diff --git a/Documentation/blame-options.adoc b/Documentation/blame-options.adoc
index 1ae1222b6b5ffa..17f5734d6120dc 100644
--- a/Documentation/blame-options.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/blame-options.adoc
@@ -133,8 +133,10 @@ take effect.
 	Ignore revisions listed in _<file>_, which must be in the same format as an
 	`fsck.skipList`.  This option may be repeated, and these files will be
 	processed after any files specified with the `blame.ignoreRevsFile` config
-	option.  An empty file name, `""`, will clear the list of revs from
-	previously processed files.
+	option or the default `.git-blame-ignore-revs` file.  An empty file name,
+	`""`, will clear the list of revs from previously processed files.
+	`--no-ignore-revs-file` will clear all previously specified ignore revs
+	files, including the default `.git-blame-ignore-revs` file.
 
 `--color-lines`::
 	Color line annotations in the default format differently if they come from
diff --git a/Documentation/config/blame.adoc b/Documentation/config/blame.adoc
index 4d047c17908cd6..6f9be627e15bfa 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/blame.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/config/blame.adoc
@@ -23,9 +23,12 @@ blame.showRoot::
 blame.ignoreRevsFile::
 	Ignore revisions listed in the file, one unabbreviated object name per
 	line, in linkgit:git-blame[1].  Whitespace and comments beginning with
-	`#` are ignored.  This option may be repeated multiple times.  Empty
-	file names will reset the list of ignored revisions.  This option will
-	be handled before the command line option `--ignore-revs-file`.
+	`#` are ignored.  If `.git-blame-ignore-revs` exists at the root of the
+	working tree in a non-bare repository, it is used by default.  This option
+	may be repeated multiple times; files specified here are processed after
+	the default file.  An empty file name will reset the list of ignored
+	revisions from previously processed files and disable the default file.
+	This option is handled before the command-line option `--ignore-revs-file`.
 
 blame.markUnblamableLines::
 	Mark lines that were changed by an ignored revision that we could not
diff --git a/builtin/blame.c b/builtin/blame.c
index 48d5251c6df700..0935d864ade197 100644
--- a/builtin/blame.c
+++ b/builtin/blame.c
@@ -15,9 +15,11 @@
 #include "hex.h"
 #include "commit.h"
 #include "diff.h"
+#include "path.h"
 #include "revision.h"
 #include "quote.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
+#include "strmap.h"
 #include "mailmap.h"
 #include "parse-options.h"
 #include "prio-queue.h"
@@ -768,8 +770,12 @@ static int git_blame_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		ret = git_config_pathname(&str, var, value);
 		if (ret)
 			return ret;
-		if (str)
-			string_list_insert(&ignore_revs_file_list, str);
+		if (str) {
+			if (!*str)
+				string_list_clear(&ignore_revs_file_list, 0);
+			else
+				string_list_append(&ignore_revs_file_list, str);
+		}
 		free(str);
 		return 0;
 	}
@@ -936,16 +942,24 @@ static void build_ignorelist(struct blame_scoreboard *sb,
 {
 	struct string_list_item *i;
 	struct object_id oid;
+	struct strset seen_files = STRSET_INIT;
+	size_t start_idx = 0, idx;
+
+	for (idx = 0; idx < ignore_revs_file_list->nr; idx++) {
+		if (!*ignore_revs_file_list->items[idx].string)
+			start_idx = idx + 1;
+	}
 
 	oidset_init(&sb->ignore_list, 0);
-	for_each_string_list_item(i, ignore_revs_file_list) {
-		if (!strcmp(i->string, ""))
-			oidset_clear(&sb->ignore_list);
-		else
-			oidset_parse_file_carefully(&sb->ignore_list, i->string,
+	for (idx = start_idx; idx < ignore_revs_file_list->nr; idx++) {
+		const char *path = ignore_revs_file_list->items[idx].string;
+
+		if (strset_add(&seen_files, path))
+			oidset_parse_file_carefully(&sb->ignore_list, path,
 						    the_repository->hash_algo,
 						    peel_to_commit_oid, sb);
 	}
+	strset_clear(&seen_files);
 	for_each_string_list_item(i, ignore_rev_list) {
 		if (repo_get_oid_committish(the_repository, i->string, &oid) ||
 		    peel_to_commit_oid(&oid, sb))
@@ -1020,6 +1034,20 @@ int cmd_blame(int argc,
 	const char *const *opt_usage = cmd_is_annotate ? annotate_opt_usage : blame_opt_usage;
 
