diff --git a/java/ql/src/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/TaintTrackingUtil.qll b/java/ql/src/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/TaintTrackingUtil.qll
index eaf7c9d26dc..8ce4ca66ec6 100644
--- a/java/ql/src/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/TaintTrackingUtil.qll
+++ b/java/ql/src/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/TaintTrackingUtil.qll
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ private predicate localAdditionalTaintExprStep(Expr src, Expr sink) {
   stringBuilderStep(src, sink)
   or
   serializationStep(src, sink)
+  or
+  formatStep(src, sink)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -387,6 +389,9 @@ private predicate taintPreservingQualifierToMethod(Method m) {
       stringlist.getTypeArgument(0) instanceof TypeString
     )
   )
+  or
+  m.getDeclaringType() instanceof TypeFormatter and
+  m.hasName(["format", "out"])
 }
 
 private class StringReplaceMethod extends Method {
@@ -447,6 +452,9 @@ private predicate argToMethodStep(Expr tracked, MethodAccess sink) {
 private predicate taintPreservingArgumentToMethod(Method method) {
   method.getDeclaringType() instanceof TypeString and
   (method.hasName("format") or method.hasName("formatted") or method.hasName("join"))
+  or
+  method.getDeclaringType() instanceof TypeFormatter and
+  method.hasName("format")
 }
 
 /**
@@ -625,6 +633,20 @@ private predicate argToQualifierStep(Expr tracked, Expr sink) {
     tracked = ma.getArgument(i) and
     sink = ma.getQualifier()
   )
+  or
+  exists(MethodAccess ma |
+    taintPreservingArgumentToQualifier(ma.getMethod()) and
+    tracked = ma.getAnArgument() and
+    sink = ma.getQualifier()
+  )
+}
+
+/**
+ * Holds if `method` is a method that transfers taint from any of its arguments to its qualifier.
+ */
+private predicate taintPreservingArgumentToQualifier(Method method) {
+  method.getDeclaringType() instanceof TypeFormatter and
+  method.hasName("format")
 }
 
 /**
@@ -722,6 +744,56 @@ class ObjectOutputStreamVar extends LocalVariableDecl {
   }
 }
 
+/** Flow through string formatting. */
+private predicate formatStep(Expr tracked, Expr sink) {
+  exists(FormatterVar v, VariableAssign def |
+    def = v.getADef() and
+    exists(MethodAccess ma, RValue use |
+      ma.getAnArgument() = tracked and
+      ma = v.getAFormatMethodAccess() and
+      use = ma.getQualifier() and
+      defUsePair(def, use)
+    ) and
+    exists(RValue output, ClassInstanceExpr cie |
+      cie = def.getSource() and
+      output = cie.getArgument(0) and
+      adjacentUseUse(output, sink) and
+      exists(RefType t | output.getType().(RefType).getASourceSupertype*() = t |
+        t.hasQualifiedName("java.io", "OutputStream") or
+        t.hasQualifiedName("java.lang", "Appendable")
+      )
+    )
+  )
+}
+
+/**
+ * A local variable that is assigned a `Formatter`.
+ * Writing tainted data to such a formatter causes the underlying
+ * `OutputStream` or `Appendable` to be tainted.
+ */
+private class FormatterVar extends LocalVariableDecl {
+  FormatterVar() {
+    exists(ClassInstanceExpr cie | cie = this.getAnAssignedValue() |
+      cie.getType() instanceof TypeFormatter
+    )
+  }
+
+  VariableAssign getADef() {
+    result.getSource().(ClassInstanceExpr).getType() instanceof TypeFormatter and
+    result.getDestVar() = this
+  }
+
+  MethodAccess getAFormatMethodAccess() {
+    result.getQualifier() = getAnAccess() and
+    result.getMethod().hasName("format")
+  }
+}
+
+/** The class `java.util.Formatter`. */
+private class TypeFormatter extends Class {
+  TypeFormatter() { this.hasQualifiedName("java.util", "Formatter") }
+}
+
 private import StringBuilderVarModule
 
 module StringBuilderVarModule {
diff --git a/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/A.java b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/A.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3612c23f950
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/A.java
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import java.util.Formatter;
+import java.lang.StringBuilder;
+import java.lang.System;
+import java.io.Console;
+
+class A {
+    public static String taint() { return "tainted"; }
+
+    public static void test1() {
+        String bad = taint();
+        String good = "hi";
+
+        bad.formatted(good);
+        good.formatted("a", bad, "b", good);
+        String.format("%s%s", bad, good);
+        String.format("%s", good);
+    }
+
+    public static void test2() {
+        String bad = taint();
+        Formatter f = new Formatter();
+
+        f.toString();
+        f.format("%s", bad);
+        f.toString();
+    }
+
+    public static void test3() {
+        String bad = taint();
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        Formatter f = new Formatter(sb);
+
+        sb.toString(); // false positive
+        f.format("%s", bad);
+        sb.toString();
+    }
+
+    public static void test4() {
+        String bad = taint();
+        Console c = System.console();
+
+        c.format(bad);
+        c.readLine("Enter something: %s", bad);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/options b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/options
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..814f667417c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/options
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+//semmle-extractor-options: --javac-args --enable-preview -source 14 -target 14
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.expected b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.expected
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c52918fadc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.expected
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:13:9:13:11 | bad |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:13:9:13:27 | formatted(...) |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:14:9:14:43 | formatted(...) |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:14:9:14:43 | new ..[] { .. } |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:14:29:14:31 | bad |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:15:9:15:40 | format(...) |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:15:9:15:40 | new ..[] { .. } |
+| A.java:10:22:10:28 | taint(...) | A.java:15:31:15:33 | bad |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:24:9:24:9 | f [post update] |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:24:9:24:27 | format(...) |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:24:9:24:27 | new ..[] { .. } |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:24:24:24:26 | bad |
+| A.java:20:22:20:28 | taint(...) | A.java:25:9:25:9 | f |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:33:9:33:10 | sb |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:33:9:33:21 | toString(...) |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:34:9:34:9 | f [post update] |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:34:9:34:27 | format(...) |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:34:9:34:27 | new ..[] { .. } |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:34:24:34:26 | bad |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:35:9:35:10 | sb |
+| A.java:29:22:29:28 | taint(...) | A.java:35:9:35:21 | toString(...) |
+| A.java:39:22:39:28 | taint(...) | A.java:39:22:39:28 | taint(...) |
+| A.java:39:22:39:28 | taint(...) | A.java:42:18:42:20 | bad |
+| A.java:39:22:39:28 | taint(...) | A.java:43:9:43:46 | new ..[] { .. } |
+| A.java:39:22:39:28 | taint(...) | A.java:43:43:43:45 | bad |
diff --git a/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.ql b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.ql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0a877c0c985
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/taint-format/test.ql
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import java
+import semmle.code.java.dataflow.TaintTracking
+
+class Conf extends TaintTracking::Configuration {
+  Conf() { this = "qltest:dataflow:format" }
+
+  override predicate isSource(DataFlow::Node n) {
+    n.asExpr().(MethodAccess).getMethod().hasName("taint")
+  }
+
+  override predicate isSink(DataFlow::Node n) { any() }
+}
+
+from DataFlow::Node src, DataFlow::Node sink, Conf conf
+where conf.hasFlow(src, sink)
+select src, sink