diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPath.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPath.java
index 6a0c27c..dd4fd6a 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPath.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPath.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
 import com.google.common.flogger.FluentLogger;
+import com.google.gerrit.entities.Project;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.client.ListAccountsOption;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.client.ListOption;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.AuthException;
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerResolver;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerScore;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerScoring;
+import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.config.CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.AccountDirectory.FillOptions;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.AccountLoader;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.ServiceUserClassifier;
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@
   @VisibleForTesting public static final int DEFAULT_LIMIT = 10;
 
   private final PermissionBackend permissionBackend;
+  private final CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration codeOwnersPluginConfiguration;
   private final CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy codeOwnerConfigHierarchy;
   private final Provider<CodeOwnerResolver> codeOwnerResolver;
   private final ServiceUserClassifier serviceUserClassifier;
@@ -94,11 +97,13 @@
 
   protected AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPath(
       PermissionBackend permissionBackend,
+      CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration codeOwnersPluginConfiguration,
       CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy codeOwnerConfigHierarchy,
       Provider<CodeOwnerResolver> codeOwnerResolver,
       ServiceUserClassifier serviceUserClassifier,
       CodeOwnerJson.Factory codeOwnerJsonFactory) {
     this.permissionBackend = permissionBackend;
+    this.codeOwnersPluginConfiguration = codeOwnersPluginConfiguration;
     this.codeOwnerConfigHierarchy = codeOwnerConfigHierarchy;
     this.codeOwnerResolver = codeOwnerResolver;
     this.serviceUserClassifier = serviceUserClassifier;
@@ -112,9 +117,14 @@
     parseHexOptions();
     validateLimit();
 
-    // The maximal possible distance. This is the distance that applies to code owners that are
-    // defined in the root code owner configuration.
-    int maxDistance = rsrc.getPath().getNameCount();
+    // The distance that applies to code owners that are defined in the root code owner
+    // configuration.
+    int rootDistance = rsrc.getPath().getNameCount();
+
+    // The maximal possible distance. This is the distance that applies to global code owners and is
+    // by 1 greater than the distance that applies to code owners that are defined in the root code
+    // owner configuration.
+    int maxDistance = rootDistance + 1;
 
     CodeOwnerScoring.Builder distanceScoring = CodeOwnerScore.DISTANCE.createScoring(maxDistance);
 
@@ -127,7 +137,7 @@
           ImmutableSet<CodeOwner> pathCodeOwners =
               codeOwnerResolver.get().resolvePathCodeOwners(codeOwnerConfig, rsrc.getPath());
           codeOwners.addAll(filterCodeOwners(rsrc, pathCodeOwners));
-          int distance = maxDistance - codeOwnerConfig.key().folderPath().getNameCount();
+          int distance = rootDistance - codeOwnerConfig.key().folderPath().getNameCount();
           pathCodeOwners.forEach(
               localCodeOwner -> distanceScoring.putValueForCodeOwner(localCodeOwner, distance));
 
@@ -139,12 +149,29 @@
           return codeOwners.size() < limit;
         });
 
+    if (codeOwners.size() < limit) {
+      ImmutableSet<CodeOwner> globalCodeOwners = getGlobalCodeOwners(rsrc.getBranch().project());
+      globalCodeOwners.forEach(
+          codeOwner -> distanceScoring.putValueForCodeOwner(codeOwner, maxDistance));
+      codeOwners.addAll(filterCodeOwners(rsrc, globalCodeOwners));
+    }
+
     return Response.ok(
         codeOwnerJsonFactory
             .create(getFillOptions())
             .format(sortAndLimit(distanceScoring.build(), ImmutableSet.copyOf(codeOwners))));
   }
 
