diff --git a/benches/bench_tar.rs b/benches/bench_tar.rs
index 555a1f8..91e0e15 100644
--- a/benches/bench_tar.rs
+++ b/benches/bench_tar.rs
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ fn extract_archive_20_files(bencher: divan::Bencher) {
                 input,
                 &archive_path,
                 false,
+                false,
                 CompressionMode::None,
             )
             .unwrap();
diff --git a/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract.rs b/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract.rs
index 23a55b4..2821c8d 100644
--- a/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ use uucore::error::UResult;
 ///
 /// * `archive_path` - Path to the tar archive to extract
 /// * `verbose` - Whether to print verbose output during extraction
+/// * `to_stdout` - Write the contents of regular files to standard output instead
+///   of creating them; verbose output then goes to standard error
 ///
 /// # Errors
 ///
@@ -29,11 +31,19 @@ pub fn extract_archive(
     input: impl Read,
     archive_path: &Path,
     verbose: bool,
+    to_stdout: bool,
     compression: CompressionMode,
 ) -> UResult<()> {
     let reader = open_archive_reader(input, compression)?;
     let mut archive = Archive::new(reader);
-    let mut out = BufWriter::new(io::stdout().lock());
+    // With --to-stdout the member contents own stdout, so status messages go to stderr.
+    let status: Box<dyn Write> = if to_stdout {
+        Box::new(io::stderr())
+    } else {
+        Box::new(io::stdout().lock())
+    };
+    let mut out = BufWriter::new(status);
+    let mut data = to_stdout.then(|| BufWriter::new(io::stdout().lock()));
 
     // Extract to current directory
     if verbose {
@@ -58,6 +68,20 @@ pub fn extract_archive(
             writeln!(out, "{}", path.display()).map_err(TarError::Io)?;
         }
 
+        if let Some(data) = data.as_mut() {
+            // Like GNU tar, only regular files have contents to write.
+            if entry.header().entry_type().is_file() {
+                out.flush().map_err(TarError::Io)?;
+                io::copy(&mut entry, data).map_err(|e| TarError::CannotExtract {
+                    path: path.clone(),
+                    source: e,
+                })?;
+                // Keep each member's contents next to its name under -v.
+                data.flush().map_err(TarError::Io)?;
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+
         // Unpack the entry. `unpack_in` skips, and returns false for, a member whose
         // name contains a `..` component, as it would escape the target directory.
         let unpacked = entry.unpack_in(".").map_err(|e| TarError::CannotExtract {
@@ -72,6 +96,9 @@ pub fn extract_archive(
     }
 
     out.flush().map_err(TarError::Io)?;
+    if let Some(data) = data.as_mut() {
+        data.flush().map_err(TarError::Io)?;
+    }
     if refused_member {
         return finish_after_previous_errors();
     }
diff --git a/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract_tests.rs b/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract_tests.rs
index 898caff..205974a 100644
--- a/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract_tests.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tar/src/operations/extract_tests.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ fn test_extract_archive_with_zstd() {
 
     let _guard = crate::operations::TestDirGuard::enter(tempdir.path());
     let input = fs::File::open(&archive_path).unwrap();
-    let result = extract_archive(input, &archive_path, true, CompressionMode::Zstd);
+    let result = extract_archive(input, &archive_path, true, false, CompressionMode::Zstd);
 
     result.unwrap();
     assert_eq!(
diff --git a/src/uu/tar/src/tar.rs b/src/uu/tar/src/tar.rs
index 73c8225..28ab60d 100644
--- a/src/uu/tar/src/tar.rs
+++ b/src/uu/tar/src/tar.rs
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ pub fn uumain(args: impl uucore::Args) -> UResult<()> {
 
     let verbose = matches.get_flag("verbose");
     let allow_absolute = matches.get_flag("absolute-names");
+    let to_stdout = matches.get_flag("to-stdout");
     let recursive = !matches.get_flag("no-recursion");
     let explicit_compression = if matches.get_flag("gzip") {
         Some(CompressionMode::Gzip)
@@ -162,11 +163,23 @@ pub fn uumain(args: impl uucore::Args) -> UResult<()> {
 
         let compression = explicit_compression.unwrap_or(CompressionMode::Auto);
         return if archive_path == Path::new("-") {
-            operations::extract::extract_archive(io::stdin(), archive_path, verbose, compression)
+            operations::extract::extract_archive(
+                io::stdin(),
+                archive_path,
+                verbose,
+                to_stdout,
+                compression,
+            )
         } else {
             let file =
                 File::open(archive_path).map_err(|e| TarError::from_io_error(e, archive_path))?;
-            operations::extract::extract_archive(file, archive_path, verbose, compression)
+            operations::extract::extract_archive(
+                file,
+                archive_path,
+                verbose,
+                to_stdout,
+                compression,
+            )
         };
     }
 
@@ -279,6 +292,7 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
             arg!(--zstd "Filter through zstd").conflicts_with("gzip"),
             // Common options
             arg!(-v --verbose "Verbosely list files processed"),
+            arg!(-O --"to-stdout" "Extract files to standard output"),
             arg!(--"no-recursion" "Avoid descending automatically in directories"),
             // arg!(-h --dereference "Follow symlinks"),
             // arg!(-p --"preserve-permissions" "Extract information about file permissions"),
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_tar.rs b/tests/by-util/test_tar.rs
index b766295..f744e9c 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_tar.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_tar.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ use std::io::{Cursor, Read, Write};
 use std::path::{self, PathBuf};
 
 use tar_rs_crate::{Archive as TarRsArchive, Builder as TarRsBuilder, Header as TarRsHeader};
-use uutests::{at_and_ucmd, new_ucmd};
+use uutests::util::TestScenario;
+use uutests::{at_and_ucmd, new_ucmd, util_name};
 
 /// Size of a single tar block in bytes (per POSIX specification).
 // TODO: This should be exported from the tar crate instead of being redefined here.
@@ -86,6 +87,50 @@ fn test_create_dir_verbose() {
         .stdout_contains(file2_path);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_extract_to_stdout() {
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    at.mkdir("dir");
+    at.write("dir/a.txt", "first\n");
+    at.write("dir/b.txt", "second\n");
+    ts.ucmd()
+        .args(&["-cf", "archive.tar", "dir/a.txt", "dir/b.txt"])
+        .succeeds();
+    at.remove("dir/a.txt");
+    at.remove("dir/b.txt");
+
+    ts.ucmd()
+        .args(&["-xOf", "archive.tar"])
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_only("first\nsecond\n");
+    // The contents went to stdout, so nothing was written to disk.
+    assert!(!at.file_exists("dir/a.txt"));
+    assert!(!at.file_exists("dir/b.txt"));
+
+    // With -v, the member names go to stderr so they don't mix with the contents
+    ts.ucmd()
+        .args(&["-xvf", "archive.tar", "--to-stdout"])
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_is("first\nsecond\n")
+        .stderr_contains("dir/a.txt")
+        .stderr_contains("dir/b.txt");
+    assert!(!at.file_exists("dir/a.txt"));
+
+    // A directory member has no contents, and -O doesn't create it either
+    at.mkdir("only");
+    at.write("only/c.txt", "third\n");
+    ts.ucmd().args(&["-cf", "dir.tar", "only"]).succeeds();
+    at.remove("only/c.txt");
+    at.rmdir("only");
+    ts.ucmd()
+        .args(&["-xOf", "dir.tar"])
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_only("third\n");
+    assert!(!at.dir_exists("only"));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_create_no_recursion() {
     let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();