diff --git a/Documentation/Makefile b/Documentation/Makefile
index 4f801f4e4c9470..28eb940a9b8ff9 100644
--- a/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -290,6 +290,7 @@ cmds_txt = cmds-ancillaryinterrogators.txt \
 	cmds-synchingrepositories.txt \
 	cmds-synchelpers.txt \
 	cmds-guide.txt \
+	cmds-userinterfaces.txt \
 	cmds-purehelpers.txt \
 	cmds-foreignscminterface.txt
 
diff --git a/Documentation/git-help.txt b/Documentation/git-help.txt
index bead763fd290cf..4eb03bd6c38f27 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-help.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-help.txt
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 'git help' [[-i|--info] [-m|--man] [-w|--web]] [<command>|<doc>]
 'git help' [-g|--guides]
 'git help' [-c|--config]
+'git help' [--user-interfaces]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -69,6 +70,19 @@ OPTIONS
 --guides::
 	Prints a list of the Git concept guides on the standard output.
 
+--user-interfaces::
+	Prints a list of the repository, command and file interfaces
+	documentation on the standard output.
++
+In-repository file interfaces such as `.git/info/exclude` are
+documented here (see linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5]), as well as
+in-tree configuration such as `.mailmap` (see linkgit:gitmailmap[5]).
++
+This section of the documentation also covers general or widespread
+user-interface conventions (e.g. linkgit:gitcli[7]), and
+pseudo-configuration such as the file-based `.git/hooks/*` interface
+described in linkgit:githooks[5].
+
 -i::
 --info::
 	Display manual page for the command in the 'info' format. The
diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt
index 302607a49676d5..f69d32e1e7934c 100644
--- a/Documentation/git.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git.txt
@@ -339,6 +339,14 @@ The following documentation pages are guides about Git concepts.
 
 include::cmds-guide.txt[]
 
+Repository, command and file interfaces
+---------------------------------------
+
+This documentation discusses repository and command interfaces which
+users are expected to interact with directly. See `--user-formats` in
+linkgit:git-help[1] for more details on the critera.
+
+include::cmds-userinterfaces.txt[]
 
 Configuration Mechanism
 -----------------------
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1624471badc2f8..ea0ef7df7344b4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3532,6 +3532,7 @@ check-docs::
 		sed -e '1,/^### command list/d' \
 		    -e '/^#/d' \
 		    -e '/guide$$/d' \
+		    -e '/interfaces$$/d' \
 		    -e 's/[ 	].*//' \
 		    -e 's/^/listed /' command-list.txt; \
 		$(MAKE) -C Documentation print-man1 | \
diff --git a/builtin/help.c b/builtin/help.c
index dec82d1be27a50..1ab1c8a0dd7749 100644
--- a/builtin/help.c
+++ b/builtin/help.c
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ static enum help_action {
 	HELP_ACTION_ALL = 1,
 	HELP_ACTION_GUIDES,
 	HELP_ACTION_CONFIG,
+	HELP_ACTION_USER_INTERFACES,
 	HELP_ACTION_CONFIG_FOR_COMPLETION,
 	HELP_ACTION_CONFIG_SECTIONS_FOR_COMPLETION,
 } cmd_mode;
@@ -69,6 +70,9 @@ static struct option builtin_help_options[] = {
 
 	OPT_CMDMODE('g', "guides", &cmd_mode, N_("print list of useful guides"),
 		    HELP_ACTION_GUIDES),
+	OPT_CMDMODE(0, "user-interfaces", &cmd_mode,
+		    N_("print list of user-facing repository, command and file interfaces"),
+		    HELP_ACTION_USER_INTERFACES),
 	OPT_CMDMODE('c', "config", &cmd_mode, N_("print all configuration variable names"),
 		    HELP_ACTION_CONFIG),
 	OPT_CMDMODE_F(0, "config-for-completion", &cmd_mode, "",
@@ -84,6 +88,7 @@ static const char * const builtin_help_usage[] = {
 	N_("git help [[-i|--info] [-m|--man] [-w|--web]] [<command>|<doc>]"),
 	"git help [-g|--guides]",
 	"git help [-c|--config]",
+	"git help [--user-interfaces]",
 	NULL
 };
 
