diff --git a/Documentation/pretty-formats.adoc b/Documentation/pretty-formats.adoc
index 2ae0eb11a9..4fb0419715 100644
--- a/Documentation/pretty-formats.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/pretty-formats.adoc
@@ -169,8 +169,13 @@ The placeholders are:
 	    on the next placeholders until the color is switched
 	    again.
 ++%m++:: left (`<`), right (`>`) or boundary (`-`) mark
-++%w(++`[<w>[,<i1>[,<i2>]]]`++)++:: switch line wrapping, like the `-w` option of
-			    linkgit:git-shortlog[1].
+++%w(++`[<w>[,<i1>[,<i2>]]]`++)++:: set line wrapping and indentation.
+	    Output is word-wrapped at _<w>_ columns, with the first line
+	    indented by _<i1>_ spaces and subsequent lines indented by
+	    _<i2>_ spaces. A width of 0 disables wrapping. Omitted values
+	    default to 0, so ++%w()++ turns off both wrapping and indentation.
+	    Newlines that are followed by an ASCII letter or digit are replaced
+	    by spaces to reflow paragraphs. Existing indentation is kept.
 ++%<(++`<n>[,(trunc|ltrunc|mtrunc)]`++)++:: make the next placeholder take at
 				  least N column widths, padding spaces on
 				  the right if necessary.  Optionally
diff --git a/t/t4202-log.sh b/t/t4202-log.sh
index 06552a6271..5895780e8f 100755
--- a/t/t4202-log.sh
+++ b/t/t4202-log.sh
@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ test_expect_success 'format %w(,1,2)' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'format %w(11)' '
+
+	git log -2 --format="%w(11) This is%n  the %s%n  commit." > actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 cat > expect << EOF
 $(git rev-parse --short :/sixth  ) sixth
 $(git rev-parse --short :/fifth  ) fifth
diff --git a/t/t4205-log-pretty-formats.sh b/t/t4205-log-pretty-formats.sh
index 4be5c51489..0733f22d58 100755
--- a/t/t4205-log-pretty-formats.sh
+++ b/t/t4205-log-pretty-formats.sh
@@ -1139,7 +1139,7 @@ test_expect_success 'log --pretty with invalid padding format' '
 test_expect_success 'log --pretty with magical wrapping directives' '
 	commit_id=$(git commit-tree HEAD^{tree} -m "describe me") &&
 	git tag describe-me $commit_id &&
-	printf "\n(tag:\ndescribe-me)%%+w(2)" >expect &&
+	printf "\n\n(tag:\ndescribe-me)%%+w(2)" >expect &&
 	git log -1 --pretty="format:%w(1)%+d%+w(2)" $commit_id >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
diff --git a/utf8.c b/utf8.c
index 96460cc414..bb55bf357f 100644
--- a/utf8.c
+++ b/utf8.c
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ retry:
 					space++;
 					if (*space == '\n') {
 						strbuf_addch(buf, '\n');
+						space++;
 						goto new_line;
 					}
 					else if (!isalnum(*space))
@@ -333,9 +334,10 @@ retry:
 				text++;
 			}
 			else {
+				space += isspace(*space);
 new_line:
 				strbuf_addch(buf, '\n');
-				text = bol = space + isspace(*space);
+				text = bol = space;
 				space = NULL;
 				w = indent = indent2;
 			}