diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index e588bc6..ed40729 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ static int all, also, interactive, patch_interactive, only, amend, signoff;
 static int edit_flag = -1; /* unspecified */
 static int quiet, verbose, no_verify, allow_empty, dry_run, renew_authorship;
 static int config_commit_verbose = -1; /* unspecified */
-static int no_post_rewrite, allow_empty_message;
+static int no_post_rewrite, allow_empty_message, pathspec_file_nul;
 static char *untracked_files_arg, *force_date, *ignore_submodule_arg, *ignored_arg;
-static char *sign_commit;
+static char *sign_commit, *pathspec_from_file;
 
 /*
  * The default commit message cleanup mode will remove the lines
@@ -343,6 +343,23 @@ static const char *prepare_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix
 		       PATHSPEC_PREFER_FULL,
 		       prefix, argv);
 
+	if (pathspec_from_file) {
+		if (interactive)
+			die(_("--pathspec-from-file is incompatible with --interactive/--patch"));
+
+		if (pathspec.nr)
+			die(_("--pathspec-from-file is incompatible with pathspec arguments"));
+
+		parse_pathspec_file(&pathspec, 0,
+				    PATHSPEC_PREFER_FULL,
+				    prefix, pathspec_from_file, pathspec_file_nul);
+	} else if (pathspec_file_nul) {
+		die(_("--pathspec-file-nul requires --pathspec-from-file"));
+	}
+
+	if (!pathspec.nr && (also || (only && !amend && !allow_empty)))
+		die(_("No paths with --include/--only does not make sense."));
+
 	if (read_cache_preload(&pathspec) < 0)
 		die(_("index file corrupt"));
 
@@ -1198,8 +1215,6 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 
 	if (also + only + all + interactive > 1)
 		die(_("Only one of --include/--only/--all/--interactive/--patch can be used."));
-	if (argc == 0 && (also || (only && !amend && !allow_empty)))
-		die(_("No paths with --include/--only does not make sense."));
 	cleanup_mode = get_cleanup_mode(cleanup_arg, use_editor);
 
 	handle_untracked_files_arg(s);
@@ -1535,6 +1550,8 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "amend", &amend, N_("amend previous commit")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "no-post-rewrite", &no_post_rewrite, N_("bypass post-rewrite hook")),
 		{ OPTION_STRING, 'u', "untracked-files", &untracked_files_arg, N_("mode"), N_("show untracked files, optional modes: all, normal, no. (Default: all)"), PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, NULL, (intptr_t)"all" },
+		OPT_PATHSPEC_FROM_FILE(&pathspec_from_file),
+		OPT_PATHSPEC_FILE_NUL(&pathspec_file_nul),
 		/* end commit contents options */
 
 		OPT_HIDDEN_BOOL(0, "allow-empty", &allow_empty,