diff --git a/python/ql/lib/python.qll b/python/ql/lib/python.qll
index 24744d005a1..b08f0ae35bb 100644
--- a/python/ql/lib/python.qll
+++ b/python/ql/lib/python.qll
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import semmle.python.pointsto.CallGraph
 import semmle.python.objects.ObjectAPI
 import semmle.python.Unit
 import site
+private import semmle.python.Overlay
 // Removing this import perturbs the compilation process enough that the points-to analysis gets
 // compiled -- and cached -- differently depending on whether the data flow library is imported. By
 // importing it privately here, we ensure that the points-to analysis is compiled the same way.
diff --git a/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/Overlay.qll b/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/Overlay.qll
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fa782801457
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/Overlay.qll
@@ -0,0 +1,355 @@
+/**
+ * Defines entity discard predicates for Python overlay analysis.
+ */
+
+/*- Predicates -*/
+/**
+ * Holds always for the overlay variant and never for the base variant.
+ * This local predicate is used to define local predicates that behave
+ * differently for the base and overlay variant.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+predicate isOverlay() { databaseMetadata("isOverlay", "true") }
+
+overlay[local]
+private string getPathForLocation(@location loc) {
+  exists(@file file | locations_default(loc, file, _, _, _, _) | files(file, result))
+  or
+  exists(@py_Module mod | locations_ast(loc, mod, _, _, _, _) | result = getPathForModule(mod))
+}
+
+overlay[local]
+private string getPathForModule(@py_Module mod) {
+  exists(@container fileOrFolder | py_module_path(mod, fileOrFolder) |
+    result = getPathForContainer(fileOrFolder)
+  )
+}
+
+overlay[local]
+private string getPathForContainer(@container fileOrFolder) {
+  files(fileOrFolder, result) or folders(fileOrFolder, result)
+}
+
+/*- Discardable entities and their discard predicates -*/
+/** Python database entities that use named TRAP IDs; the rest use *-ids. */
+overlay[local]
+private class NamedEntity = @py_Module or @container or @py_cobject;
+
+overlay[discard_entity]
+private predicate discardNamedEntity(@top el) {
+  el instanceof NamedEntity and
+  // Entities with named IDs can exist both in base, overlay, or both.
+  exists(Discardable d | d = el |
+    overlayChangedFiles(d.getPath()) and
+    not d.existsInOverlay()
+  )
+}
+
+overlay[discard_entity]
+private predicate discardStarEntity(@top el) {
+  not el instanceof NamedEntity and
+  // Entities with *-ids can exist either in base or overlay, but not both.
+  exists(Discardable d | d = el |
+    overlayChangedFiles(d.getPath()) and
+    d.existsInBase()
+  )
+}
+
+/**
+ * An abstract base class for all elements that can be discarded from the base.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+abstract class Discardable extends @top {
+  /** Gets the path to the file in which this element occurs. */
+  abstract string getPath();
+
+  /** Holds if this element exists in the base variant. */
+  predicate existsInBase() { not isOverlay() and exists(this) }
+
+  /** Holds if this element exists in the overlay variant. */
+  predicate existsInOverlay() { isOverlay() and exists(this) }
+
+  /** Gets a textual representation of this discardable element. */
+  string toString() { none() }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Discardable locatable AST nodes (`@py_location_parent`).
+ */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableLocatable extends Discardable instanceof @py_location_parent {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(@location loc | py_locations(loc, this) | result = getPathForLocation(loc))
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Discardable scopes (classes, functions, modules).
+ */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableScope extends Discardable instanceof @py_scope {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(@location loc | py_scope_location(loc, this) | result = getPathForLocation(loc))
+    or
+    result = getPathForModule(this)
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Discardable files and folders.
