diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 4a4db3d5c3..b7f1732556 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ git-annex (7.20190220) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     (Reversion introduced in version 7.20190122.)
   * Sped up git-annex export in repositories with lots of keys.
   * Fix cleanup of git-annex:export.log after git-annex forget --drop-dead.
+  * export: Deprecated the --tracking option.
+    Instead, users can configure remote.<name>.annex-tracking-branch
+    themselves.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Wed, 20 Feb 2019 14:20:59 -0400
 
diff --git a/Command/Export.hs b/Command/Export.hs
index 635b2a9dd2..50876eccd1 100644
--- a/Command/Export.hs
+++ b/Command/Export.hs
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ optParser _ = ExportOptions
 		)
 	parsetracking = switch
 		( long "tracking"
-		<> help ("track changes to the " ++ paramTreeish)
+		<> help ("track changes to the " ++ paramTreeish ++ " (deprecated)")
 		)
 
 -- To handle renames which swap files, the exported file is first renamed
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ seek o = do
 	unlessM (isExportSupported r) $
 		giveup "That remote does not support exports."
 	when (exportTracking o) $
-		setConfig (remoteConfig r "export-tracking")
+		setConfig (remoteConfig r "annex-tracking-branch")
 			(fromRef $ exportTreeish o)
 	new <- fromMaybe (giveup "unknown tree") <$>
 		-- Dereference the tree pointed to by the branch, commit,
diff --git a/Command/Sync.hs b/Command/Sync.hs
index 03204fe454..b14c57fc67 100644
--- a/Command/Sync.hs
+++ b/Command/Sync.hs
@@ -680,8 +680,8 @@ syncFile ebloom rs af k = onlyActionOn' k $ do
 	put dest = includeCommandAction $ 
 		Command.Move.toStart' dest Command.Move.RemoveNever af k (mkActionItem af)
 
-{- When a remote has an export-tracking branch, change the export to
- - follow the current content of the branch. Otherwise, transfer any files
+{- When a remote has an annex-tracking-branch configuration, change the export
+ - to contain the current content of the branch. Otherwise, transfer any files
  - that were part of an export but are not in the remote yet.
  - 
  - Returns True if any file transfers were made.
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ seekExportContent rs (currbranch, _) = or <$> forM rs go
   where
 	go r = withExclusiveLock (gitAnnexExportLock (Remote.uuid r)) $ do
 		db <- Export.openDb (Remote.uuid r)
-		exported <- case remoteAnnexExportTracking (Remote.gitconfig r) of
+		exported <- case remoteAnnexTrackingBranch (Remote.gitconfig r) of
 			Nothing -> nontracking r
 			Just b -> do
 				mcur <- inRepo $ Git.Ref.tree b
diff --git a/Git/Ref.hs b/Git/Ref.hs
index 1986db603c..ebd171de74 100644
--- a/Git/Ref.hs
+++ b/Git/Ref.hs
@@ -88,9 +88,11 @@ headExists repo = do
 sha :: Branch -> Repo -> IO (Maybe Sha)
 sha branch repo = process <$> showref repo
   where
-	showref = pipeReadStrict [Param "show-ref",
-		Param "--hash", -- get the hash
-		Param $ fromRef branch]
+	showref = pipeReadStrict
+		[ Param "show-ref"
+		, Param "--hash" -- get the hash
+		, Param $ fromRef branch
+		]
 	process [] = Nothing
 	process s = Just $ Ref $ firstLine s
 
diff --git a/Types/GitConfig.hs b/Types/GitConfig.hs
index fb2eae4570..f7500c8540 100644
--- a/Types/GitConfig.hs
+++ b/Types/GitConfig.hs
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ data RemoteGitConfig = RemoteGitConfig
 	, remoteAnnexReadOnly :: Bool
 	, remoteAnnexVerify :: Bool
 	, remoteAnnexCheckUUID :: Bool
-	, remoteAnnexExportTracking :: Maybe Git.Ref
+	, remoteAnnexTrackingBranch :: Maybe Git.Ref
 	, remoteAnnexTrustLevel :: Maybe String
 	, remoteAnnexStartCommand :: Maybe String
 	, remoteAnnexStopCommand :: Maybe String
@@ -287,8 +287,10 @@ extractRemoteGitConfig r remotename = do
 		, remoteAnnexReadOnly = getbool "readonly" False
 		, remoteAnnexCheckUUID = getbool "checkuuid" True
 		, remoteAnnexVerify = getbool "verify" True
-		, remoteAnnexExportTracking = Git.Ref
-			<$> notempty (getmaybe "export-tracking")
+		, remoteAnnexTrackingBranch = Git.Ref <$>
+			( notempty (getmaybe "annex-tracking-branch")
+			<|> notempty (getmaybe "export-tracking") -- old name
+			)
 		, remoteAnnexTrustLevel = notempty $ getmaybe "trustlevel"
 		, remoteAnnexStartCommand = notempty $ getmaybe "start-command"
 		, remoteAnnexStopCommand = notempty $ getmaybe "stop-command"