diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/Reporting.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/Reporting.scala
index 758d11a4bbbe..cbe704273e7b 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/Reporting.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/Reporting.scala
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ import java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException
 
 import scala.collection.mutable
 import scala.reflect.internal.Symbols
-import scala.reflect.internal.util.{Position, RangePosition, SourceFile}
 import scala.reflect.internal.util.StringOps.countElementsAsString
+import scala.reflect.internal.util.{Position, SourceFile}
 import scala.tools.nsc.Reporting.Version.{NonParseableVersion, ParseableVersion}
 import scala.tools.nsc.Reporting._
 import scala.util.matching.Regex
@@ -36,7 +36,10 @@ trait Reporting extends scala.reflect.internal.Reporting { self: ast.Positions w
   // a new instance of this class is created for every Run (access the current instance via `runReporting`)
   protected def PerRunReporting = new PerRunReporting
   class PerRunReporting extends PerRunReportingBase {
-    lazy val wconf = WConf.parse(settings.Wconf.value) match {
+    val rootDirPrefix =
+      if (settings.rootdir.value.isEmpty) ""
+      else new java.io.File(settings.rootdir.value).getCanonicalPath.replace("\\", "/")
+    lazy val wconf = WConf.parse(settings.Wconf.value, rootDirPrefix) match {
       case Left(msgs) =>
         val multiHelp =
           if (settings.Wconf.value.exists(_.contains(",")))
@@ -458,8 +461,7 @@ object Reporting {
       private[this] val cache = mutable.Map.empty[SourceFile, Boolean]
 
       def matches(message: Message): Boolean = cache.getOrElseUpdate(message.pos.source, {
-        var sourcePath = message.pos.source.file.canonicalPath.replace("\\", "/")
-        if (!sourcePath.startsWith("/")) sourcePath = "/" + sourcePath
+        val sourcePath = message.pos.source.file.canonicalPath.replace("\\", "/")
         pattern.findFirstIn(sourcePath).nonEmpty
       })
     }
@@ -510,7 +512,7 @@ object Reporting {
       try Right(s.r)
       catch { case e: PatternSyntaxException => Left(s"invalid pattern `$s`: ${e.getMessage}") }
 
-    def parseFilter(s: String): Either[String, MessageFilter] = {
+    def parseFilter(s: String, rootDir: String): Either[String, MessageFilter] = {
       if (s == "any") {
         Right(Any)
       } else if (s.startsWith("msg=")) {
@@ -541,16 +543,21 @@ object Reporting {
           }
         }
       } else if (s.startsWith("src=")) {
-        var pat = s.substring(4)
-        if (!pat.startsWith("/")) pat = "/" + pat
-        if (!pat.endsWith("$")) pat = pat + "$"
-        regex(pat).map(SourcePattern)
+        val arg = s.substring(4)
+        var pat = new mutable.StringBuilder()
+        if (rootDir.nonEmpty) pat += '^' ++= rootDir
+        // Also prepend prepend a `/` if rootDir is empty, the pattern has to match
+        // the beginning of a path segment
+        if (!rootDir.endsWith("/") && !arg.startsWith("/")) pat += '/'
+        pat ++= arg
+        if (!arg.endsWith("$")) pat += '$'
+        regex(pat.toString).map(SourcePattern)
       } else {
         Left(s"filter not yet implemented: $s")
       }
     }
 
-    def parse(setting: List[String]): Either[List[String], WConf] = {
+    def parse(setting: List[String], rootDir: String): Either[List[String], WConf] = {
       def parseAction(s: String): Either[List[String], Action] = s match {
         case "error" | "e" => Right(Error)
         case "warning" | "w" => Right(Warning)
@@ -567,7 +574,7 @@ object Reporting {
       else {
         val parsedConfs: List[Either[List[String], (List[MessageFilter], Action)]] = setting.map(conf => {
           val parts = conf.split("[&:]") // TODO: don't split on escaped \&
-          val (ms, fs) = parts.view.init.map(parseFilter).toList.partitionMap(identity)
+          val (ms, fs) = parts.view.init.map(parseFilter(_, rootDir)).toList.partitionMap(identity)
           if (ms.nonEmpty) Left(ms)
           else if (fs.isEmpty) Left(List("no filters or no action defined"))
           else parseAction(parts.last).map((fs, _))
diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/StandardScalaSettings.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/StandardScalaSettings.scala
index 2fff42ca9894..794e0b3a0805 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/StandardScalaSettings.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/StandardScalaSettings.scala
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ trait StandardScalaSettings {
   val javabootclasspath = PathSetting ("-javabootclasspath", "Override java boot classpath.", Defaults.javaBootClassPath) withAbbreviation "--java-boot-class-path"
   val javaextdirs =       PathSetting ("-javaextdirs", "Override java extdirs classpath.", Defaults.javaExtDirs) withAbbreviation "--java-extension-directories"
   val sourcepath =        PathSetting ("-sourcepath", "Specify location(s) of source files.", "") withAbbreviation "--source-path" // Defaults.scalaSourcePath
+  val rootdir =           PathSetting ("-rootdir", "The absolute path of the project root directory, usually the git / scm checkout.", "") withAbbreviation "--root-directory"
 
