diff --git a/Build/DesktopFile.hs b/Build/DesktopFile.hs
index b9af9df42d..d66be70a63 100644
--- a/Build/DesktopFile.hs
+++ b/Build/DesktopFile.hs
@@ -29,12 +29,12 @@ import Prelude
 
 systemwideInstall :: IO Bool
 #ifndef mingw32_HOST_OS 
-systemwideInstall = isroot <||> destdirset
+systemwideInstall = isroot <||> (not <$> userdirset)
   where
 	isroot = do
 		uid <- fromIntegral <$> getRealUserID
 		return $ uid == (0 :: Int)
-	destdirset = isJust <$> catchMaybeIO (getEnv "DESTDIR")
+	userdirset = isJust <$> catchMaybeIO (getEnv "USERDIR")
 #else
 systemwideInstall = return False
 #endif
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index fcd9097fa0..90f748c860 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ git-annex (7.20190220) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   * S3: Support enabling bucket versioning when built with aws-0.21.1.
   * stack.yaml: Build with aws-0.21.1
   * Fix cleanup of git-annex:export.log after git-annex forget --drop-dead.
+  * Makefile: Added install-home target which installs git-annex into
+    the HOME directory.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Wed, 20 Feb 2019 14:20:59 -0400
 
diff --git a/Config/Files.hs b/Config/Files.hs
index 14026bdab9..8ad4fe5bcf 100644
--- a/Config/Files.hs
+++ b/Config/Files.hs
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ removeAutoStartFile path = do
 	modifyAutoStartFile $
 		filter (not . equalFilePath path')
 
-{- The path to git-annex is written here; which is useful when cabal
+{- The path to git-annex is written here; which is useful when something
  - has installed it to some awful non-PATH location. -}
 programFile :: IO FilePath
 programFile = userConfigFile "program"
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7be8053fec..c4092f958e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -18,6 +18,16 @@ endif
 
 build: $(all)
 
+# install system-wide
+# Set PREFIX and DESTDIR to configure where it is installed
+install: install-bins install-docs install-desktop
+
+# installs into your home directory
+install-home:
+	$(MAKE) install-bins PREFIX=$(HOME)/.local
+	$(MAKE) install-mans PREFIX=$(HOME)/.local
+	$(MAKE) install-desktop PREFIX=$(HOME)/.local USERDIR=1
+
 tmp/configure-stamp: Build/TestConfig.hs Build/Configure.hs
 	if [ "$(BUILDER)" = ./Setup ]; then ghc --make Setup; fi
 	if [ "$(BUILDER)" != stack ]; then \
@@ -61,8 +71,10 @@ install-bins: build
 	ln -sf git-annex $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin/git-annex-shell
 	ln -sf git-annex $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/bin/git-remote-tor-annex
 
-install-misc: build Build/InstallDesktopFile
+install-desktop: build Build/InstallDesktopFile
 	./Build/InstallDesktopFile $(PREFIX)/bin/git-annex || true
+
+install-completions:
 	install -d $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/$(SHAREDIR)/bash-completion/completions
 	install -m 0644 bash-completion.bash $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/$(SHAREDIR)/bash-completion/completions/git-annex
 	install -d $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/$(SHAREDIR)/zsh/vendor-completions
@@ -72,8 +84,6 @@ install-misc: build Build/InstallDesktopFile
 	@./git-annex --fish-completion-script git-annex 2>/dev/null > $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/$(SHAREDIR)/fish/completions/git-annex.fish || \
 		echo "** fish completions not installed; built with too old version of optparse-applicative"
 
-install: install-bins install-docs install-misc
-
 test: git-annex git-annex-shell
 	./git-annex test
 
diff --git a/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build.mdwn b/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build.mdwn
index 8b458d493f..bfe612a61d 100644
--- a/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build.mdwn
+++ b/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build.mdwn
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 git-annex uses copyHook in Setup.hs to create/install man pages, .desktop file and etc.
 