 	setup_default_color_by_age();
+	{
+		const char *work_tree = repo_get_work_tree(the_repository);
+
+		if (work_tree) {
+			char *default_file = mkpathdup("%s/%s", work_tree,
+						       ".git-blame-ignore-revs");
+			struct stat st;
+
+			if (!lstat(default_file, &st) && S_ISREG(st.st_mode) &&
+			    !access(default_file, R_OK))
+				string_list_append(&ignore_revs_file_list, default_file);
+			free(default_file);
+		}
+	}
 	repo_config(the_repository, git_blame_config, &output_option);
 	repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &revs, NULL);
 	revs.date_mode = blame_date_mode;
diff --git a/t/t8013-blame-ignore-revs.sh b/t/t8013-blame-ignore-revs.sh
index cace00ae8d6ae7..a43654a7bab402 100755
--- a/t/t8013-blame-ignore-revs.sh
+++ b/t/t8013-blame-ignore-revs.sh
@@ -327,4 +327,155 @@ test_expect_success ignore_merge '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+# Tests for default .git-blame-ignore-revs file
+test_expect_success 'setup default .git-blame-ignore-revs' '
+	git checkout -b default-file-branch &&
+	test_write_lines line1 line2 >def-file &&
+	git add def-file &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m "default base" &&
+	git tag DEF_A &&
+
+	test_write_lines line1-modified line2-modified >def-file &&
+	git add def-file &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m "default mod" &&
+	git tag DEF_B &&
+
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >.git-blame-ignore-revs
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs is used by default' '
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs respected by git annotate' '
+	git rev-parse --short DEF_A >expect_sha &&
+	git annotate def-file >actual &&
+	test_grep "^$(cat expect_sha)" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs works from subdirectory' '
+	mkdir -p sub &&
+	(
+		cd sub &&
+		git blame --line-porcelain ../def-file >blame_raw &&
+		sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+		git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+		test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'disable default .git-blame-ignore-revs with --no-ignore-revs-file' '
+	git blame --line-porcelain --no-ignore-revs-file def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'disable default .git-blame-ignore-revs with --ignore-revs-file ""' '
+	git blame --line-porcelain --ignore-revs-file "" def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'disable default .git-blame-ignore-revs with blame.ignoreRevsFile=""' '
+	test_config blame.ignoreRevsFile "" &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs handles comments and whitespace' '
+	test_when_finished "git rev-parse DEF_B >.git-blame-ignore-revs" &&
+	{
+		echo "# Leading comment" &&
+		echo "" &&
+		echo "   $(git rev-parse DEF_B)   " &&
+		echo "# Trailing comment"
+	} >.git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'empty default .git-blame-ignore-revs is harmless' '
+	test_when_finished "git rev-parse DEF_B >.git-blame-ignore-revs" &&
+	: >.git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	git blame def-file
+'
+
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'symlink .git-blame-ignore-revs is ignored' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -f target_file .git-blame-ignore-revs && git rev-parse DEF_B >.git-blame-ignore-revs" &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >target_file &&
+	ln -sf target_file .git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'malformed default .git-blame-ignore-revs fails but can be bypassed' '
+	test_when_finished "git rev-parse DEF_B >.git-blame-ignore-revs" &&
+	echo "invalid-oid-value" >.git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	test_must_fail git blame def-file &&
+	git blame --no-ignore-revs-file def-file &&
+	git blame --ignore-revs-file "" def-file
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs deduplicated when also set in config' '
+	test_config blame.ignoreRevsFile .git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs combined with config blame.ignoreRevsFile' '
+	test_write_lines line1-modified line2-c >def-file &&
+	git add def-file &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -m C &&
+	git tag DEF_C &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_C >custom_ignore &&
+	test_config blame.ignoreRevsFile custom_ignore &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_A >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'default .git-blame-ignore-revs ignored in bare repo' '
+	git clone --bare . bare.git &&
+	git -C bare.git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 2/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_C >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'blame works when .git-blame-ignore-revs does not exist' '
+	rm -f .git-blame-ignore-revs &&
+	git blame --line-porcelain def-file >blame_raw &&
+	sed -ne "/^[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]* [0-9][0-9]* 1/s/ .*//p" blame_raw >actual &&
+	git rev-parse DEF_B >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done