diff --git a/Documentation/git-notes.txt b/Documentation/git-notes.txt
index 4e5113b837..0f3279257b 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-notes.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-notes.txt
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 'git notes' edit [<object>]
 'git notes' show [<object>]
 'git notes' remove [<object>]
-'git notes' prune
+'git notes' prune [-n | -v]
 
 
 DESCRIPTION
@@ -121,6 +121,13 @@ OPTIONS
 	GIT_NOTES_REF and the "core.notesRef" configuration.  The ref
 	is taken to be in `refs/notes/` if it is not qualified.
 
+-n::
+	Do not remove anything; just report the object names whose notes
+	would be removed.
+
+-v::
+	Report all object names whose notes are removed.
+
 
 NOTES
 -----
diff --git a/builtin/notes.c b/builtin/notes.c
index 52b72fca68..ba8fd178c8 100644
--- a/builtin/notes.c
+++ b/builtin/notes.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ static const char * const git_notes_usage[] = {
 	"git notes [--ref <notes_ref>] edit [<object>]",
 	"git notes [--ref <notes_ref>] show [<object>]",
 	"git notes [--ref <notes_ref>] remove [<object>]",
-	"git notes [--ref <notes_ref>] prune",
+	"git notes [--ref <notes_ref>] prune [-n | -v]",
 	NULL
 };
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ static const char * const git_notes_remove_usage[] = {
 };
 
 static const char * const git_notes_prune_usage[] = {
-	"git notes prune",
+	"git notes prune [<options>]",
 	NULL
 };
 
@@ -792,7 +792,10 @@ static int remove_cmd(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 static int prune(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	struct notes_tree *t;
+	int show_only = 0, verbose = 0;
 	struct option options[] = {
+		OPT_BOOLEAN('n', NULL, &show_only, "do not remove, show only"),
+		OPT_BOOLEAN('v', NULL, &verbose, "report pruned notes"),
 		OPT_END()
 	};
 
@@ -806,8 +809,10 @@ static int prune(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	t = init_notes_check("prune");
 
-	prune_notes(t);
-	commit_notes(t, "Notes removed by 'git notes prune'");
+	prune_notes(t, (verbose ? NOTES_PRUNE_VERBOSE : 0) |
+		(show_only ? NOTES_PRUNE_VERBOSE|NOTES_PRUNE_DRYRUN : 0) );
+	if (!show_only)
+		commit_notes(t, "Notes removed by 'git notes prune'");
 	free_notes(t);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/notes.c b/notes.c
index e425e19827..6ee04e79e9 100644
--- a/notes.c
+++ b/notes.c
@@ -1083,7 +1083,7 @@ int write_notes_tree(struct notes_tree *t, unsigned char *result)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-void prune_notes(struct notes_tree *t)
+void prune_notes(struct notes_tree *t, int flags)
 {
 	struct note_delete_list *l = NULL;
 
@@ -1094,7 +1094,10 @@ void prune_notes(struct notes_tree *t)
 	for_each_note(t, 0, prune_notes_helper, &l);
 
 	while (l) {
-		remove_note(t, l->sha1);
+		if (flags & NOTES_PRUNE_VERBOSE)
+			printf("%s\n", sha1_to_hex(l->sha1));
+		if (!(flags & NOTES_PRUNE_DRYRUN))
+			remove_note(t, l->sha1);
 		l = l->next;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/notes.h b/notes.h
index 9f59277c51..cc2dff22a1 100644
--- a/notes.h
+++ b/notes.h
@@ -171,6 +171,9 @@ int for_each_note(struct notes_tree *t, int flags, each_note_fn fn,
  */
 int write_notes_tree(struct notes_tree *t, unsigned char *result);
 
+/* Flags controlling the operation of prune */
+#define NOTES_PRUNE_VERBOSE 1
+#define NOTES_PRUNE_DRYRUN 2
 /*
  * Remove all notes annotating non-existing objects from the given notes tree
  *
@@ -181,7 +184,7 @@ int write_notes_tree(struct notes_tree *t, unsigned char *result);
  * structure are not persistent until a subsequent call to write_notes_tree()
  * returns zero.
  */
-void prune_notes(struct notes_tree *t);
+void prune_notes(struct notes_tree *t, int flags);
 
 /*
  * Free (and de-initialize) the given notes_tree structure
diff --git a/t/t3306-notes-prune.sh b/t/t3306-notes-prune.sh
index a0ed0353e6..b4554041b4 100755
--- a/t/t3306-notes-prune.sh
+++ b/t/t3306-notes-prune.sh
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ test_expect_success 'verify commits and notes' '
 
 test_expect_success 'remove some commits' '
 
-	git reset --hard HEAD~2 &&
+	git reset --hard HEAD~1 &&
 	git reflog expire --expire=now HEAD &&
 	git gc --prune=now
 '
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ test_expect_success 'remove some commits' '
 test_expect_success 'verify that commits are gone' '
 
 	! git cat-file -p 5ee1c35e83ea47cd3cc4f8cbee0568915fbbbd29 &&
-	! git cat-file -p 08341ad9e94faa089d60fd3f523affb25c6da189 &&
+	git cat-file -p 08341ad9e94faa089d60fd3f523affb25c6da189 &&
 	git cat-file -p ab5f302035f2e7aaf04265f08b42034c23256e1f
 '
 
@@ -79,11 +79,55 @@ test_expect_success 'verify that notes are still present' '
 	git notes show ab5f302035f2e7aaf04265f08b42034c23256e1f
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'prune -n does not remove notes' '
+
+	git notes list > expect &&
+	git notes prune -n &&
+	git notes list > actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+cat > expect <<EOF
+5ee1c35e83ea47cd3cc4f8cbee0568915fbbbd29
+EOF
+
+test_expect_success 'prune -n lists prunable notes' '
+
+
+	git notes prune -n > actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+
 test_expect_success 'prune notes' '
 
 	git notes prune
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'verify that notes are gone' '
+
+	! git notes show 5ee1c35e83ea47cd3cc4f8cbee0568915fbbbd29 &&
+	git notes show 08341ad9e94faa089d60fd3f523affb25c6da189 &&
+	git notes show ab5f302035f2e7aaf04265f08b42034c23256e1f
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'remove some commits' '
+
+	git reset --hard HEAD~1 &&
+	git reflog expire --expire=now HEAD &&
+	git gc --prune=now
+'
+
+cat > expect <<EOF
+08341ad9e94faa089d60fd3f523affb25c6da189
+EOF
+
+test_expect_success 'prune -v notes' '
+
+	git notes prune -v > actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'verify that notes are gone' '
 
 	! git notes show 5ee1c35e83ea47cd3cc4f8cbee0568915fbbbd29 &&