diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js
index 2a38ac28172..d83c41fae9d 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/common_utils.js
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@
       // Close any open tooltips
       $('.has-tooltip, [data-toggle="tooltip"]').tooltip('destroy');
     };
+
+    gl.utils.isMetaKey = function(e) {
+      return e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey || e.altKey || e.shiftKey;
+    };
+
   })(window);
 
 }).call(this);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js b/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
index 44079bc3ca3..6cb87f9ba81 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/notes.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   var bind = function(fn, me){ return function(){ return fn.apply(me, arguments); }; };
 
   this.Notes = (function() {
-    var isMetaKey;
+    const MAX_VISIBLE_COMMIT_LIST_COUNT = 3;
 
     Notes.interval = null;
 
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
       this.resetMainTargetForm = bind(this.resetMainTargetForm, this);
       this.refresh = bind(this.refresh, this);
       this.keydownNoteText = bind(this.keydownNoteText, this);
+      this.toggleCommitList = bind(this.toggleCommitList, this);
       this.notes_url = notes_url;
       this.note_ids = note_ids;
       this.last_fetched_at = last_fetched_at;
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@
       this.setPollingInterval();
       this.setupMainTargetNoteForm();
       this.initTaskList();
+      this.collapseLongCommitList();
     }
 
     Notes.prototype.addBinding = function() {
@@ -81,10 +83,13 @@
       $(document).on("click", ".js-add-diff-note-button", this.addDiffNote);
       // hide diff note form
       $(document).on("click", ".js-close-discussion-note-form", this.cancelDiscussionForm);
+      // toggle commit list
+      $(document).on("click", '.system-note-commit-list-toggler', this.toggleCommitList);
       // fetch notes when tab becomes visible
       $(document).on("visibilitychange", this.visibilityChange);
       // when issue status changes, we need to refresh data
       $(document).on("issuable:change", this.refresh);
+
       // when a key is clicked on the notes
       return $(document).on("keydown", ".js-note-text", this.keydownNoteText);
     };
@@ -114,9 +119,10 @@
 
     Notes.prototype.keydownNoteText = function(e) {
       var $textarea, discussionNoteForm, editNote, myLastNote, myLastNoteEditBtn, newText, originalText;
-      if (isMetaKey(e)) {
+      if (gl.utils.isMetaKey(e)) {
         return;
       }
+
       $textarea = $(e.target);
       // Edit previous note when UP arrow is hit
       switch (e.which) {
@@ -156,10 +162,6 @@
       }
     };
 
-    isMetaKey = function(e) {
-      return e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey || e.altKey || e.shiftKey;
-    };
-
     Notes.prototype.initRefresh = function() {
       clearInterval(Notes.interval);
       return Notes.interval = setInterval((function(_this) {
@@ -263,6 +265,7 @@
         $notesList.append(note.html).syntaxHighlight();
         // Update datetime format on the recent note
         gl.utils.localTimeAgo($notesList.find("#note_" + note.id + " .js-timeago"), false);
+        this.collapseLongCommitList();
         this.initTaskList();
         this.refresh();
         return this.updateNotesCount(1);
@@ -433,9 +436,9 @@
       var $form = $(xhr.target);
 
       if ($form.attr('data-resolve-all') != null) {
-        var projectPath = $form.data('project-path')
-            discussionId = $form.data('discussion-id'),
-            mergeRequestId = $form.data('noteable-iid');
+        var projectPath = $form.data('project-path');
+        var discussionId = $form.data('discussion-id');
+        var mergeRequestId = $form.data('noteable-iid');
 
         if (ResolveService != null) {
           ResolveService.toggleResolveForDiscussion(projectPath, mergeRequestId, discussionId);
@@ -844,9 +847,9 @@
       return this.notesCountBadge.text(parseInt(this.notesCountBadge.text()) + updateCount);
     };
 
-    Notes.prototype.resolveDiscussion = function () {
-      var $this = $(this),
-          discussionId = $this.attr('data-discussion-id');
+    Notes.prototype.resolveDiscussion = function() {
+      var $this = $(this);
+      var discussionId = $this.attr('data-discussion-id');
 
