diff --git a/Documentation/git-maintenance.txt b/Documentation/git-maintenance.txt
index 6abcb8255a..12668fccf7 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-maintenance.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-maintenance.txt
@@ -47,6 +47,21 @@ commit-graph::
 	`commit-graph-chain` file. They will be deleted by a later run based
 	on the expiration delay.
 
+prefetch::
+	The `prefetch` task updates the object directory with the latest
+	objects from all registered remotes. For each remote, a `git fetch`
+	command is run. The refmap is custom to avoid updating local or remote
+	branches (those in `refs/heads` or `refs/remotes`). Instead, the
+	remote refs are stored in `refs/prefetch/<remote>/`. Also, tags are
+	not updated.
++
+This is done to avoid disrupting the remote-tracking branches. The end users
+expect these refs to stay unmoved unless they initiate a fetch.  With prefetch
+task, however, the objects necessary to complete a later real fetch would
+already be obtained, so the real fetch would go faster.  In the ideal case,
+it will just become an update to bunch of remote-tracking branches without
+any object transfer.
+
 gc::
 	Clean up unnecessary files and optimize the local repository. "GC"
 	stands for "garbage collection," but this task performs many
diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index 090959350e..5e469488f4 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "tree.h"
 #include "promisor-remote.h"
 #include "refs.h"
+#include "remote.h"
 
 #define FAILED_RUN "failed to run %s"
 
@@ -816,6 +817,51 @@ static int maintenance_task_commit_graph(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int fetch_remote(const char *remote, struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
+{
+	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
+
+	child.git_cmd = 1;
+	strvec_pushl(&child.args, "fetch", remote, "--prune", "--no-tags",
+		     "--no-write-fetch-head", "--recurse-submodules=no",
+		     "--refmap=", NULL);
+
+	if (opts->quiet)
+		strvec_push(&child.args, "--quiet");
+
+	strvec_pushf(&child.args, "+refs/heads/*:refs/prefetch/%s/*", remote);
+
+	return !!run_command(&child);
+}
+
+static int append_remote(struct remote *remote, void *cbdata)
+{
+	struct string_list *remotes = (struct string_list *)cbdata;
+
+	string_list_append(remotes, remote->name);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int maintenance_task_prefetch(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
+{
+	int result = 0;
+	struct string_list_item *item;
+	struct string_list remotes = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
+
+	if (for_each_remote(append_remote, &remotes)) {
+		error(_("failed to fill remotes"));
+		result = 1;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	for_each_string_list_item(item, &remotes)
+		result |= fetch_remote(item->string, opts);
+
+cleanup:
+	string_list_clear(&remotes, 0);
+	return result;
+}
+
 static int maintenance_task_gc(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
@@ -854,6 +900,7 @@ struct maintenance_task {
 };
 
 enum maintenance_task_label {
+	TASK_PREFETCH,
 	TASK_GC,
 	TASK_COMMIT_GRAPH,
 
@@ -862,6 +909,10 @@ enum maintenance_task_label {
 };
 
 static struct maintenance_task tasks[] = {
+	[TASK_PREFETCH] = {
+		"prefetch",
+		maintenance_task_prefetch,
+	},
 	[TASK_GC] = {
 		"gc",
 		maintenance_task_gc,
diff --git a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
index 53c883531e..045524e6ad 100755
--- a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
+++ b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
@@ -62,4 +62,30 @@ test_expect_success 'run --task duplicate' '
 	test_i18ngrep "cannot be selected multiple times" err
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'run --task=prefetch with no remotes' '
+	git maintenance run --task=prefetch 2>err &&
+	test_must_be_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'prefetch multiple remotes' '
+	git clone . clone1 &&
+	git clone . clone2 &&
+	git remote add remote1 "file://$(pwd)/clone1" &&
+	git remote add remote2 "file://$(pwd)/clone2" &&
+	git -C clone1 switch -c one &&
+	git -C clone2 switch -c two &&
+	test_commit -C clone1 one &&
+	test_commit -C clone2 two &&
+	GIT_TRACE2_EVENT="$(pwd)/run-prefetch.txt" git maintenance run --task=prefetch 2>/dev/null &&
+	fetchargs="--prune --no-tags --no-write-fetch-head --recurse-submodules=no --refmap= --quiet" &&
+	test_subcommand git fetch remote1 $fetchargs +refs/heads/\\*:refs/prefetch/remote1/\\* <run-prefetch.txt &&
+	test_subcommand git fetch remote2 $fetchargs +refs/heads/\\*:refs/prefetch/remote2/\\* <run-prefetch.txt &&
+	test_path_is_missing .git/refs/remotes &&
+	git log prefetch/remote1/one &&
+	git log prefetch/remote2/two &&
+	git fetch --all &&
+	test_cmp_rev refs/remotes/remote1/one refs/prefetch/remote1/one &&
+	test_cmp_rev refs/remotes/remote2/two refs/prefetch/remote2/two
+'
+
 test_done