diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 8f0b2e84fe..8d26042b01 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ static void log_show_early(struct rev_info *revs, struct commit_list *list)
 	int i = revs->early_output;
 	int show_header = 1;
 
-	sort_in_topological_order(&list, revs->lifo);
+	sort_in_topological_order(&list, revs->sort_order);
 	while (list && i) {
 		struct commit *commit = list->item;
 		switch (simplify_commit(revs, commit)) {
diff --git a/builtin/show-branch.c b/builtin/show-branch.c
index d208fd6c68..7c57985c40 100644
--- a/builtin/show-branch.c
+++ b/builtin/show-branch.c
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ int cmd_show_branch(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix)
 	int num_rev, i, extra = 0;
 	int all_heads = 0, all_remotes = 0;
 	int all_mask, all_revs;
-	int lifo = 1;
+	enum rev_sort_order sort_order = REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER;
 	char head[128];
 	const char *head_p;
 	int head_len;
@@ -666,15 +666,17 @@ int cmd_show_branch(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix)
 			    N_("show possible merge bases")),
 		OPT_BOOLEAN(0, "independent", &independent,
 			    N_("show refs unreachable from any other ref")),
-		OPT_BOOLEAN(0, "topo-order", &lifo,
-			    N_("show commits in topological order")),
+		OPT_SET_INT(0, "topo-order", &sort_order,
+			    N_("show commits in topological order"),
+			    REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER),
 		OPT_BOOLEAN(0, "topics", &topics,
 			    N_("show only commits not on the first branch")),
 		OPT_SET_INT(0, "sparse", &dense,
 			    N_("show merges reachable from only one tip"), 0),
-		OPT_SET_INT(0, "date-order", &lifo,
+		OPT_SET_INT(0, "date-order", &sort_order,
 			    N_("show commits where no parent comes before its "
-			       "children"), 0),
+			       "children"),
+			    REV_SORT_BY_COMMIT_DATE),
 		{ OPTION_CALLBACK, 'g', "reflog", &reflog_base, N_("<n>[,<base>]"),
 			    N_("show <n> most recent ref-log entries starting at "
 			       "base"),
@@ -901,7 +903,7 @@ int cmd_show_branch(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix)
 		exit(0);
 
 	/* Sort topologically */
-	sort_in_topological_order(&seen, lifo);
+	sort_in_topological_order(&seen, sort_order);
 
 	/* Give names to commits */
 	if (!sha1_name && !no_name)
diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index f97456ddfa..11b9635df2 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ define_commit_slab(indegree_slab, int);
 /*
  * Performs an in-place topological sort on the list supplied.
  */
-void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list ** list, int lifo)
+void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list ** list, enum rev_sort_order sort_order)
 {
 	struct commit_list *next, *orig = *list;
 	struct commit_list *work, **insert;
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list ** list, int lifo)
 	}
 
 	/* process the list in topological order */
-	if (!lifo)
+	if (sort_order != REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER)
 		commit_list_sort_by_date(&work);
 
 	pptr = list;
@@ -588,10 +588,14 @@ void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list ** list, int lifo)
 			 * guaranteeing topological order.
 			 */
 			if (--(*pi) == 1) {
-				if (!lifo)
+				switch (sort_order) {
+				case REV_SORT_BY_COMMIT_DATE:
 					commit_list_insert_by_date(parent, &work);
-				else
+					break;
+				default: /* REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER */
 					commit_list_insert(parent, &work);
+					break;
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		/*
diff --git a/commit.h b/commit.h
index 70e749d69f..247e474e44 100644
--- a/commit.h
+++ b/commit.h
@@ -139,15 +139,23 @@ struct commit *pop_commit(struct commit_list **stack);
 void clear_commit_marks(struct commit *commit, unsigned int mark);
 void clear_commit_marks_for_object_array(struct object_array *a, unsigned mark);
 