       $this
         .closest('form')
@@ -855,6 +858,36 @@
         .attr('data-project-path', $this.attr('data-project-path'));
     };
 
+    Notes.prototype.toggleCommitList = function(e) {
+      const $element = $(e.target);
+      const $closestSystemCommitList = $element.siblings('.system-note-commit-list');
+
+      $closestSystemCommitList.toggleClass('hide-shade');
+    };
+
+    /**
+    Scans system notes with `ul` elements in system note body
+    then collapse long commit list pushed by user to make it less
+    intrusive.
+     */
+    Notes.prototype.collapseLongCommitList = function() {
+      const systemNotes = $('#notes-list').find('li.system-note').has('ul');
+
+      $.each(systemNotes, function(index, systemNote) {
+        const $systemNote = $(systemNote);
+        const headerMessage = $systemNote.find('.note-text').find('p:first').text().replace(':', '');
+
+        $systemNote.find('.note-header .system-note-message').html(headerMessage);
+
+        if ($systemNote.find('li').length > MAX_VISIBLE_COMMIT_LIST_COUNT) {
+          $systemNote.find('.note-text').addClass('system-note-commit-list');
+          $systemNote.find('.system-note-commit-list-toggler').show();
+        } else {
+          $systemNote.find('.note-text').addClass('system-note-commit-list hide-shade');
+        }
+      });
+    };
+
     return Notes;
 
   })();
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/notes.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/notes.scss
index 9bfa1c96a5d..cc16d83c210 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/notes.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/notes.scss
@@ -35,11 +35,83 @@ ul.notes {
 
   .system-note {
     font-size: 14px;
-    padding-top: 10px;
-    padding-bottom: 10px;
-    background: #fdfdfd;
+    padding: 0;
+    clear: both;
+
+    &.timeline-entry::after {
+      clear: none;
+    }
+
+    .system-note-message {
+      text-transform: lowercase;
+
+      a {
+        color: $gl-link-color;
+        text-decoration: none;
+      }
+    }
+
+    .timeline-content {
+      padding: 14px 10px;
+    }
+
+    .note-body {
+      overflow: hidden;
+
+      .system-note-commit-list-toggler {
+        display: none;
+        padding: 10px 0 0;
+        cursor: pointer;
+      }
+
+      .note-text {
+        & p:first-child {
+          display: none;
+        }
+
+        &.system-note-commit-list {
+          max-height: 63px;
+          overflow: hidden;
+          display: block;
+
+          ul {
+            margin: 3px 0 3px 15px !important;
+
+            li {
+              font-family: $monospace_font;
+              font-size: 12px;
+            }
+          }
+
+          p:first-child {
+            display: none;
+          }
+
+          &::after {
+            content: '';
+            width: 100%;
+            height: 20px;
+            position: absolute;
+            left: 0;
+            bottom: 50px;
+            background: linear-gradient(rgba($gray-light, .3) 0, $white-light);
+          }
+
+          &.hide-shade {
+            max-height: 100%;
+            overflow: auto;
+
+            &::after {
+              background: transparent;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
 
     .timeline-icon {
+      display: none;
+
       .avatar {
         visibility: hidden;
 
@@ -65,6 +137,12 @@ ul.notes {
     position: relative;
     border-bottom: 1px solid $table-border-gray;
 
+    &.note-discussion {
+      &.timeline-entry {
+        padding: 14px 10px;
+      }
+    }
+
     &.is-editting {
       .note-header,
       .note-text,
@@ -88,10 +166,8 @@ ul.notes {
         overflow: auto;
         word-wrap: break-word;
         @include md-typography;
-
         // Reset ul style types since we're nested inside a ul already
         @include bulleted-list;
-
         ul.task-list {
           ul:not(.task-list) {
             padding-left: 1.3em;
@@ -111,6 +187,11 @@ ul.notes {
       padding-bottom: 3px;
       padding-right: 20px;
 
+      p {
+        display: inline;
+        margin: 0;
+      }
+
       @media (min-width: $screen-sm-min) {
         padding-right: 0;
       }
@@ -238,6 +319,10 @@ ul.notes {
   }
 }
 
