diff --git a/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic.lean b/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic.lean
index ea391fd17b66..493b2e46bd44 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic.lean
@@ -38,3 +38,4 @@ import Lean.Elab.Tactic.Symm
 import Lean.Elab.Tactic.SolveByElim
 import Lean.Elab.Tactic.LibrarySearch
 import Lean.Elab.Tactic.ShowTerm
+import Lean.Elab.Tactic.Rfl
diff --git a/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic/Rfl.lean b/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic/Rfl.lean
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..01fcf319e465
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Lean/Elab/Tactic/Rfl.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2022 Newell Jensen. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Newell Jensen, Thomas Murrills
+-/
+prelude
+import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Rfl
+import Lean.Elab.Tactic.Basic
+
+/-!
+# `rfl` tactic extension for reflexive relations
+
+This extends the `rfl` tactic so that it works on any reflexive relation,
+provided the reflexivity lemma has been marked as `@[refl]`.
+-/
+
+namespace Lean.Elab.Tactic.Rfl
+
+/--
+This tactic applies to a goal whose target has the form `x ~ x`, where `~` is a reflexive
+relation, that is, a relation which has a reflexive lemma tagged with the attribute [refl].
+-/
+elab_rules : tactic
+  | `(tactic| rfl) => withMainContext do liftMetaFinishingTactic (·.applyRfl)
+
+end Lean.Elab.Tactic.Rfl
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
index 7f4917dca87a..188522c6898e 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic.lean
@@ -38,3 +38,4 @@ import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Symm
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Backtrack
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.SolveByElim
 import Lean.Meta.Tactic.FunInd
+import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Rfl
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Rfl.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Rfl.lean
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..48195183cabd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Rfl.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2022 Newell Jensen. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Newell Jensen, Thomas Murrills
+-/
+prelude
+import Lean.Meta.Tactic.Apply
+import Lean.Elab.Tactic.Basic
+
+/-!
+# `rfl` tactic extension for reflexive relations
+
+This extends the `rfl` tactic so that it works on any reflexive relation,
+provided the reflexivity lemma has been marked as `@[refl]`.
+-/
+
+namespace Lean.Meta.Rfl
+
+open Lean Meta
+
+/-- Discrimation tree settings for the `refl` extension. -/
+def reflExt.config : WhnfCoreConfig := {}
+
+/-- Environment extensions for `refl` lemmas -/
+initialize reflExt :
+    SimpleScopedEnvExtension (Name × Array DiscrTree.Key) (DiscrTree Name) ←
+  registerSimpleScopedEnvExtension {
+    addEntry := fun dt (n, ks) => dt.insertCore ks n
+    initial := {}
+  }
+
+initialize registerBuiltinAttribute {
+  name := `refl
+  descr := "reflexivity relation"
+  add := fun decl _ kind => MetaM.run' do
+    let declTy := (← getConstInfo decl).type
+    let (_, _, targetTy) ← withReducible <| forallMetaTelescopeReducing declTy
+    let fail := throwError
+      "@[refl] attribute only applies to lemmas proving x ∼ x, got {declTy}"
+    let .app (.app rel lhs) rhs := targetTy | fail
+    unless ← withNewMCtxDepth <| isDefEq lhs rhs do fail
+    let key ← DiscrTree.mkPath rel reflExt.config
+    reflExt.add (decl, key) kind
+}
+
+open Elab Tactic
+
+/-- `MetaM` version of the `rfl` tactic.
+
+This tactic applies to a goal whose target has the form `x ~ x`, where `~` is a reflexive
+relation, that is, a relation which has a reflexive lemma tagged with the attribute [refl].
+-/
+def _root_.Lean.MVarId.applyRfl (goal : MVarId) : MetaM Unit := do
+  let .app (.app rel _) _ ← whnfR <|← instantiateMVars <|← goal.getType
+    | throwError "reflexivity lemmas only apply to binary relations, not{
+        indentExpr (← goal.getType)}"
+  let s ← saveState
+  let mut ex? := none
+  for lem in ← (reflExt.getState (← getEnv)).getMatch rel reflExt.config do
+    try
+      let gs ← goal.apply (← mkConstWithFreshMVarLevels lem)
+      if gs.isEmpty then return () else
+        logError <| MessageData.tagged `Tactic.unsolvedGoals <| m!"unsolved goals\n{
+          goalsToMessageData gs}"
+    catch e =>
+      ex? := ex? <|> (some (← saveState, e)) -- stash the first failure of `apply`
+    s.restore
+  if let some (sErr, e) := ex? then
+    sErr.restore
+    throw e
+  else
+    throwError "rfl failed, no lemma with @[refl] applies"
+
+/-- Helper theorem for `Lean.MVarId.liftReflToEq`. -/
+private theorem rel_of_eq_and_refl {α : Sort _} {R : α → α → Prop}
+    {x y : α} (hxy : x = y) (h : R x x) : R x y :=
+  hxy ▸ h
+
+/--
+Convert a goal of the form `x ~ y` into the form `x = y`, where `~` is a reflexive
+relation, that is, a relation which has a reflexive lemma tagged with the attribute `[refl]`.
+If this can't be done, returns the original `MVarId`.
+-/
+def _root_.Lean.MVarId.liftReflToEq (mvarId : MVarId) : MetaM MVarId := do
+  mvarId.checkNotAssigned `liftReflToEq
+  let .app (.app rel _) _ ← withReducible mvarId.getType' | return mvarId
+  if rel.isAppOf `Eq then
+    -- No need to lift Eq to Eq
+    return mvarId
+  for lem in ← (reflExt.getState (← getEnv)).getMatch rel reflExt.config do
+    let res ← observing? do
+      -- First create an equality relating the LHS and RHS
+      -- and reduce the goal to proving that LHS is related to LHS.
+      let [mvarIdEq, mvarIdR] ← mvarId.apply (← mkConstWithFreshMVarLevels ``rel_of_eq_and_refl)
+        | failure
+      -- Then fill in the proof of the latter by reflexivity.
+      let [] ← mvarIdR.apply (← mkConstWithFreshMVarLevels lem) | failure
+      return mvarIdEq
+    if let some mvarIdEq := res then
+      return mvarIdEq
+  return mvarId
+
+end Lean.Meta.Rfl