   /** Other settings.
    */
diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/Warnings.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/Warnings.scala
index ac04b0b7396d..8c13e0542c36 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/Warnings.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/settings/Warnings.scala
@@ -54,8 +54,10 @@ trait Warnings {
          |    The regex must match the full name of the warning position.
          |
          |  - Source file name: src=src_managed/.*
-         |    The regex must match the canonical path, starting at any path segment.
-         |    Example: `b/.*Test.scala` matches `/a/b/XTest.scala` but not `/ab/YTest.scala`.
+         |    If `-rootdir` is specified, the regex must match the canonical path relative to the
+         |    root directory. Otherwise, the regex must match the canonical path relative to any
+         |    path segment (`b/.*Test.scala` matches `/a/b/XTest.scala` but not `/ab/Test.scala`).
+         |    Use unix-style paths, separated by `/`.
          |
          |  - Origin of deprecation: origin=external.package.*
          |    The regex must match the full name of the deprecated entity.
diff --git a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/typechecker/Typers.scala b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/typechecker/Typers.scala
index e27e0a1ed8ab..303994cef6c9 100644
--- a/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/typechecker/Typers.scala
+++ b/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/typechecker/Typers.scala
@@ -3844,7 +3844,7 @@ trait Typers extends Adaptations with Tags with TypersTracking with PatternTyper
           val filters = info.assocs match {
             case Nil => List(MessageFilter.Any)
             case (_, LiteralAnnotArg(s)) :: Nil =>
-              val (ms, fs) = s.stringValue.split('&').map(WConf.parseFilter).toList.partitionMap(identity)
+              val (ms, fs) = s.stringValue.split('&').map(WConf.parseFilter(_, runReporting.rootDirPrefix)).toList.partitionMap(identity)
               if (ms.nonEmpty)
                 reporter.error(info.pos, s"Invalid message filter:\n${ms.mkString("\n")}")
               fs
diff --git a/test/junit/scala/tools/nsc/reporters/WConfTest.scala b/test/junit/scala/tools/nsc/reporters/WConfTest.scala
index 145395f10adb..e708be67f852 100644
--- a/test/junit/scala/tools/nsc/reporters/WConfTest.scala
+++ b/test/junit/scala/tools/nsc/reporters/WConfTest.scala
@@ -315,19 +315,34 @@ class WConfTest extends BytecodeTesting {
   @Test
   def sourcePatternTest(): Unit = {
     def m(p: String) = Reporting.Message.Plain(
-      Position.offset(new BatchSourceFile(new PlainFile(new File(new JFile(p))), Array()), 0),
+      Position.offset(new BatchSourceFile(new PlainFile(new File(new JFile(p))) {
+        override lazy val canonicalPath: String = p
+      }, Array()), 0),
       msg = "",
       WarningCategory.Other,
       site = "")
 
-    val aTest = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test.scala").getOrElse(null)
-    assertTrue(aTest.matches(m("/x/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    val aTest = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test.scala", rootDir = "").getOrElse(null)
+    assertTrue(aTest.matches(m("/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(aTest.matches(m("/x/a/b/FooTest.scala")))
     assertTrue(aTest.matches(m("c:\\my user\\a\\Test.scala")))
-    assertTrue(aTest.matches(m("a/NoTest.scala")))
-    assertTrue(!aTest.matches(m("mama/SomeTest.scala")))
     assertTrue(!aTest.matches(m("/x/mama/Test.scala")))
 
-    val noScala = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test").getOrElse(null)
+    val noScala = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test", rootDir = "").getOrElse(null)
     assertTrue(!noScala.matches(m("/x/a/FooTest.scala")))
+
+    val withRootDir = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test.scala", rootDir = "/root/path").getOrElse(null)
+    assertTrue(withRootDir.matches(m("/root/path/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(withRootDir.matches(m("/root/path/a/b/c/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDir.matches(m("/root/path/xa/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDir.matches(m("/root/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDir.matches(m("/root/path/b/a/FooTest.scala")))
+
+    val withRootDirWin = Reporting.WConf.parseFilter("src=a/.*Test.scala", rootDir = "c:/root/path").getOrElse(null)
+    assertTrue(withRootDirWin.matches(m("c:/root/path/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(withRootDirWin.matches(m("c:/root/path/a/b/c/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDirWin.matches(m("c:/root/path/xa/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDirWin.matches(m("c:/root/a/FooTest.scala")))
+    assertTrue(!withRootDirWin.matches(m("c:/root/path/b/a/FooTest.scala")))
   }
 }