+
+enum rev_sort_order {
+	REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER = 0,
+	REV_SORT_BY_COMMIT_DATE
+};
+
 /*
  * Performs an in-place topological sort of list supplied.
  *
  *   invariant of resulting list is:
  *      a reachable from b => ord(b) < ord(a)
- *   in addition, when lifo == 0, commits on parallel tracks are
- *   sorted in the dates order.
+ *   sort_order further specifies:
+ *   REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER: try to show a commit on a single-parent
+ *                            chain together.
+ *   REV_SORT_BY_COMMIT_DATE: show eligible commits in committer-date order.
  */
-void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list ** list, int lifo);
+void sort_in_topological_order(struct commit_list **, enum rev_sort_order);
 
 struct commit_graft {
 	unsigned char sha1[20];
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index cf620c6b36..966ebbc542 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -1038,7 +1038,7 @@ void init_revisions(struct rev_info *revs, const char *prefix)
 	DIFF_OPT_SET(&revs->pruning, QUICK);
 	revs->pruning.add_remove = file_add_remove;
 	revs->pruning.change = file_change;
-	revs->lifo = 1;
+	revs->sort_order = REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER;
 	revs->dense = 1;
 	revs->prefix = prefix;
 	revs->max_age = -1;
@@ -1373,7 +1373,7 @@ static int handle_revision_opt(struct rev_info *revs, int argc, const char **arg
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--merge")) {
 		revs->show_merge = 1;
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--topo-order")) {
-		revs->lifo = 1;
+		revs->sort_order = REV_SORT_IN_GRAPH_ORDER;
 		revs->topo_order = 1;
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--simplify-merges")) {
 		revs->simplify_merges = 1;
@@ -1391,7 +1391,7 @@ static int handle_revision_opt(struct rev_info *revs, int argc, const char **arg
 		revs->prune = 1;
 		load_ref_decorations(DECORATE_SHORT_REFS);
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--date-order")) {
-		revs->lifo = 0;
+		revs->sort_order = REV_SORT_BY_COMMIT_DATE;
 		revs->topo_order = 1;
 	} else if (!prefixcmp(arg, "--early-output")) {
 		int count = 100;
@@ -2165,7 +2165,7 @@ int prepare_revision_walk(struct rev_info *revs)
 		if (limit_list(revs) < 0)
 			return -1;
 	if (revs->topo_order)
-		sort_in_topological_order(&revs->commits, revs->lifo);
+		sort_in_topological_order(&revs->commits, revs->sort_order);
 	if (revs->simplify_merges)
 		simplify_merges(revs);
 	if (revs->children.name)
@@ -2480,7 +2480,7 @@ static void create_boundary_commit_list(struct rev_info *revs)
 	 * If revs->topo_order is set, sort the boundary commits
 	 * in topological order
 	 */
-	sort_in_topological_order(&revs->commits, revs->lifo);
+	sort_in_topological_order(&revs->commits, revs->sort_order);
 }
 
 static struct commit *get_revision_internal(struct rev_info *revs)
diff --git a/revision.h b/revision.h
index 5da09ee3ef..2a5e325a36 100644
--- a/revision.h
+++ b/revision.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "parse-options.h"
 #include "grep.h"
 #include "notes.h"
+#include "commit.h"
 
 #define SEEN		(1u<<0)
 #define UNINTERESTING   (1u<<1)
@@ -60,6 +61,10 @@ struct rev_info {
 	const char *prefix;
 	const char *def;
 	struct pathspec prune_data;
+
+	/* topo-sort */
+	enum rev_sort_order sort_order;
+
 	unsigned int	early_output:1,
 			ignore_missing:1;
 
@@ -70,7 +75,6 @@ struct rev_info {
 			show_all:1,
 			remove_empty_trees:1,
 			simplify_history:1,
-			lifo:1,
 			topo_order:1,
 			simplify_merges:1,
 			simplify_by_decoration:1,