diff --git a/Annex/Content/LowLevel.hs b/Annex/Content/LowLevel.hs
index 54fc0a4ed8..47e6a9dee4 100644
--- a/Annex/Content/LowLevel.hs
+++ b/Annex/Content/LowLevel.hs
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ linkOrCopy = linkOrCopy' (annexThin <$> Annex.getGitConfig)
 
 linkOrCopy' :: Annex Bool -> Key -> FilePath -> FilePath -> Maybe FileMode -> Annex (Maybe LinkedOrCopied)
 linkOrCopy' canhardlink key src dest destmode
-	| maybe False isExecutable destmode = copy =<< getstat
 	| otherwise = catchDefaultIO Nothing $
 		ifM canhardlink
 			( hardlink
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index ff25b44456..88e22e6714 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ git-annex (7.20181025) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     exporttree remote.
   * init --version=6 will still work, but the repository is auto-upgraded
     immediately to v7.
+  * When annex.thin is set, allow hard links to be made between executable
+    work tree files and annex objects.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Sat, 13 Oct 2018 00:52:02 -0400
 
diff --git a/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning.mdwn b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning.mdwn
index 220c6306ef..c3c0570374 100644
--- a/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning.mdwn
+++ b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning.mdwn
@@ -377,3 +377,5 @@ total 12
 lil' positive end note mode on:
 
 git-annex is the only thing to which I trust my archive of most valuable documents and memories!
+
+> [[done]]; see comments --[[Joey]]
diff --git a/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_4_41478c52765cf09a94c7137437ad8716._comment b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_4_41478c52765cf09a94c7137437ad8716._comment
index c938dc193a..533c94dad4 100644
--- a/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_4_41478c52765cf09a94c7137437ad8716._comment
+++ b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_4_41478c52765cf09a94c7137437ad8716._comment
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  subject="comment 4"
  date="2018-10-18T23:34:26Z"
  content="""
+
 I am stupid talking about executable files hardlinking. I think I just chmod-ed already hardlinking files, that's how I got it. No surprise.
 
 I am ok with this quirk (executable files are not thinned), but just curious: what exactly influenced such design decision?
diff --git a/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_5_2b36163f3c8cca18ce4b05e381bf1795._comment b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_5_2b36163f3c8cca18ce4b05e381bf1795._comment
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5caf7d5038
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/bugs/v6_hardlinking_is_not_stable_across_lock__47__unlock_or_cloning/comment_5_2b36163f3c8cca18ce4b05e381bf1795._comment
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+[[!comment format=mdwn
+ username="joey"
+ subject="""comment 5"""
+ date="2018-10-26T17:17:35Z"
+ content="""
+[[!commit b7c8bf5274a64389ac87d6ce0388b8708c261971]] is where that was
+implemented. Interestingly, its commit message does say that the annex
+object file is made executable when using annex.thin.
+And indeed, git add of an executable file with annex.thin set does
+make the object executable and hard link to it.
+
+But that commit contains this line that avoids hard linking:
+
+	        | maybe False isExecutable destmode = copy =<< getstat
+
+Which is what I based my earlier comment on. But without that line,
+AFAIK it will behave the way you want, with the annex object and
+executable worktree file being hard linked. The code also removes the
+execute bit if the annex object file later ends up getting hard linked
+instead to a non-executable file.
+
+So, based on this analysis, I'm going to remove that line. And improve the
+annex.thin docs slightly, and I think that's sufficient to close this bug.
+"""]]
diff --git a/doc/git-annex.mdwn b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
index 2ee23d5787..1cb95b8245 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
@@ -1024,13 +1024,16 @@ Here are all the supported configuration settings.
 * `annex.thin`
 
   Set this to `true` to make unlocked files be a hard link to their content
-  in the annex, rather than a second copy. (Only when supported by the file
-  system, and only in repository version 6.) This can save considerable
+  in the annex, rather than a second copy. This can save considerable
   disk space, but when a modification is made to a file, you will lose the
   local (and possibly only) copy of the old version. So, enable with care.
 
   After setting (or unsetting) this, you should run `git annex fix` to
   fix up the annexed files in the work tree to be hard links (or copies).
+ 
+  Note that this has no effect when the filesystem does not support hard links.
+  And when multiple files in the work tree have the same content, only
+  one of them gets hard linked to the annex.
 
 * `annex.delayadd`