diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 15a5430c00..5fe7e23b17 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -1127,6 +1127,16 @@ static int absorb_git_dirs(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int is_active(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
+{
+	if (argc != 2)
+		die("submodule--helper is-active takes exactly 1 arguments");
+
+	gitmodules_config();
+
+	return !is_submodule_initialized(argv[1]);
+}
+
 #define SUPPORT_SUPER_PREFIX (1<<0)
 
 struct cmd_struct {
@@ -1146,6 +1156,7 @@ static struct cmd_struct commands[] = {
 	{"init", module_init, SUPPORT_SUPER_PREFIX},
 	{"remote-branch", resolve_remote_submodule_branch, 0},
 	{"absorb-git-dirs", absorb_git_dirs, SUPPORT_SUPER_PREFIX},
+	{"is-active", is_active, 0},
 };
 
 int cmd_submodule__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
diff --git a/t/t7413-submodule-is-active.sh b/t/t7413-submodule-is-active.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f18e0c9253
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t7413-submodule-is-active.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='Test submodule--helper is-active
+
+This test verifies that `git submodue--helper is-active` correclty identifies
+submodules which are "active" and interesting to the user.
+'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+test_expect_success 'setup' '
+	git init sub &&
+	test_commit -C sub initial &&
+	git init super &&
+	test_commit -C super initial &&
+	git -C super submodule add ../sub sub1 &&
+	git -C super submodule add ../sub sub2 &&
+	git -C super commit -a -m "add 2 submodules at sub{1,2}"
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'is-active works with urls' '
+	git -C super submodule--helper is-active sub1 &&
+	git -C super submodule--helper is-active sub2 &&
+
+	git -C super config --unset submodule.sub1.URL &&
+	test_must_fail git -C super submodule--helper is-active sub1 &&
+	git -C super config submodule.sub1.URL ../sub &&
+	git -C super submodule--helper is-active sub1
+'
+
+test_done