diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.properties b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.properties
index f3e1fe31b..c116437c6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.properties
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.properties
@@ -294,6 +294,7 @@ usage_Status=Show the working tree status
 usage_StopTrackingAFile=Stop tracking a file
 usage_TextHashFunctions=Scan repository to compute maximum number of collisions for hash functions
 usage_UpdateRemoteRepositoryFromLocalRefs=Update remote repository from local refs
+usage_UseAll=Use all refs found in refs/
 usage_UseTags=Use any tag including lightweight tags
 usage_WriteDirCache=Write the DirCache
 usage_abbrevCommits=abbreviate commits to N + 1 digits
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Describe.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Describe.java
index 610b6472a..8aa119a35 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Describe.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Describe.java
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ class Describe extends TextBuiltin {
 	@Option(name = "--long", usage = "usage_LongFormat")
 	private boolean longDesc;
 
+	@Option(name = "--all", usage = "usage_UseTags")
+	private boolean useAll;
+
 	@Option(name = "--tags", usage = "usage_UseTags")
 	private boolean useTags;
 
@@ -50,6 +53,7 @@ protected void run() {
 				cmd.setTarget(tree);
 			}
 			cmd.setLong(longDesc);
+			cmd.setAll(useAll);
 			cmd.setTags(useTags);
 			cmd.setAlways(always);
 			cmd.setMatch(patterns.toArray(new String[0]));
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
index 7ba7c8d2b..b460e3f52 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommandTest.java
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ public void t1AnnotatedDominatesT2lightweight() throws Exception {
 			assertEquals(
 					"2 commits for describe commit increment expected since lightweight tag: c4 and c3",
 					"t2-2-g119892b", describe(c4)); // 2 commits: c4 and c3
-		} else if (!useAnnotatedTags && !describeUseAllTags) {
+		} else if (!useAnnotatedTags) {
 			assertEquals("no matching commits expected", null, describe(c4));
 		} else {
 			assertEquals(
@@ -405,6 +405,46 @@ public void globMatchWithSlashes() throws Exception {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testDescribeUseAllRefsMaster() throws Exception {
+		final ObjectId c1 = modify("aaa");
+		tag("t1");
+
+		if (useAnnotatedTags || describeUseAllTags) {
+			assertEquals("t1", describe(c1));
+		} else {
+			assertEquals(null, describe(c1));
+		}
+		assertEquals("heads/master", describeAll(c1));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Branch off from master and then tag
+	 *
+	 * <pre>
+	 * c1 -+ -> c2
+	 *     |
+	 *     +-> t1
+	 * </pre>
+	 * @throws Exception
+	 * */
+	@Test
+	public void testDescribeUseAllRefsBranch() throws Exception {
+		final ObjectId c1 = modify("aaa");
+		modify("bbb");
+
+		branch("b", c1);
+		final ObjectId c3 = modify("ccc");
+		tag("t1");
+
+		if (!useAnnotatedTags && !describeUseAllTags) {
+			assertEquals(null, describe(c3));
+		} else {
+			assertEquals("t1", describe(c3));
+		}
+		assertEquals("heads/b", describeAll(c3));
+	}
+
 	private ObjectId merge(ObjectId c2) throws GitAPIException {
 		return git.merge().include(c2).call().getNewHead();
 	}
@@ -444,6 +484,11 @@ private String describe(ObjectId c1) throws GitAPIException, IOException {
 		return describe(c1, false, false);
 	}
 
+	private String describeAll(ObjectId c1) throws GitAPIException, IOException {
+		return git.describe().setTarget(c1).setTags(describeUseAllTags)
+				.setLong(false).setAlways(false).setAll(true).call();
+	}
+
 	private String describe(ObjectId c1, String... patterns) throws Exception {
 		return git.describe().setTarget(c1).setTags(describeUseAllTags)
 				.setMatch(patterns).call();
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
index 8d427385d..6a9fbd4f6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/DescribeCommand.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
  */
 package org.eclipse.jgit.api;
 