+.discussion-header {
+  font-size: 14px;
+}
+
 .note-headline-light,
 .discussion-headline-light {
   color: $notes-light-color;
diff --git a/app/views/discussions/_discussion.html.haml b/app/views/discussions/_discussion.html.haml
index 077e8e64e5f..e4b4ea675d2 100644
--- a/app/views/discussions/_discussion.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/discussions/_discussion.html.haml
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 - expanded = discussion.expanded?
 %li.note.note-discussion.timeline-entry
   .timeline-entry-inner
-    .timeline-icon
-      = link_to user_path(discussion.author) do
-        = image_tag avatar_icon(discussion.author), class: "avatar s40"
     .timeline-content
       .discussion.js-toggle-container{ class: discussion.id, data: { discussion_id: discussion.id } }
         .discussion-header
@@ -13,9 +10,7 @@
                 = icon("chevron-up")
               - else
                 = icon("chevron-down")
-
               Toggle discussion
-
           = link_to_member(@project, discussion.author, avatar: false)
 
           .inline.discussion-headline-light
@@ -38,8 +33,6 @@
 
             = time_ago_with_tooltip(discussion.created_at, placement: "bottom", html_class: "note-created-ago")
 
-          = render "discussions/headline", discussion: discussion
-
         .discussion-body.js-toggle-content{ class: ("hide" unless expanded) }
           - if discussion.diff_discussion? && discussion.diff_file
             = render "discussions/diff_with_notes", discussion: discussion
diff --git a/app/views/projects/notes/_note.html.haml b/app/views/projects/notes/_note.html.haml
index afff15228c1..89ae64554c0 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/notes/_note.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/notes/_note.html.haml
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@
           = note.author.to_reference
           - unless note.system
             commented
+          - if note.system
+            %span{class: 'system-note-message'}
+              = h(note.note_html.downcase.html_safe)
           %a{ href: "##{dom_id(note)}" }
             = time_ago_with_tooltip(note.created_at, placement: 'bottom', html_class: 'note-created-ago')
         - unless note.system?
@@ -67,7 +70,9 @@
           = render 'projects/notes/edit_form', note: note
         .note-awards
           = render 'award_emoji/awards_block', awardable: note, inline: false
-
+        - if note.system
+          .system-note-commit-list-toggler
+            Toggle commit list
       - if note.attachment.url
         .note-attachment
           - if note.attachment.image?
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/less-intrusive-system-note.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/less-intrusive-system-note.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..87a5a3be246
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/less-intrusive-system-note.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Make system notes less intrusive
+merge_request: 6755
+author:
diff --git a/spec/features/merge_requests/diff_notes_resolve_spec.rb b/spec/features/merge_requests/diff_notes_resolve_spec.rb
index d5e3d8e7eff..eab64bd4b54 100644
--- a/spec/features/merge_requests/diff_notes_resolve_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/merge_requests/diff_notes_resolve_spec.rb
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ feature 'Diff notes resolve', feature: true, js: true do
           expect(first('.line-resolve-btn')['data-original-title']).to eq("Resolved by #{user.name}")
         end
 
-        expect(page).to have_content('Last updated')
+        expect(page).not_to have_content('Last updated')
 
         page.within '.line-resolve-all-container' do
           expect(page).to have_content('0/1 discussion resolved')
diff --git a/spec/features/merge_requests/merge_when_build_succeeds_spec.rb b/spec/features/merge_requests/merge_when_build_succeeds_spec.rb
index c3c3ab33872..8eceaad2457 100644
--- a/spec/features/merge_requests/merge_when_build_succeeds_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/merge_requests/merge_when_build_succeeds_spec.rb
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ feature 'Merge When Build Succeeds', feature: true, js: true do
       expect(page).to have_button "Merge When Build Succeeds"
 
       visit_merge_request(merge_request) # refresh the page
-      expect(page).to have_content "Canceled the automatic merge"
+      expect(page).to have_content "canceled the automatic merge"
     end
 
     it "allows the user to remove the source branch" do
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ feature 'Merge When Build Succeeds', feature: true, js: true do
       expect(page).not_to have_link "Merge When Build Succeeds"
     end
   end
-  
+
   def visit_merge_request(merge_request)
     visit namespace_project_merge_request_path(merge_request.project.namespace, merge_request.project, merge_request)
   end