diff --git a/app/models/milestone.rb b/app/models/milestone.rb
index d8c7536cd316fbd907116c3e0d671802dd2990de..e47b644074601b40a0ec08cd5b47992d0ef1532d 100644
--- a/app/models/milestone.rb
+++ b/app/models/milestone.rb
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class Milestone < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   include InternalId
   include Sortable
+  include Referable
   include StripAttribute
 
   belongs_to :project
@@ -61,6 +62,23 @@ class Milestone < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
+  def self.reference_pattern
+    nil
+  end
+
+  def self.link_reference_pattern
+    super("milestones", /(?<milestone>\d+)/)
+  end
+
+  def to_reference(from_project = nil)
+    h = Gitlab::Application.routes.url_helpers
+    h.namespace_project_milestone_url(self.project.namespace, self.project, self)
+  end
+
+  def reference_link_text(from_project = nil)
+    %Q{<i class="fa fa-clock-o"></i> }.html_safe + self.title
+  end
+
   def expired?
     if due_date
       due_date.past?
diff --git a/lib/banzai/filter/abstract_reference_filter.rb b/lib/banzai/filter/abstract_reference_filter.rb
index 6b200dc2017522b250d64dbabac9d81059fbc9b3..36d8c12e2b31f2c02cf5c79841957fbc391b115e 100644
--- a/lib/banzai/filter/abstract_reference_filter.rb
+++ b/lib/banzai/filter/abstract_reference_filter.rb
@@ -60,27 +60,31 @@ module Banzai
       end
 
       def call
-        # `#123`
-        replace_text_nodes_matching(object_class.reference_pattern) do |content|
-          object_link_filter(content, object_class.reference_pattern)
-        end
+        if object_class.reference_pattern
+          # `#123`
+          replace_text_nodes_matching(object_class.reference_pattern) do |content|
+            object_link_filter(content, object_class.reference_pattern)
+          end
 
-        # `[Issue](#123)`, which is turned into
-        # `<a href="#123">Issue</a>`
-        replace_link_nodes_with_href(object_class.reference_pattern) do |link, text|
-          object_link_filter(link, object_class.reference_pattern, link_text: text)
+          # `[Issue](#123)`, which is turned into
+          # `<a href="#123">Issue</a>`
+          replace_link_nodes_with_href(object_class.reference_pattern) do |link, text|
+            object_link_filter(link, object_class.reference_pattern, link_text: text)
+          end
         end
 
-        # `http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123`, which is turned into
-        # `<a href="http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123">http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123</a>`
-        replace_link_nodes_with_text(object_class.link_reference_pattern) do |text|
-          object_link_filter(text, object_class.link_reference_pattern)
-        end
+        if object_class.link_reference_pattern
+          # `http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123`, which is turned into
+          # `<a href="http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123">http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123</a>`
+          replace_link_nodes_with_text(object_class.link_reference_pattern) do |text|
+            object_link_filter(text, object_class.link_reference_pattern)
+          end
 
-        # `[Issue](http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123)`, which is turned into
-        # `<a href="http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123">Issue</a>`
-        replace_link_nodes_with_href(object_class.link_reference_pattern) do |link, text|
-          object_link_filter(link, object_class.link_reference_pattern, link_text: text)
+          # `[Issue](http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123)`, which is turned into
+          # `<a href="http://gitlab.example.com/namespace/project/issues/123">Issue</a>`
+          replace_link_nodes_with_href(object_class.link_reference_pattern) do |link, text|
+            object_link_filter(link, object_class.link_reference_pattern, link_text: text)
+          end
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb b/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f99202af5e8d4d259b252a2b2a3b9d3c391c8c93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+require 'banzai'
+
+module Banzai
+  module Filter
+    # HTML filter that replaces milestone references with links.
+    #
+    # This filter supports cross-project references.
+    class MilestoneReferenceFilter < AbstractReferenceFilter
+      def self.object_class
+        Milestone
+      end
+
+      def find_object(project, id)
+        project.milestones.find_by(iid: id)
+      end
+
+      def url_for_object(issue, project)
+        h = Gitlab::Application.routes.url_helpers
+        h.namespace_project_milestone_url(project.namespace, project, milestone,
+                                        only_path: context[:only_path])
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/banzai/pipeline/gfm_pipeline.rb b/lib/banzai/pipeline/gfm_pipeline.rb
index 38750b55ec7115f4d91f24d2bc83933093d08370..838155e883190eb77635a4cb74eb982bd3a2c9d7 100644
--- a/lib/banzai/pipeline/gfm_pipeline.rb
+++ b/lib/banzai/pipeline/gfm_pipeline.rb
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ module Banzai
           Filter::CommitRangeReferenceFilter,
           Filter::CommitReferenceFilter,
           Filter::LabelReferenceFilter,
+          Filter::MilestoneReferenceFilter,
 
           Filter::TaskListFilter
         ]
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/reference_extractor.rb b/lib/gitlab/reference_extractor.rb
index 0a70d21b1cea210f40ee5159b4d004c2e6d8d3ac..c87068051ab3f42d3e8fec0eb23a1fcc4e73d0d8 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/reference_extractor.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/reference_extractor.rb
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ module Gitlab
       super(text, context.merge(project: project))
     end
 
