diff --git a/pkg/target/inlinepatch_test.go b/pkg/target/inlinepatch_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a86716668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/target/inlinepatch_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,243 @@
+// Copyright 2019 The Kubernetes Authors.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package target_test
+
+import (
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/v3/pkg/kusttest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func makeResourcesForPatchTest(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteF("/app/base/deployment.yaml", `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: nginx
+  labels:
+    app: nginx
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: nginx
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - name: nginx
+        image: nginx
+        volumeMounts:
+        - name: nginx-persistent-storage
+          mountPath: /tmp/ps
+      volumes:
+      - name: nginx-persistent-storage
+        emptyDir: {}
+      - configMap:
+          name: configmap-in-base
+        name: configmap-in-base
+`)
+}
+
+func TestStrategicMergePatchInline(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/base")
+	makeResourcesForPatchTest(th)
+	th.WriteK("/app/base", `
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- |-
+  apiVersion: apps/v1
+  kind: Deployment
+  metadata:
+    name: nginx
+  spec:
+    template:
+      spec:
+        containers:
+          - name: nginx
+            image: image1
+`)
+	m, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Err: %v", err)
+	}
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    app: nginx
+  name: nginx
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: nginx
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: image1
+        name: nginx
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /tmp/ps
+          name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      volumes:
+      - emptyDir: {}
+        name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      - configMap:
+          name: configmap-in-base
+        name: configmap-in-base
+`)
+}
+
+func TestJSONPatchInline(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/base")
+	makeResourcesForPatchTest(th)
+	th.WriteK("/app/base", `
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+
+patchesJson6902:
+- target:
+    group: apps
+    version: v1
+    kind: Deployment
+    name: nginx
+  patch: |-
+    - op: replace
+      path: /spec/template/spec/containers/0/image
+      value: image1
+`)
+	m, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Err: %v", err)
+	}
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    app: nginx
+  name: nginx
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: nginx
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: image1
+        name: nginx
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /tmp/ps
+          name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      volumes:
+      - emptyDir: {}
+        name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      - configMap:
+          name: configmap-in-base
+        name: configmap-in-base
+`)
+}
+
+func TestExtendedPatchInlineJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/base")
+	makeResourcesForPatchTest(th)
+	th.WriteK("/app/base", `
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+
+patches:
+- target:
+    kind: Deployment
+    name: nginx
+  patch: |-
+    - op: replace
+      path: /spec/template/spec/containers/0/image
+      value: image1
+`)
+	m, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Err: %v", err)
+	}
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    app: nginx
+  name: nginx
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: nginx
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: image1
+        name: nginx
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /tmp/ps
+          name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      volumes:
+      - emptyDir: {}
+        name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      - configMap:
+          name: configmap-in-base
+        name: configmap-in-base
+`)
+}
+
+func TestExtendedPatchInlineYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/base")
+	makeResourcesForPatchTest(th)
+	th.WriteK("/app/base", `
+resources:
+- deployment.yaml
+
+patches:
+- target:
+    kind: Deployment
+    name: nginx
+  patch: |-
+    apiVersion: apps/v1
+    kind: Deployment
+    metadata:
+      name: nginx
+    spec:
+      template:
+        spec:
+          containers:
+            - name: nginx
+              image: image1
+`)
+	m, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Err: %v", err)
+	}
+	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(m, `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    app: nginx
+  name: nginx
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: nginx
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: image1
+        name: nginx
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /tmp/ps
+          name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      volumes:
+      - emptyDir: {}
+        name: nginx-persistent-storage
+      - configMap:
+          name: configmap-in-base
+        name: configmap-in-base
+`)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/target/kusttarget_configplugin.go b/pkg/target/kusttarget_configplugin.go
index fc290ee94..75148eca0 100644
--- a/pkg/target/kusttarget_configplugin.go
+++ b/pkg/target/kusttarget_configplugin.go
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ func (kt *KustTarget) configureBuiltinPatchJson6902Transformer(
 	for _, args := range kt.kustomization.PatchesJson6902 {
 		c.Target = *args.Target
 		c.Path = args.Path
-		c.JsonOp = "" // Not implemented for kustomization file yet.