 I'm using cabal new-build/new-install to install it, and these copyHooks don't get called. I reported it to Cabal, but they replied that this should be fixed on git-annex side: https://github.com/haskell/cabal/issues/5933
+
+> [[done]], make install-home. Can't be done in Setup.hs for new-build so
+> this is the best that can be done. --[[Joey]]
diff --git a/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build/comment_1_ccc46b058bf27fd8d6474b130226f886._comment b/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build/comment_1_ccc46b058bf27fd8d6474b130226f886._comment
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f939d7d622
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/bugs/Make_Setup.hs_work_for_cabal_new-build/comment_1_ccc46b058bf27fd8d6474b130226f886._comment
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[[!comment format=mdwn
+ username="joey"
+ subject="""comment 1"""
+ date="2019-03-18T15:22:46Z"
+ content="""
+stack install also bypasses the custom postCopy. It's not been much of a
+problem. git-annex's Makefile can use either system to build, and does a
+much better job of installing all needed files.
+
+I've updated the install/fromsource page to point the user toward
+`make install` more. Also added a `make install-home` target.
+
+But I've kept support for using cabal install because users may be relying
+on that installation method. If cabal switches to new-build by default
+and it stops working, it can be removed then.
+"""]]
diff --git a/doc/install/fromsource.mdwn b/doc/install/fromsource.mdwn
index ab98990a7a..f024974daa 100644
--- a/doc/install/fromsource.mdwn
+++ b/doc/install/fromsource.mdwn
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ users with experience building code from source. But the build may
 require some care and feeding. This page will start with the easy
 methods and work up to the harder ones.
 
+This page also covers installing git-annex from source, but in many
+cases it's better to install it using your OS's package manager.
+
 ## downloading the source code
 
 The easiest way is using git; see [[download]] or just run:
@@ -18,8 +21,17 @@ First, install everything git-annex needs to build:
 
 	sudo apt-get build-dep git-annex
 
-Now you can build git-annex by running either `make` or `cabal build`
-inside the source tree.
+Now you can build git-annex by running `make` inside the source tree.
+
+Then, to install the program and associated files system-wide in `/usr/local`,
+run:
+
+	sudo make install PREFIX=/usr/local
+
+Or, to install the program into $HOME/.local/bin, and associated files
+into other parts of your HOME directory, run:
+
+	make install-home
 
 ## building from source with stack
 
@@ -34,21 +46,28 @@ On Debian:
 Get the git-annex source code, and inside the source tree run:
 
 	stack setup
-	stack install
+	stack build
 
-Move git-annex into some directory that is in your PATH:
+To install the program and all associated files system-wide
+in `/usr/local`, run:
 
-	mv ~/.local/bin/git-annex ~/bin # or /usr/local/bin/ or whatever
+	sudo make install BUILDER=stack PREFIX=/usr/local
+
+Or, to install the program into $HOME/.local/bin, and associated files
+into other parts of your HOME directory, run:
+
+	make install-home BUILDER=stack
 
 (Why not run `stack install git-annex`? Because that causes stack to 
 [ignore git-annex's stack.yaml file](https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack/issues/2371),
-yielding a less reliable build.)
+yielding a less reliable build. Stack also only installs the binary,
+and not other files.)
 
 Note that this build produces a git-annex without the build flags
 XMPP, DBUS, and MagicMime.
 These optional features require installing additional C libraries.
 To try to build with these features 
-enabled, pass extra parameters when running stack install: 
+enabled, pass extra parameters when running `stack build`: 
 `--flag git-annex:XMPP --flag git-annex:DBUS --flag git-annex:MagicMime`
 
 ## minimal build from source with cabal
@@ -67,8 +86,16 @@ Get the git-annex source code, and inside the source tree, run:
 	cabal install -j -f"-assistant -webapp -webdav -pairing -dbus -magicmime" --only-dependencies
 	cabal configure -f"-assistant -webapp -webdav -pairing -dbus -magicmime"
 	cabal build -j
-	PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH
-	cabal install --bindir=$HOME/bin
+
+To install the program and all associated files system-wide
+in `/usr/local`, run:
+
+	sudo make install BUILDER=cabal PREFIX=/usr/local
+
+Or, to install the program into $HOME/.local/bin, and associated files
+into other parts of your HOME directory, run:
+
+	make install-home BUILDER=cabal
 
 ## full build from source with cabal
 
@@ -82,5 +109,13 @@ Once the C libraries are installed, run inside the source tree:
 	cabal install -j --only-dependencies
 	cabal configure
 	cabal build -j
-	PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH
-	cabal install --bindir=$HOME/bin
+
+To install the program and all associated files system-wide
+in `/usr/local`, run:
+
+	sudo make install BUILDER=cabal PREFIX=/usr/local
+
+Or, to install the program into $HOME/.local/bin, and associated files
+into other parts of your HOME directory, run:
+
+	make install-home BUILDER=cabal