-    %i(user label merge_request snippet commit commit_range).each do |type|
+    %i(user label milestone merge_request snippet commit commit_range).each do |type|
       define_method("#{type}s") do
         @references[type] ||= references(type, project: project, current_user: current_user)
       end
diff --git a/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb b/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
index fdd8cf07b12cf14c792caaaac76296ac368206f1..e836d81c40be4ec0ff56ad5f376ddb1e2f9e4ca2 100644
--- a/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/markdown_spec.rb
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ describe 'GitLab Markdown', feature: true do
         expect(doc).to reference_commit_ranges
         expect(doc).to reference_commits
         expect(doc).to reference_labels
+        expect(doc).to reference_milestones
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb b/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
index e8dfc5c0eb173c5a8677ba7def2e8c09612338c0..302b750aee5f839e0ad045b4393d3868697c8c73 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
+++ b/spec/fixtures/markdown.md.erb
@@ -214,6 +214,14 @@ References should be parseable even inside _<%= merge_request.to_reference %>_ e
 - Ignored in links: [Link to <%= simple_label.to_reference %>](#label-link)
 - Link to label by reference: [Label](<%= label.to_reference %>)
 
+#### MilestoneReferenceFilter
+
+- Milestone: <%= milestone.to_reference %>
+- Milestone in another project: <%= xmilestone.to_reference(project) %>
+- Ignored in code: `<%= milestone.to_reference %>`
+- Ignored in links: [Link to <%= milestone.to_reference %>](#milestone-link)
+- Link to milestone by URL: [Milestone](<%= urls.namespace_project_milestone_url(milestone.project.namespace, milestone.project, milestone) %>)
+
 ### Task Lists
 
 - [ ] Incomplete task 1
diff --git a/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb b/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c53e780d3549e91ad0c60431fc18f96888cc0232
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/lib/banzai/filter/milestone_reference_filter_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Banzai::Filter::MilestoneReferenceFilter, lib: true do
+  include FilterSpecHelper
+
+  let(:project) { create(:project, :public) }
+  let(:milestone)   { create(:milestone, project: project) }
+
+  it 'requires project context' do
+    expect { described_class.call('') }.to raise_error(ArgumentError, /:project/)
+  end
+
+  %w(pre code a style).each do |elem|
+    it "ignores valid references contained inside '#{elem}' element" do
+      exp = act = "<#{elem}>milestone #{milestone.to_reference}</#{elem}>"
+      expect(reference_filter(act).to_html).to eq exp
+    end
+  end
+
+  context 'internal reference' do
+    let(:reference) { milestone.to_reference }
+
+    it 'links to a valid reference' do
+      doc = reference_filter("See #{reference}")
+
+      expect(doc.css('a').first.attr('href')).to eq urls.
+        namespace_project_milestone_url(project.namespace, project, milestone)
+    end
+
+    it 'links with adjacent text' do
+      doc = reference_filter("milestone (#{reference}.)")
+      expect(doc.to_html).to match(/\(<a.+><i.+><\/i> #{Regexp.escape(milestone.title)}<\/a>\.\)/)
+    end
+
+    it 'includes a title attribute' do
+      doc = reference_filter("milestone #{reference}")
+      expect(doc.css('a').first.attr('title')).to eq "Milestone: #{milestone.title}"
+    end
+
+    it 'escapes the title attribute' do
+      milestone.update_attribute(:title, %{"></a>whatever<a title="})
+
+      doc = reference_filter("milestone #{reference}")
+      expect(doc.text).to eq "milestone  #{milestone.title}"
+    end
+
+    it 'includes default classes' do
+      doc = reference_filter("milestone #{reference}")
+      expect(doc.css('a').first.attr('class')).to eq 'gfm gfm-milestone'
+    end
+
+    it 'includes a data-project attribute' do
+      doc = reference_filter("milestone #{reference}")
+      link = doc.css('a').first
+
+      expect(link).to have_attribute('data-project')
+      expect(link.attr('data-project')).to eq project.id.to_s
+    end
+
+    it 'includes a data-milestone attribute' do
+      doc = reference_filter("See #{reference}")
+      link = doc.css('a').first
+
+      expect(link).to have_attribute('data-milestone')
+      expect(link.attr('data-milestone')).to eq milestone.id.to_s
+    end
+
+    it 'adds to the results hash' do
+      result = reference_pipeline_result("milestone #{reference}")
+      expect(result[:references][:milestone]).to eq [milestone]
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/support/markdown_feature.rb b/spec/support/markdown_feature.rb
index d6d3062a197a84ba7ef8ce33cdecf8c035fdc254..5d97fdd4882aa1c25632874a844645554a540c84 100644
--- a/spec/support/markdown_feature.rb
+++ b/spec/support/markdown_feature.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ class MarkdownFeature
     @label ||= create(:label, name: 'awaiting feedback', project: project)
   end
 
+  def milestone
+    @milestone ||= create(:milestone, project: project)
+  end
+
   # Cross-references -----------------------------------------------------------
 
   def xproject
@@ -93,6 +97,10 @@ class MarkdownFeature
     end
   end
 
+  def xmilestone
+    @xmilestone ||= create(:milestone, project: xproject)
+  end
+
   def urls
     Gitlab::Application.routes.url_helpers
   end
diff --git a/spec/support/matchers/markdown_matchers.rb b/spec/support/matchers/markdown_matchers.rb
index 7eadcd58c1fcb061489712c10cc59026a597fe61..b251e7f8f2346df7846648b821d97f913b1beb01 100644
--- a/spec/support/matchers/markdown_matchers.rb
+++ b/spec/support/matchers/markdown_matchers.rb
@@ -130,6 +130,15 @@ module MarkdownMatchers
     end
   end
 
+  # MilestoneReferenceFilter
+  matcher :reference_milestones do
+    set_default_markdown_messages
+
+    match do |actual|
+      expect(actual).to have_selector('a.gfm.gfm-milestone', count: 3)
+    end
+  end
+
   # TaskListFilter
   matcher :parse_task_lists do
     set_default_markdown_messages