diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1fb0ec1705..bb9181e3af 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -921,6 +921,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += mailmap.o
 LIB_OBJS += match-trees.o
 LIB_OBJS += mem-pool.o
 LIB_OBJS += merge-blobs.o
+LIB_OBJS += merge-ort.o
 LIB_OBJS += merge-recursive.o
 LIB_OBJS += merge.o
 LIB_OBJS += mergesort.o
diff --git a/merge-ort.c b/merge-ort.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b487901d3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/merge-ort.c
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * "Ostensibly Recursive's Twin" merge strategy, or "ort" for short.  Meant
+ * as a drop-in replacement for the "recursive" merge strategy, allowing one
+ * to replace
+ *
+ *   git merge [-s recursive]
+ *
+ * with
+ *
+ *   git merge -s ort
+ *
+ * Note: git's parser allows the space between '-s' and its argument to be
+ * missing.  (Should I have backronymed "ham", "alsa", "kip", "nap, "alvo",
+ * "cale", "peedy", or "ins" instead of "ort"?)
+ */
+
+#include "cache.h"
+#include "merge-ort.h"
+
+void merge_switch_to_result(struct merge_options *opt,
+			    struct tree *head,
+			    struct merge_result *result,
+			    int update_worktree_and_index,
+			    int display_update_msgs)
+{
+	die("Not yet implemented");
+	merge_finalize(opt, result);
+}
+
+void merge_finalize(struct merge_options *opt,
+		    struct merge_result *result)
+{
+	die("Not yet implemented");
+}
+
+void merge_incore_nonrecursive(struct merge_options *opt,
+			       struct tree *merge_base,
+			       struct tree *side1,
+			       struct tree *side2,
+			       struct merge_result *result)
+{
+	die("Not yet implemented");
+}
+
+void merge_incore_recursive(struct merge_options *opt,
+			    struct commit_list *merge_bases,
+			    struct commit *side1,
+			    struct commit *side2,
+			    struct merge_result *result)
+{
+	die("Not yet implemented");
+}
diff --git a/merge-ort.h b/merge-ort.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..74adccad16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/merge-ort.h
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+#ifndef MERGE_ORT_H
+#define MERGE_ORT_H
+
+#include "merge-recursive.h"
+
+struct commit;
+struct tree;
+
+struct merge_result {
+	/* Whether the merge is clean */
+	int clean;
+
+	/*
+	 * Result of merge.  If !clean, represents what would go in worktree
+	 * (thus possibly including files containing conflict markers).
+	 */
+	struct tree *tree;
+
+	/*
+	 * Additional metadata used by merge_switch_to_result() or future calls
+	 * to merge_incore_*().  Includes data needed to update the index (if
+	 * !clean) and to print "CONFLICT" messages.  Not for external use.
+	 */
+	void *priv;
+};
+
+/*
+ * rename-detecting three-way merge with recursive ancestor consolidation.
+ * working tree and index are untouched.
+ */
+void merge_incore_recursive(struct merge_options *opt,
+			    struct commit_list *merge_bases,
+			    struct commit *side1,
+			    struct commit *side2,
+			    struct merge_result *result);
+
+/*
+ * rename-detecting three-way merge, no recursion.
+ * working tree and index are untouched.
+ */
+void merge_incore_nonrecursive(struct merge_options *opt,
+			       struct tree *merge_base,
+			       struct tree *side1,
+			       struct tree *side2,
+			       struct merge_result *result);
+
+/* Update the working tree and index from head to result after incore merge */
+void merge_switch_to_result(struct merge_options *opt,
+			    struct tree *head,
+			    struct merge_result *result,
+			    int update_worktree_and_index,
+			    int display_update_msgs);
+
+/* Do needed cleanup when not calling merge_switch_to_result() */
+void merge_finalize(struct merge_options *opt,
+		    struct merge_result *result);
+
+#endif