diff --git a/plugin/notify/email/email.go b/plugin/notify/email/email.go
index f113101f5..666c6d251 100644
--- a/plugin/notify/email/email.go
+++ b/plugin/notify/email/email.go
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	NotifyAlways = "always" // always send email notification
-	NotifyNever  = "never"  // never send email notifications
-	NotifyAuthor = "author" // only send email notifications to the author
+	NotifyAlways      = "always" // always send email notification
+	NotifyNever       = "never"  // never send email notifications
+	NotifyAuthor      = "author" // only send email notifications to the author
+	NotifyAfterChange = "change" // only if the previous commit has a different status
 
 	NotifyTrue  = "true"  // alias for NotifyTrue
 	NotifyFalse = "false" // alias for NotifyFalse
@@ -70,6 +71,11 @@ func (e *Email) sendFailure(context *model.Request) error {
 	switch e.Failure {
 	case NotifyFalse, NotifyNever, NotifyOff:
 		return nil
+	// if the last commit in this branch was a different status, notify
+	case NotifyAfterChange:
+		if context.Prior.Status == context.Commit.Status {
+			return nil
+		}
 	// if configured to email the author, replace
 	// the recipiends with the commit author email.
 	case NotifyBlame, NotifyAuthor:
@@ -103,6 +109,11 @@ func (e *Email) sendSuccess(context *model.Request) error {
 	switch e.Success {
 	case NotifyFalse, NotifyNever, NotifyOff:
 		return nil
+	// if the last commit in this branch was a different status, notify
+	case NotifyAfterChange:
+		if context.Prior.Status == context.Commit.Status {
+			return nil
+		}
 	// if configured to email the author, replace
 	// the recipiends with the commit author email.
 	case NotifyBlame, NotifyAuthor:
diff --git a/server/datastore/commit.go b/server/datastore/commit.go
index 9f94d955b..802125efa 100644
--- a/server/datastore/commit.go
+++ b/server/datastore/commit.go
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ type Commitstore interface {
 	// from the datastore accessible to the specified user.
 	GetCommitListActivity(user *model.User) ([]*model.CommitRepo, error)
 
+	// GetCommitPrior retrieves the latest commit
+	// from the datastore for the specified repository and branch.
+	GetCommitPrior(commit *model.Commit) (*model.Commit, error)
+
 	// PostCommit saves a commit in the datastore.
 	PostCommit(commit *model.Commit) error
 
@@ -82,6 +86,12 @@ func GetCommitListActivity(c context.Context, user *model.User) ([]*model.Commit
 	return FromContext(c).GetCommitListActivity(user)
 }
 
+// GetCommitPrior retrieves the latest commit
+// from the datastore for the specified repository and branch.
+func GetCommitPrior(c context.Context, commit *model.Commit) (*model.Commit, error) {
+	return FromContext(c).GetCommitPrior(commit)
+}
+
 // PostCommit saves a commit in the datastore.
 func PostCommit(c context.Context, commit *model.Commit) error {
 	return FromContext(c).PostCommit(commit)
diff --git a/server/datastore/database/commit.go b/server/datastore/database/commit.go
index ac743e69a..a34c2662d 100644
--- a/server/datastore/database/commit.go
+++ b/server/datastore/database/commit.go
@@ -64,6 +64,14 @@ func (db *Commitstore) GetCommitListActivity(user *model.User) ([]*model.CommitR
 	return commits, err
 }
 
+// GetCommitPrior retrieves the latest commit
+// from the datastore for the specified repository and branch.
+func (db *Commitstore) GetCommitPrior(oldCommit *model.Commit) (*model.Commit, error) {
+	var commit = new(model.Commit)
+	var err = meddler.QueryRow(db, commit, rebind(commitPriorQuery), oldCommit.RepoID, oldCommit.Branch, oldCommit.ID)
+	return commit, err
+}
+
 // PostCommit saves a commit in the datastore.
 func (db *Commitstore) PostCommit(commit *model.Commit) error {
 	if commit.Created == 0 {
@@ -170,6 +178,17 @@ ORDER BY commit_id DESC
 LIMIT 1
 `
 
+// SQL query to retrieve the prior Commit (by commit_created) in the same branch and repo as the specified Commit.
+const commitPriorQuery = `
+SELECT *
+FROM commits
+WHERE repo_id       = ?
+  AND commit_branch = ?
+  AND commit_id     < ?
+ORDER BY commit_id DESC
+LIMIT 1
+`
+
 // SQL statement to cancel all running Commits.
 const commitKillStmt = `
 UPDATE commits SET commit_status = 'Killed'
diff --git a/server/worker/docker/docker.go b/server/worker/docker/docker.go
index bff55e2a6..8bbd622ff 100644
--- a/server/worker/docker/docker.go
+++ b/server/worker/docker/docker.go
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ func (d *Docker) Do(c context.Context, r *worker.Work) {
 		Depth:  git.GitDepth(script.Git),
 	}
 
+	priorCommit, _ := datastore.GetCommitPrior(c, r.Commit)
+
 	// send all "started" notifications
 	if script.Notifications == nil {
 		script.Notifications = &notify.Notification{}
@@ -129,6 +131,7 @@ func (d *Docker) Do(c context.Context, r *worker.Work) {
 		Repo:   r.Repo,
 		Commit: r.Commit,
 		Host:   r.Host,
+		Prior:  priorCommit,
 	})
 
 	// create an instance of the Docker builder
@@ -168,11 +171,14 @@ func (d *Docker) Do(c context.Context, r *worker.Work) {
 	// notify all listeners that the build is finished
 	commitc.Publish(r)
 
+	priorCommit, _ = datastore.GetCommitPrior(c, r.Commit)
+
 	// send all "finished" notifications
 	script.Notifications.Send(&model.Request{
 		User:   r.User,
 		Repo:   r.Repo,
 		Commit: r.Commit,
 		Host:   r.Host,
+		Prior:  priorCommit,
 	})
 }
diff --git a/shared/model/request.go b/shared/model/request.go
index 0bf752513..594cbeb2f 100644
--- a/shared/model/request.go
+++ b/shared/model/request.go
@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ type Request struct {
 	User   *User   `json:"-"`
 	Repo   *Repo   `json:"repo"`
 	Commit *Commit `json:"commit"`
+	Prior  *Commit `json:"prior_commit"`
 }