+import static org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants.R_REFS;
 import static org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants.R_TAGS;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -72,6 +73,11 @@ public class DescribeCommand extends GitCommand<String> {
 	 */
 	private List<FileNameMatcher> matchers = new ArrayList<>();
 
+	/**
+	 * Whether to use all refs in the refs/ namespace
+	 */
+	private boolean useAll;
+
 	/**
 	 * Whether to use all tags (incl. lightweight) or not.
 	 */
@@ -152,6 +158,22 @@ public DescribeCommand setLong(boolean longDesc) {
 		return this;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any ref found in refs/
+	 * namespace. This option enables matching any known branch,
+	 * remote-tracking branch, or lightweight tag.
+	 *
+	 * @param all
+	 *            <code>true</code> enables matching any ref found in refs/
+	 *            like setting option --all in c git
+	 * @return {@code this}
+	 * @since 5.10
+	 */
+	public DescribeCommand setAll(boolean all) {
+		this.useAll = all;
+		return this;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Instead of using only the annotated tags, use any tag found in refs/tags
 	 * namespace. This option enables matching lightweight (non-annotated) tags
@@ -186,7 +208,7 @@ public DescribeCommand setAlways(boolean always) {
 	private String longDescription(Ref tag, int depth, ObjectId tip)
 			throws IOException {
 		return String.format(
-				"%s-%d-g%s", tag.getName().substring(R_TAGS.length()), //$NON-NLS-1$
+				"%s-%d-g%s", formatRefName(tag.getName()), //$NON-NLS-1$
 				Integer.valueOf(depth), w.getObjectReader().abbreviate(tip)
 						.name());
 	}
@@ -244,8 +266,7 @@ private Optional<Ref> getBestMatch(List<Ref> tags) {
 			for (FileNameMatcher matcher : matchers) {
 				Stream<Ref> m = tags.stream().filter(
 						tag -> {
-							matcher.append(
-									tag.getName().substring(R_TAGS.length()));
+							matcher.append(formatRefName(tag.getName()));
 							boolean result = matcher.isMatch();
 							matcher.reset();
 							return result;
@@ -283,7 +304,7 @@ public String call() throws GitAPIException {
 			}
 
 			Collection<Ref> tagList = repo.getRefDatabase()
-					.getRefsByPrefix(R_TAGS);
+					.getRefsByPrefix(useAll ? R_REFS : R_TAGS);
 			Map<ObjectId, List<Ref>> tags = tagList.stream()
 					.filter(this::filterLightweightTags)
 					.collect(Collectors.groupingBy(this::getObjectIdFromRef));
@@ -336,7 +357,7 @@ String describe(ObjectId tip) throws IOException {
 			Optional<Ref> bestMatch = getBestMatch(tags.get(target));
 			if (bestMatch.isPresent()) {
 				return longDesc ? longDescription(bestMatch.get(), 0, target) :
-						bestMatch.get().getName().substring(R_TAGS.length());
+						formatRefName(bestMatch.get().getName());
 			}
 
 			w.markStart(target);
@@ -407,6 +428,16 @@ String describe(ObjectId tip) throws IOException {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Removes the refs/ or refs/tags prefix from tag names
+	 * @param name the name of the tag
+	 * @return the tag name with its prefix removed
+	 */
+	private String formatRefName(String name) {
+		return name.startsWith(R_TAGS) ? name.substring(R_TAGS.length()) :
+				name.substring(R_REFS.length());
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Whether we use lightweight tags or not for describe Candidates
 	 *
@@ -419,7 +450,7 @@ String describe(ObjectId tip) throws IOException {
 	private boolean filterLightweightTags(Ref ref) {
 		ObjectId id = ref.getObjectId();
 		try {
-			return this.useTags || (id != null && (w.parseTag(id) != null));
+			return this.useAll || this.useTags || (id != null && (w.parseTag(id) != null));
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			return false;
 		}