+ */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableContainer extends Discardable instanceof @container {
+  override string getPath() { result = getPathForContainer(this) }
+}
+
+/** Discardable control flow nodes */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableCfgNode extends Discardable instanceof @py_flow_node {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_flow_bb_node(this, d.(@py_ast_node), _, _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable Python variables. */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableVar extends Discardable instanceof @py_variable {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable parent | result = parent.getPath() | variable(this, parent.(@py_scope), _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable SSA variables. */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableSsaVar extends Discardable instanceof @py_ssa_var {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(DiscardableVar other | result = other.getPath() | py_ssa_var(this, other))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable locations. */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableLocation extends Discardable instanceof @location {
+  override string getPath() { result = getPathForLocation(this) }
+}
+
+/** Discardable lines. */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableLine extends Discardable instanceof @py_line {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_line_lengths(this, d.(@py_Module), _, _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable string part lists. */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableStringPartList extends Discardable instanceof @py_StringPart_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_StringPart_lists(this, d.(@py_Bytes_or_Str)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable alias */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableAlias extends Discardable instanceof @py_alias {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(DiscardableAliasList d | result = d.getPath() | py_aliases(this, d, _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable alias list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableAliasList extends Discardable instanceof @py_alias_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_alias_lists(this, d.(@py_Import)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable arguments */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableArguments extends Discardable instanceof @py_arguments {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_arguments(this, d.(@py_arguments_parent)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable boolop */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableBoolOp extends Discardable instanceof @py_boolop {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_boolops(this, _, d.(@py_BoolExpr)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable cmpop */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableCmpOp extends Discardable instanceof @py_cmpop {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(DiscardableCmpOpList d | result = d.getPath() | py_cmpops(this, _, d, _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable cmpop list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableCmpOpList extends Discardable instanceof @py_cmpop_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_cmpop_lists(this, d.(@py_Compare)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable comprehension list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableComprehensionList extends Discardable instanceof @py_comprehension_list
+{
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_comprehension_lists(this, d.(@py_ListComp)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable dict item list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableDictItemList extends Discardable instanceof @py_dict_item_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() |
+      py_dict_item_lists(this, d.(@py_dict_item_list_parent))
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable expr context */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableExprContext extends Discardable instanceof @py_expr_context {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() |
+      py_expr_contexts(this, _, d.(@py_expr_context_parent))
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable expr list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableExprList extends Discardable instanceof @py_expr_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_expr_lists(this, d.(@py_expr_list_parent), _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable operator */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableOperator extends Discardable instanceof @py_operator {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_operators(this, _, d.(@py_BinaryExpr)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable parameter list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableParameterList extends Discardable instanceof @py_parameter_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_parameter_lists(this, d.(@py_Function)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable pattern list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardablePatternList extends Discardable instanceof @py_pattern_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() |
+      py_pattern_lists(this, d.(@py_pattern_list_parent), _)
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable stmt list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableStmtList extends Discardable instanceof @py_stmt_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_stmt_lists(this, d.(@py_stmt_list_parent), _))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable str list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableStrList extends Discardable instanceof @py_str_list {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_str_lists(this, d.(@py_str_list_parent)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable type parameter list */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableTypeParameterList extends Discardable instanceof @py_type_parameter_list
+{
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() |
+      py_type_parameter_lists(this, d.(@py_type_parameter_list_parent))
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable unaryop */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableUnaryOp extends Discardable instanceof @py_unaryop {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(Discardable d | result = d.getPath() | py_unaryops(this, _, d.(@py_UnaryExpr)))
+  }
+}
+
+/** Discardable comment */
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableComment extends Discardable instanceof @py_comment {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(DiscardableLocation d | result = d.getPath() | py_comments(this, _, d))
+  }
+}
+
+/*- XML -*/
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableXmlLocatable extends Discardable instanceof @xmllocatable {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(@location loc | xmllocations(this, loc) | result = getPathForLocation(loc))
+  }
+}
+
+overlay[local]
+private predicate overlayXmlExtracted(string path) {
+  exists(DiscardableXmlLocatable d | not files(d, _) and not xmlNs(d, _, _, _) |
+    d.existsInOverlay() and
+    path = d.getPath()
+  )
+}
+
+overlay[discard_entity]
+private predicate discardXmlLocatable(@xmllocatable el) {
+  exists(DiscardableXmlLocatable d | d = el |
+    // The XML extractor is currently not incremental and may extract more
+    // XML files than those included in `overlayChangedFiles`, so this discard predicate
+    // handles those files alongside the normal `discardStarEntity` logic.
+    overlayXmlExtracted(d.getPath()) and
+    d.existsInBase()
+  )
+}
+
+/*- YAML -*/
+overlay[local]
+final private class DiscardableYamlLocatable extends Discardable instanceof @yaml_locatable {
+  override string getPath() {
+    exists(@location loc | yaml_locations(this, loc) | result = getPathForLocation(loc))
+  }
+}
+
+overlay[local]
+private predicate overlayYamlExtracted(string path) {
+  exists(DiscardableYamlLocatable l | l.existsInOverlay() | path = l.getPath())
+}
+
+overlay[discard_entity]
+private predicate discardBaseYamlLocatable(@yaml_locatable el) {
+  exists(DiscardableYamlLocatable d | d = el |
+    // The Yaml extractor is currently not incremental and may extract more
+    // Yaml files than those included in `overlayChangedFiles`, so this discard predicate
+    // handles those files alongside the normal `discardStarEntity` logic.
+    overlayYamlExtracted(d.getPath()) and
+    d.existsInBase()
+  )
+}