diff --git a/core/commands/add.go b/core/commands/add.go
index ca29f99de..6e1b63dc1 100644
--- a/core/commands/add.go
+++ b/core/commands/add.go
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ You can now check what blocks have been created by:
 	},
 	Options: []cmdkit.Option{
 		cmds.OptionRecursivePath, // a builtin option that allows recursive paths (-r, --recursive)
+		cmds.OptionDerefArgs,     // a builtin option that resolves passed in filesystem links (--dereference-args)
 		cmdkit.BoolOption(quietOptionName, "q", "Write minimal output."),
 		cmdkit.BoolOption(quieterOptionName, "Q", "Write only final hash."),
 		cmdkit.BoolOption(silentOptionName, "Write no output."),
diff --git a/test/sharness/t0040-add-and-cat.sh b/test/sharness/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
index 50b7e1ea2..134eb6354 100755
--- a/test/sharness/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
+++ b/test/sharness/t0040-add-and-cat.sh
@@ -347,6 +347,19 @@ test_add_cat_raw() {
   '
 }
 
+test_add_cat_derefargs() {
+  test_expect_success "create and hash zero length file" '
+    touch zero-length-file &&
+    ZEROHASH=$(ipfs add -q -n zero-length-file)
+  '
+
+  test_expect_success "create symlink and add with dereferenced arguments" '
+    ln -s zero-length-file symlink-to-zero &&
+    HASH=$(ipfs add -q -n --dereference-args symlink-to-zero) &&
+    test $HASH = $ZEROHASH
+  '
+}
+
 test_add_cat_expensive() {
   ADD_FLAGS="$1"
   HASH="$2"
@@ -720,6 +733,8 @@ test_expect_success "ipfs add --only-hash succeeds" '
   echo "unknown content for only-hash" | ipfs add --only-hash -q > oh_hash
 '
 
+test_add_cat_derefargs
+
 #TODO: this doesn't work when online hence separated out from test_add_cat_file
 test_expect_success "ipfs cat file fails" '
   test_must_fail ipfs cat $(cat oh_hash)