diff --git a/builtin/diff.c b/builtin/diff.c
index cb98811..cd4083f 100644
--- a/builtin/diff.c
+++ b/builtin/diff.c
@@ -203,8 +203,7 @@
 		revs->dense_combined_merges = revs->combine_merges = 1;
 	for (i = 1; i < ents; i++)
 		oid_array_append(&parents, &ent[i].item->oid);
-	diff_tree_combined(&ent[0].item->oid, &parents,
-			   revs->dense_combined_merges, revs);
+	diff_tree_combined(&ent[0].item->oid, &parents, revs);
 	oid_array_clear(&parents);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/combine-diff.c b/combine-diff.c
index 002e0e5..555b812 100644
--- a/combine-diff.c
+++ b/combine-diff.c
@@ -923,7 +923,6 @@
 
 static void show_combined_header(struct combine_diff_path *elem,
 				 int num_parent,
-				 int dense,
 				 struct rev_info *rev,
 				 const char *line_prefix,
 				 int mode_differs,
@@ -939,6 +938,7 @@
 	int added = 0;
 	int deleted = 0;
 	int i;
+	int dense = rev->dense_combined_merges;
 
 	if (rev->loginfo && !rev->no_commit_id)
 		show_log(rev);
@@ -1012,7 +1012,7 @@
 }
 
 static void show_patch_diff(struct combine_diff_path *elem, int num_parent,
-			    int dense, int working_tree_file,
+			    int working_tree_file,
 			    struct rev_info *rev)
 {
 	struct diff_options *opt = &rev->diffopt;
@@ -1145,7 +1145,7 @@
 		}
 	}
 	if (is_binary) {
-		show_combined_header(elem, num_parent, dense, rev,
+		show_combined_header(elem, num_parent, rev,
 				     line_prefix, mode_differs, 0);
 		printf("Binary files differ\n");
 		free(result);
@@ -1200,10 +1200,10 @@
 				     textconv, elem->path, opt->xdl_opts);
 	}
 
-	show_hunks = make_hunks(sline, cnt, num_parent, dense);
+	show_hunks = make_hunks(sline, cnt, num_parent, rev->dense_combined_merges);
 
 	if (show_hunks || mode_differs || working_tree_file) {
-		show_combined_header(elem, num_parent, dense, rev,
+		show_combined_header(elem, num_parent, rev,
 				     line_prefix, mode_differs, 1);
 		dump_sline(sline, line_prefix, cnt, num_parent,
 			   opt->use_color, result_deleted);
@@ -1284,7 +1284,6 @@
  */
 void show_combined_diff(struct combine_diff_path *p,
 		       int num_parent,
-		       int dense,
 		       struct rev_info *rev)
 {
 	struct diff_options *opt = &rev->diffopt;
@@ -1294,7 +1293,7 @@
 				  DIFF_FORMAT_NAME_STATUS))
 		show_raw_diff(p, num_parent, rev);
 	else if (opt->output_format & DIFF_FORMAT_PATCH)
-		show_patch_diff(p, num_parent, dense, 1, rev);
+		show_patch_diff(p, num_parent, 1, rev);
 }
 
 static void free_combined_pair(struct diff_filepair *pair)
@@ -1454,7 +1453,6 @@
 
 void diff_tree_combined(const struct object_id *oid,
 			const struct oid_array *parents,
-			int dense,
 			struct rev_info *rev)
 {
 	struct diff_options *opt = &rev->diffopt;
@@ -1581,8 +1579,7 @@
 				printf("%s%c", diff_line_prefix(opt),
 				       opt->line_termination);
 			for (p = paths; p; p = p->next)
-				show_patch_diff(p, num_parent, dense,
-						0, rev);
+				show_patch_diff(p, num_parent, 0, rev);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1600,7 +1597,7 @@
 	clear_pathspec(&diffopts.pathspec);
 }
 
-void diff_tree_combined_merge(const struct commit *commit, int dense,
+void diff_tree_combined_merge(const struct commit *commit,
 			      struct rev_info *rev)
 {
 	struct commit_list *parent = get_saved_parents(rev, commit);
@@ -1610,6 +1607,6 @@
 		oid_array_append(&parents, &parent->item->object.oid);
 		parent = parent->next;
 	}
-	diff_tree_combined(&commit->object.oid, &parents, dense, rev);
+	diff_tree_combined(&commit->object.oid, &parents, rev);
 	oid_array_clear(&parents);
 }
diff --git a/diff-lib.c b/diff-lib.c
index 25fd2de..9b0cdbd 100644
--- a/diff-lib.c
+++ b/diff-lib.c
@@ -177,9 +177,7 @@
 			i--;
 
 			if (revs->combine_merges && num_compare_stages == 2) {
-				show_combined_diff(dpath, 2,
-						   revs->dense_combined_merges,
-						   revs);
+				show_combined_diff(dpath, 2, revs);
 				free(dpath);
 				continue;
 			}
@@ -360,7 +358,7 @@
 		p->parent[1].status = DIFF_STATUS_MODIFIED;
 		p->parent[1].mode = old_entry->ce_mode;
 		oidcpy(&p->parent[1].oid, &old_entry->oid);
-		show_combined_diff(p, 2, revs->dense_combined_merges, revs);
+		show_combined_diff(p, 2, revs);
 		free(p);
 		return 0;
 	}
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 9443dc1..f5eeb55 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -454,11 +454,11 @@
 		st_mult(sizeof(struct combine_diff_parent), (n)))
 
 void show_combined_diff(struct combine_diff_path *elem, int num_parent,
-			int dense, struct rev_info *);
+			struct rev_info *);
 
-void diff_tree_combined(const struct object_id *oid, const struct oid_array *parents, int dense, struct rev_info *rev);
+void diff_tree_combined(const struct object_id *oid, const struct oid_array *parents, struct rev_info *rev);
 
-void diff_tree_combined_merge(const struct commit *commit, int dense, struct rev_info *rev);
+void diff_tree_combined_merge(const struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *rev);
 
 void diff_set_mnemonic_prefix(struct diff_options *options, const char *a, const char *b);
 
diff --git a/log-tree.c b/log-tree.c
index 55a68d0..63998aa 100644
--- a/log-tree.c
+++ b/log-tree.c
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@
 
 static int do_diff_combined(struct rev_info *opt, struct commit *commit)
 {
-	diff_tree_combined_merge(commit, opt->dense_combined_merges, opt);
+	diff_tree_combined_merge(commit, opt);
 	return !opt->loginfo;
 }
 
diff --git a/submodule.c b/submodule.c
index e2ef569..816ddc9 100644
--- a/submodule.c
+++ b/submodule.c
@@ -857,7 +857,8 @@
 		diff_rev.diffopt.output_format |= DIFF_FORMAT_CALLBACK;
 		diff_rev.diffopt.format_callback = collect_changed_submodules_cb;
 		diff_rev.diffopt.format_callback_data = &data;
-		diff_tree_combined_merge(commit, 1, &diff_rev);
+		diff_rev.dense_combined_merges = 1;
+		diff_tree_combined_merge(commit, &diff_rev);
 	}
 
 	reset_revision_walk();