diff --git a/Documentation/git-last-modified.adoc b/Documentation/git-last-modified.adoc
index 6f9b119bb6..d7d16fc4f7 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-last-modified.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-last-modified.adoc
@@ -25,13 +25,14 @@ OPTIONS
 
 `-r`::
 `--recursive`::
-	Instead of showing tree entries, step into subtrees and show all entries
-	inside them recursively.
+	Recursively traverse into all subtrees. By default, the command only
+	shows tree entries matching the `<pathspec>`. With this option, it
+	descends into subtrees and displays all entries within them.
+	Equivalent to `--max-depth=-1`.
 
 `-t`::
 `--show-trees`::
-	Show tree entries even when recursing into them. It has no effect
-	without `--recursive`.
+	Show tree entries even when recursing into them.
 
 `--max-depth=<depth>`::
 	For each pathspec given on the command line, traverse at most `<depth>`
diff --git a/builtin/last-modified.c b/builtin/last-modified.c
index 797c1bb88b..e27f36b624 100644
--- a/builtin/last-modified.c
+++ b/builtin/last-modified.c
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ define_commit_slab(active_paths_for_commit, struct bitmap *);
 struct last_modified {
 	struct hashmap paths;
 	struct rev_info rev;
-	bool recursive;
 	bool show_trees;
 	bool nul_termination;
 	int max_depth;
@@ -481,14 +480,10 @@ static int last_modified_init(struct last_modified *lm, struct repository *r,
 	lm->rev.no_commit_id = 1;
 	lm->rev.diff = 1;
 	lm->rev.diffopt.flags.no_recursive_diff_tree_combined = 1;
-	lm->rev.diffopt.flags.recursive = lm->recursive;
+	lm->rev.diffopt.flags.recursive = 1;
 	lm->rev.diffopt.flags.tree_in_recursive = lm->show_trees;
-
-	if (lm->max_depth >= 0) {
-		lm->rev.diffopt.flags.recursive = 1;
-		lm->rev.diffopt.max_depth = lm->max_depth;
-		lm->rev.diffopt.max_depth_valid = 1;
-	}
+	lm->rev.diffopt.max_depth = lm->max_depth;
+	lm->rev.diffopt.max_depth_valid = lm->max_depth >= 0;
 
 	argc = setup_revisions(argc, argv, &lm->rev, NULL);
 	if (argc > 1) {
@@ -524,8 +519,8 @@ int cmd_last_modified(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 	};
 
 	struct option last_modified_options[] = {
-		OPT_BOOL('r', "recursive", &lm.recursive,
-			 N_("recurse into subtrees")),
+		OPT_SET_INT('r', "recursive", &lm.max_depth,
+			    N_("recurse into subtrees"), -1),
 		OPT_BOOL('t', "show-trees", &lm.show_trees,
 			 N_("show tree entries when recursing into subtrees")),
 		OPT_INTEGER_F(0, "max-depth", &lm.max_depth,
@@ -535,12 +530,6 @@ int cmd_last_modified(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 		OPT_END()
 	};
 
-	/*
-	 * Set the default of a max-depth to "unset". This will change in a
-	 * subsequent commit.
-	 */
-	lm.max_depth = -1;
-
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, last_modified_options,
 			     last_modified_usage,
 			     PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0 | PARSE_OPT_KEEP_UNKNOWN_OPT);
diff --git a/t/t8020-last-modified.sh b/t/t8020-last-modified.sh
index a4c1114ee2..43f38937ba 100755
--- a/t/t8020-last-modified.sh
+++ b/t/t8020-last-modified.sh
@@ -85,6 +85,41 @@ test_expect_success 'last-modified subdir recursive' '
 	EOF
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'last-modified subdir non-recursive' '
+	check_last_modified a <<-\EOF
+	3 a
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'last-modified path in subdir non-recursive' '
+	check_last_modified a/file <<-\EOF
+	2 a/file
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'last-modified subdir with wildcard non-recursive' '
+	check_last_modified a/* <<-\EOF
+	3 a/b
+	2 a/file
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'last-modified with negative max-depth' '
+	check_last_modified --max-depth=-1 <<-\EOF
+	3 a/b/file
+	2 a/file
+	1 file
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'last-modified with max-depth of 1' '
+	check_last_modified --max-depth=1 <<-\EOF
+	3 a/b
+	2 a/file
+	1 file
+	EOF
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'last-modified from non-HEAD commit' '
 	check_last_modified HEAD^ <<-\EOF
 	2 a