+  private ImmutableSet<CodeOwner> getGlobalCodeOwners(Project.NameKey projectName) {
+    ImmutableSet<CodeOwner> globalCodeOwners =
+        codeOwnerResolver
+            .get()
+            .resolve(codeOwnersPluginConfiguration.getGlobalCodeOwners(projectName))
+            .collect(toImmutableSet());
+    logger.atFine().log("including global code owners = %s", globalCodeOwners);
+    return globalCodeOwners;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Filters out code owners that should not be suggested.
    *
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInBranch.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInBranch.java
index 6c5a3a6..baf260d 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInBranch.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInBranch.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.api.CodeOwnerInfo;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerResolver;
+import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.config.CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.ServiceUserClassifier;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.change.IncludedInResolver;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@
   @Inject
   GetCodeOwnersForPathInBranch(
       PermissionBackend permissionBackend,
+      CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration codeOwnersPluginConfiguration,
       CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy codeOwnerConfigHierarchy,
       Provider<CodeOwnerResolver> codeOwnerResolver,
       ServiceUserClassifier serviceUserClassifier,
@@ -72,6 +74,7 @@
       GitRepositoryManager repoManager) {
     super(
         permissionBackend,
+        codeOwnersPluginConfiguration,
         codeOwnerConfigHierarchy,
         codeOwnerResolver,
         serviceUserClassifier,
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInChange.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInChange.java
index 4ad31aa..43a5d21 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInChange.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/restapi/GetCodeOwnersForPathInChange.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.api.CodeOwnerInfo;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerResolver;
+import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.config.CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.ServiceUserClassifier;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackend;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
@@ -40,12 +41,14 @@
   @Inject
   GetCodeOwnersForPathInChange(
       PermissionBackend permissionBackend,
+      CodeOwnersPluginConfiguration codeOwnersPluginConfiguration,
       CodeOwnerConfigHierarchy codeOwnerConfigHierarchy,
       Provider<CodeOwnerResolver> codeOwnerResolver,
       ServiceUserClassifier serviceUserClassifier,
       CodeOwnerJson.Factory codeOwnerJsonFactory) {
     super(
         permissionBackend,
+        codeOwnersPluginConfiguration,
         codeOwnerConfigHierarchy,
         codeOwnerResolver,
         serviceUserClassifier,
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPathIT.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPathIT.java
index d0951ac..360e2a7 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPathIT.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/AbstractGetCodeOwnersForPathIT.java
@@ -630,4 +630,95 @@
     List<CodeOwnerInfo> codeOwnerInfos = queryCodeOwners("/foo/bar/baz.md");
     assertThat(codeOwnerInfos).comparingElementsUsing(hasAccountId()).containsExactly(admin.id());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  @GerritConfig(name = "plugin.code-owners.globalCodeOwner", value = "global.owner@example.com")
+  public void getGlobalCodeOwners() throws Exception {
+    TestAccount globalOwner =
+        accountCreator.create("global_owner", "global.owner@example.com", "Global Owner", null);
+    assertThat(queryCodeOwners("/foo/bar/baz.md"))
+        .comparingElementsUsing(hasAccountId())
+        .containsExactly(globalOwner.id());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  @GerritConfig(
+      name = "plugin.code-owners.globalCodeOwner",
+      values = {"global.owner1@example.com", "global.owner2@example.com"})
+  public void getWithGlobalCodeOwnersAndLimit() throws Exception {
+    TestAccount globalOwner1 =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "global_owner_1", "global.owner1@example.com", "Global Owner 1", null);
+    TestAccount globalOwner2 =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "global_owner_2", "global.owner2@example.com", "Global Owner 2", null);
+
+    TestAccount user2 = accountCreator.user2();
+
+    // create some code owner configs
+    codeOwnerConfigOperations
+        .newCodeOwnerConfig()
+        .project(project)
+        .branch("master")
+        .folderPath("/")
+        .addCodeOwnerEmail(admin.email())
+        .create();
+
+    codeOwnerConfigOperations
+        .newCodeOwnerConfig()
+        .project(project)
+        .branch("master")
+        .folderPath("/foo/bar/")
+        .addCodeOwnerEmail(user.email())
+        .addCodeOwnerEmail(user2.email())
+        .create();
+
+    // get code owners with different limits
+    List<CodeOwnerInfo> codeOwnerInfos =
+        queryCodeOwners(getCodeOwnersApi().query().withLimit(1), "/foo/bar/baz.md");
+    assertThat(codeOwnerInfos).hasSize(1);
+    // the first 2 code owners have the same scoring, so their order is random and we don't know
+    // which of them we get when the limit is 1
+    assertThatList(codeOwnerInfos).element(0).hasAccountIdThat().isAnyOf(user.id(), user2.id());
+
+    codeOwnerInfos = queryCodeOwners(getCodeOwnersApi().query().withLimit(2), "/foo/bar/baz.md");
+    assertThat(codeOwnerInfos)
+        .comparingElementsUsing(hasAccountId())
+        .containsExactly(user.id(), user2.id());
+
+    codeOwnerInfos = getCodeOwnersApi().query().withLimit(3).get("/foo/bar/baz.md");
+    assertThat(codeOwnerInfos)
+        .comparingElementsUsing(hasAccountId())
+        .containsExactly(admin.id(), user.id(), user2.id());
+
+    codeOwnerInfos = getCodeOwnersApi().query().withLimit(4).get("/foo/bar/baz.md");
+    assertThat(codeOwnerInfos).hasSize(4);
+    // the order of the first 2 code owners is random
+    assertThatList(codeOwnerInfos).element(0).hasAccountIdThat().isAnyOf(user.id(), user2.id());
+    assertThatList(codeOwnerInfos).element(1).hasAccountIdThat().isAnyOf(user.id(), user2.id());
+    assertThatList(codeOwnerInfos).element(2).hasAccountIdThat().isEqualTo(admin.id());
+    // the order of the global code owners is random
+    assertThatList(codeOwnerInfos)
+        .element(3)
+        .hasAccountIdThat()
+        .isAnyOf(globalOwner1.id(), globalOwner2.id());
+
+    codeOwnerInfos = getCodeOwnersApi().query().withLimit(5).get("/foo/bar/baz.md");
+    assertThat(codeOwnerInfos)
+        .comparingElementsUsing(hasAccountId())
+        .containsExactly(admin.id(), user.id(), user2.id(), globalOwner1.id(), globalOwner2.id());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  @GerritConfig(name = "plugin.code-owners.globalCodeOwner", value = "service.user@example.com")
+  public void globalCodeOwnersThatAreServiceUsersAreFilteredOut() throws Exception {
+    TestAccount serviceUser =
+        accountCreator.create("serviceUser", "service.user@example.com", "Service User", null);
+    groupOperations
+        .group(groupCache.get(AccountGroup.nameKey("Service Users")).get().getGroupUUID())
+        .forUpdate()
+        .addMember(serviceUser.id())
+        .update();
+    assertThat(queryCodeOwners("/foo/bar/baz.md")).isEmpty();
+  }
 }