diff --git a/tools/patman/checkpatch.py b/tools/patman/checkpatch.py
index 70ba561c26..d1b902dd96 100644
--- a/tools/patman/checkpatch.py
+++ b/tools/patman/checkpatch.py
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def check_patch_parse(checkpatch_output, verbose=False):
     return result
 
 
-def check_patch(fname, verbose=False, show_types=False):
+def check_patch(fname, verbose=False, show_types=False, use_tree=False):
     """Run checkpatch.pl on a file and parse the results.
 
     Args:
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ def check_patch(fname, verbose=False, show_types=False):
         verbose: True to print out every line of the checkpatch output as it is
             parsed
         show_types: Tell checkpatch to show the type (number) of each message
+        use_tree (bool): If False we'll pass '--no-tree' to checkpatch.
 
     Returns:
         namedtuple containing:
@@ -210,7 +211,9 @@ def check_patch(fname, verbose=False, show_types=False):
             stdout: Full output of checkpatch
     """
     chk = find_check_patch()
-    args = [chk, '--no-tree']
+    args = [chk]
+    if not use_tree:
+        args.append('--no-tree')
     if show_types:
         args.append('--show-types')
     output = command.output(*args, fname, raise_on_error=False)
@@ -236,13 +239,13 @@ def get_warning_msg(col, msg_type, fname, line, msg):
     line_str = '' if line is None else '%d' % line
     return '%s:%s: %s: %s\n' % (fname, line_str, msg_type, msg)
 
-def check_patches(verbose, args):
+def check_patches(verbose, args, use_tree):
     '''Run the checkpatch.pl script on each patch'''
     error_count, warning_count, check_count = 0, 0, 0
     col = terminal.Color()
 
     for fname in args:
-        result = check_patch(fname, verbose)
+        result = check_patch(fname, verbose, use_tree=use_tree)
         if not result.ok:
             error_count += result.errors
             warning_count += result.warnings
diff --git a/tools/patman/control.py b/tools/patman/control.py
index b40382388e..bf426cf7bc 100644
--- a/tools/patman/control.py
+++ b/tools/patman/control.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def prepare_patches(col, branch, count, start, end, ignore_binary, signoff):
         patchstream.insert_cover_letter(cover_fname, series, to_do)
     return series, cover_fname, patch_files
 
-def check_patches(series, patch_files, run_checkpatch, verbose):
+def check_patches(series, patch_files, run_checkpatch, verbose, use_tree):
     """Run some checks on a set of patches
 
     This santiy-checks the patman tags like Series-version and runs the patches
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ def check_patches(series, patch_files, run_checkpatch, verbose):
         run_checkpatch (bool): True to run checkpatch.pl
         verbose (bool): True to print out every line of the checkpatch output as
             it is parsed
+        use_tree (bool): If False we'll pass '--no-tree' to checkpatch.
 
     Returns:
         bool: True if the patches had no errors, False if they did
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ def check_patches(series, patch_files, run_checkpatch, verbose):
 
     # Check the patches, and run them through 'git am' just to be sure
     if run_checkpatch:
-        ok = checkpatch.check_patches(verbose, patch_files)
+        ok = checkpatch.check_patches(verbose, patch_files, use_tree)
     else:
         ok = True
     return ok
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ def send(args):
         col, args.branch, args.count, args.start, args.end,
         args.ignore_binary, args.add_signoff)
     ok = check_patches(series, patch_files, args.check_patch,
-                       args.verbose)
+                       args.verbose, args.check_patch_use_tree)
 
     ok = ok and gitutil.check_suppress_cc_config()
 
diff --git a/tools/patman/main.py b/tools/patman/main.py
index 66d4806c8d..15e7af0e54 100755
--- a/tools/patman/main.py
+++ b/tools/patman/main.py
@@ -81,6 +81,12 @@ send.add_argument('--no-binary', action='store_true', dest='ignore_binary',
 send.add_argument('--no-check', action='store_false', dest='check_patch',
                   default=True,
                   help="Don't check for patch compliance")
+send.add_argument('--tree', dest='check_patch_use_tree', default=False,
+                  action='store_true',
+                  help=("Set `tree` to True. If `tree` is False then we'll "
+                  "pass '--no-tree' to checkpatch (default: tree=%(default)s)"))
+send.add_argument('--no-tree', dest='check_patch_use_tree',
+                  action='store_false', help="Set `tree` to False")
 send.add_argument('--no-tags', action='store_false', dest='process_tags',
                   default=True, help="Don't process subject tags as aliases")
 send.add_argument('--no-signoff', action='store_false', dest='add_signoff',
diff --git a/tools/patman/settings.py b/tools/patman/settings.py
index 4c847fe88f..903d6fcb0b 100644
--- a/tools/patman/settings.py
+++ b/tools/patman/settings.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ _default_settings = {
     "u-boot": {},
     "linux": {
         "process_tags": "False",
+        "check_patch_use_tree": "True",
     },
     "gcc": {
         "process_tags": "False",
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ class _ProjectConfigParser(ConfigParser.SafeConfigParser):
     >>> config = _ProjectConfigParser("linux")
     >>> config.readfp(StringIO(sample_config))
     >>> sorted((str(a), str(b)) for (a, b) in config.items("settings"))
-    [('am_hero', 'True'), ('process_tags', 'False')]
+    [('am_hero', 'True'), ('check_patch_use_tree', 'True'), ('process_tags', 'False')]
 
     # Check to make sure that settings works with unknown project.
     >>> config = _ProjectConfigParser("unknown")