+		c.JsonOp = args.Patch
 		p := builtin.NewPatchJson6902TransformerPlugin()
 		err = kt.configureBuiltinPlugin(p, c, "patchJson6902")
 		if err != nil {
@@ -178,7 +178,6 @@ func (kt *KustTarget) configureBuiltinPatchStrategicMergeTransformer(
 		Patches string                      `json:"patches,omitempty" yaml:"patches,omitempty"`
 	}
 	c.Paths = kt.kustomization.PatchesStrategicMerge
-	c.Patches = "" // Not implemented for kustomization file yet
 	p := builtin.NewPatchStrategicMergeTransformerPlugin()
 	err = kt.configureBuiltinPlugin(p, c, "patchStrategicMerge")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/types/kustomization.go b/pkg/types/kustomization.go
index a56dd9bcb..605a5f2c6 100644
--- a/pkg/types/kustomization.go
+++ b/pkg/types/kustomization.go
@@ -331,6 +331,9 @@ type PatchJson6902 struct {
 
 	// relative file path for a json patch file inside a kustomization
 	Path string `json:"path,omitempty" yaml:"path,omitempty"`
+
+	// inline patch string
+	Patch string `json:"patch,omitempty" yaml:"patch,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // PatchTarget represents the kubernetes object that the patch is applied to
diff --git a/plugin/builtin/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go b/plugin/builtin/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
index ed4ef76c2..d55e2c73e 100644
--- a/plugin/builtin/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
+++ b/plugin/builtin/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
@@ -35,11 +35,18 @@ func (p *PatchStrategicMergeTransformerPlugin) Config(
 		return fmt.Errorf("empty file path and empty patch content")
 	}
 	if len(p.Paths) != 0 {
-		res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromPatches(ldr, p.Paths)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		for _, onePath := range p.Paths {
+			res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromBytes([]byte(onePath))
+			if err == nil {
+				p.loadedPatches = append(p.loadedPatches, res...)
+				continue
+			}
+			res, err = p.rf.RF().SliceFromPatches(ldr, []types.PatchStrategicMerge{onePath})
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			p.loadedPatches = append(p.loadedPatches, res...)
 		}
-		p.loadedPatches = res
 	}
 	if p.Patches != "" {
 		res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromBytes([]byte(p.Patches))
diff --git a/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go b/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
index 4486a5a62..f44db4a95 100644
--- a/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
+++ b/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer.go
@@ -36,11 +36,18 @@ func (p *plugin) Config(
 		return fmt.Errorf("empty file path and empty patch content")
 	}
 	if len(p.Paths) != 0 {
-		res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromPatches(ldr, p.Paths)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		for _, onePath := range p.Paths {
+			res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromBytes([]byte(onePath))
+			if err == nil {
+				p.loadedPatches = append(p.loadedPatches, res...)
+				continue
+			}
+			res, err = p.rf.RF().SliceFromPatches(ldr, []types.PatchStrategicMerge{onePath})
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			p.loadedPatches = append(p.loadedPatches, res...)
 		}
-		p.loadedPatches = res
 	}
 	if p.Patches != "" {
 		res, err := p.rf.RF().SliceFromBytes([]byte(p.Patches))
diff --git a/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer_test.go b/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer_test.go
index 3cfd80eaa..f8aee86fc 100644
--- a/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer_test.go
+++ b/plugin/builtin/patchstrategicmergetransformer/PatchStrategicMergeTransformer_test.go
@@ -78,7 +78,9 @@ paths:
 		t.Fatalf("expected error")
 	}
 	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(),
-		"cannot read file \"/app/patch.yaml\"") {
+		"cannot read file \"/app/patch.yaml\"") &&
+		!strings.Contains(err.Error(),
+			"cannot unmarshal string") {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected err: %v", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -1278,4 +1280,4 @@ paths:
 `, target)
 
 	th.AssertActualEqualsExpected(rm, ``)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}