 			N_("allow storing empty note")),
 		OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("replace existing notes"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),
-		OPT_STRING(0, "separator", &separator, N_("separator"),
-			N_("insert <paragraph-break> between paragraphs")),
+		OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "separator", &separator,
+			N_("<paragraph-break>"),
+			N_("insert <paragraph-break> between paragraphs"),
+			PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, parse_separator_arg),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "stripspace", &d.stripspace,
 			N_("remove unnecessary whitespace")),
 		OPT_END()
@@ -654,8 +669,10 @@ static int append_edit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			parse_reuse_arg),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "allow-empty", &allow_empty,
 			N_("allow storing empty note")),
-		OPT_STRING(0, "separator", &separator, N_("separator"),
-			N_("insert <paragraph-break> between paragraphs")),
+		OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "separator", &separator,
+			N_("<paragraph-break>"),
+			N_("insert <paragraph-break> between paragraphs"),
+			PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, parse_separator_arg),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "stripspace", &d.stripspace,
 			N_("remove unnecessary whitespace")),
 		OPT_END()
diff --git a/t/t3301-notes.sh b/t/t3301-notes.sh
index dbadcf13..d734000d 100755
--- a/t/t3301-notes.sh
+++ b/t/t3301-notes.sh
@@ -382,6 +382,7 @@ test_expect_success 'create note with combination of -m and -F' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'create note with combination of -m and -F and --separator' '
+	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
 	cat >expect-combine_m_and_F <<-\EOF &&
 	foo
 	-------
@@ -395,7 +396,22 @@ test_expect_success 'create note with combination of -m and -F and --separator'
 	EOF
 	echo "xyzzy" >note_a &&
 	echo "zyxxy" >note_b &&
-	git notes add -m "foo" -F note_a -m "bar" -F note_b -m "baz" --separator "-------" &&
+	git notes add -m "foo" -F note_a -m "bar" -F note_b -m "baz" --separator="-------" &&
+	git notes show >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect-combine_m_and_F actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'create note with combination of -m and -F and --no-separator' '
+	cat >expect-combine_m_and_F <<-\EOF &&
+	foo
+	xyzzy
+	bar
+	zyxxy
+	baz
+	EOF
+	echo "xyzzy" >note_a &&
+	echo "zyxxy" >note_b &&
+	git notes add -m "foo" -F note_a -m "bar" -F note_b -m "baz" --no-separator &&
 	git notes show >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect-combine_m_and_F actual
 '
@@ -541,7 +557,7 @@ test_expect_success 'listing non-existing notes fails' '
 	test_must_be_empty actual
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'append: specify an empty separator' '
+test_expect_success 'append: specify a separator with an empty arg' '
 	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
 	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
 	notes-1
@@ -555,6 +571,33 @@ test_expect_success 'append: specify an empty separator' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'append: specify a separator without arg' '
+	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	notes-1
+
+	notes-2
+	EOF
+
+	git notes add -m "notes-1" &&
+	git notes append --separator -m "notes-2" &&
+	git notes show >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'append: specify as --no-separator' '
+	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	notes-1
+	notes-2
+	EOF
+
+	git notes add -m "notes-1" &&
+	git notes append --no-separator -m "notes-2" &&
+	git notes show >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'append: specify separator with line break' '
 	test_when_finished git notes remove HEAD &&
 	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
@@ -615,7 +658,7 @@ test_expect_success 'append note with combination of -m and -F and --separator'
 
 	echo "f-notes-1" >note_a &&
 	echo "f-notes-2" >note_b &&
-	git notes append -m "m-notes-1" -F note_a -m "m-notes-2" -F note_b -m "m-notes-3" --separator "-------" &&
+	git notes append -m "m-notes-1" -F note_a -m "m-notes-2" -F note_b -m "m-notes-3" --separator="-------" &&
 	git notes show >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect-combine_m_and_F actual
 '