@@ -654,6 +659,10 @@ int cmd_help(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		opt_mode_usage(argc, "--config-for-completion", help_format);
 		list_config_help(SHOW_CONFIG_VARS);
 		return 0;
+	case HELP_ACTION_USER_INTERFACES:
+		opt_mode_usage(argc, "--user-interfaces", help_format);
+		list_user_interfaces_help();
+		return 0;
 	case HELP_ACTION_CONFIG_SECTIONS_FOR_COMPLETION:
 		opt_mode_usage(argc, "--config-sections-for-completion",
 			       help_format);
diff --git a/command-list.txt b/command-list.txt
index 9bd6f3c48f4d18..1d45303e14c0cb 100644
--- a/command-list.txt
+++ b/command-list.txt
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@
 # specified here, which can only have "guide" attribute and nothing
 # else.
 #
+# User-facing repository, command and file interfaces such as
+# documentation for the .gitmodules, .mailmap etc. files lives in man
+# sections 5 and 7. These entries can only have the "userinterfaces"
+# attribute and nothing else.
+#
 ### command list (do not change this line)
 # command name                          category [category] [category]
 git-add                                 mainporcelain           worktree
@@ -192,8 +197,8 @@ git-verify-tag                          ancillaryinterrogators
 git-whatchanged                         ancillaryinterrogators          complete
 git-worktree                            mainporcelain
 git-write-tree                          plumbingmanipulators
-gitattributes                           guide
-gitcli                                  guide
+gitattributes                           userinterfaces
+gitcli                                  userinterfaces
 gitcore-tutorial                        guide
 gitcredentials                          guide
 gitcvs-migration                        guide
@@ -201,15 +206,15 @@ gitdiffcore                             guide
 giteveryday                             guide
 gitfaq                                  guide
 gitglossary                             guide
-githooks                                guide
-gitignore                               guide
+githooks                                userinterfaces
+gitignore                               userinterfaces
 gitk                                    mainporcelain
-gitmailmap                              guide
-gitmodules                              guide
+gitmailmap                              userinterfaces
+gitmodules                              userinterfaces
 gitnamespaces                           guide
 gitremote-helpers                       guide
-gitrepository-layout                    guide
-gitrevisions                            guide
+gitrepository-layout                    userinterfaces
+gitrevisions                            userinterfaces
 gitsubmodules                           guide
 gittutorial                             guide
 gittutorial-2                           guide
diff --git a/help.c b/help.c
index 8a09f18a3d91ea..3e2a78863b767e 100644
--- a/help.c
+++ b/help.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ static struct category_description main_categories[] = {
 	{ CAT_plumbinginterrogators, N_("Low-level Commands / Interrogators") },
 	{ CAT_synchingrepositories, N_("Low-level Commands / Syncing Repositories") },
 	{ CAT_purehelpers, N_("Low-level Commands / Internal Helpers") },
+	{ CAT_userinterfaces, N_("User-facing repository, command and file interfaces") },
 	{ 0, NULL }
 };
 
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ static const char *drop_prefix(const char *name, uint32_t category)
 
 	switch (category) {
 	case CAT_guide:
+	case CAT_userinterfaces:
 		prefix = "git";
 		break;
 	default:
@@ -433,6 +435,16 @@ void list_guides_help(void)
 	putchar('\n');
 }
 
+void list_user_interfaces_help(void)
+{
+	struct category_description catdesc[] = {
+		{ CAT_userinterfaces, N_("User-facing repository, command and file interfaces:") },
+		{ 0, NULL }
+	};
+	print_cmd_by_category(catdesc, NULL);
+	putchar('\n');
+}
+
 static int get_alias(const char *var, const char *value, void *data)
 {
 	struct string_list *list = data;
diff --git a/help.h b/help.h
index 971a3ad855acdc..243104c27a7fa6 100644
--- a/help.h
+++ b/help.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ static inline void mput_char(char c, unsigned int num)
 void list_common_cmds_help(void);
 void list_all_cmds_help(int show_external_commands, int show_aliases);
 void list_guides_help(void);
+void list_user_interfaces_help(void);
 
 void list_all_main_cmds(struct string_list *list);
 void list_all_other_cmds(struct string_list *list);
diff --git a/t/t0012-help.sh b/t/t0012-help.sh
index 6c33a4369015c8..bee5ed12203f7b 100755
--- a/t/t0012-help.sh
+++ b/t/t0012-help.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ test_expect_success 'invalid usage' '
 	test_expect_code 129 git help -g add &&
 	test_expect_code 129 git help -a -g &&
 
+	test_expect_code 129 git help --user-interfaces add &&
+
 	test_expect_code 129 git help -g -c &&
 	test_expect_code 129 git help --config-for-completion add &&
 	test_expect_code 129 git help --config-sections-for-completion add
@@ -104,9 +106,9 @@ test_expect_success 'git help' '
 	test_i18ngrep "^   commit " help.output &&
 	test_i18ngrep "^   fetch  " help.output
 '
+
 test_expect_success 'git help -g' '
 	git help -g >help.output &&
-	test_i18ngrep "^   attributes " help.output &&
 	test_i18ngrep "^   everyday   " help.output &&
 	test_i18ngrep "^   tutorial   " help.output
 '
@@ -127,6 +129,12 @@ test_expect_success 'git help succeeds without git.html' '
 	test_cmp expect test-browser.log
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'git help --user-interfaces' '
+	git help --user-interfaces >help.output &&
+	grep "^   attributes   " help.output &&
+	grep "^   mailmap   " help.output
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'git help -c' '
 	git help -c >help.output &&
 	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
@@ -220,6 +228,8 @@ test_expect_success "'git help -a' section spacing" '
 	Low-level Commands / Syncing Repositories
 
 	Low-level Commands / Internal Helpers
+
+	User-facing repository, command and file interfaces
 	EOF
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '