diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/cpp.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/cpp.qll
index 46c651daf579..560a4444bfad 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/cpp.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/cpp.qll
@@ -74,3 +74,4 @@ import semmle.code.cpp.Preprocessor
 import semmle.code.cpp.Iteration
 import semmle.code.cpp.NameQualifiers
 import DefaultOptions
+private import semmle.code.cpp.internal.Overlay
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/internal/Overlay.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/internal/Overlay.qll
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..571f034d85b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/internal/Overlay.qll
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Defines entity discard predicates for C++ overlay analysis.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Holds always for the overlay variant and never for the base variant.
+ * This local predicate is used to define local predicates that behave
+ * differently for the base and overlay variant.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+predicate isOverlay() { databaseMetadata("isOverlay", "true") }
+
+overlay[local]
+private string getLocationFilePath(@location_default loc) {
+  exists(@file file | locations_default(loc, file, _, _, _, _) | files(file, result))
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the file path for an element with a single location.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+private string getSingleLocationFilePath(@element e) {
+  // @var_decl has a direct location in the var_decls relation
+  exists(@location_default loc | var_decls(e, _, _, _, loc) | result = getLocationFilePath(loc))
+  //TODO: add other kinds of elements with single locations
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the file path for an element with potentially multiple locations.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+private string getMultiLocationFilePath(@element e) {
+  // @variable gets its location(s) from its @var_decl(s)
+  exists(@var_decl vd, @location_default loc | var_decls(vd, e, _, _, loc) |
+    result = getLocationFilePath(loc)
+  )
+  //TODO: add other kinds of elements with multiple locations
+}
+
+/**
+ * A local helper predicate that holds in the base variant and never in the
+ * overlay variant.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+private predicate holdsInBase() { not isOverlay() }
+
+/**
+ * Discards an element from the base variant if:
+ * - It has a single location in a changed file, or
+ * - All of its locations are in changed files.
+ */
+overlay[discard_entity]
+private predicate discardElement(@element e) {
+  holdsInBase() and
+  (
+    overlayChangedFiles(getSingleLocationFilePath(e))
+    or
+    forex(string path | path = getMultiLocationFilePath(e) | overlayChangedFiles(path))
+  )
+}